Some Thoughts

right now on our class yahoo groups, is a discussion regarding an american board exam that the admin is suggesting we take. lots of interesting points of view, and it seems like those wanting to take the exam are in the minority. which is good, in mumbler's opinion, because no one likes to take exams, even if they're free. and to sit for a totally different sort of exam (no matter how the admin tries to tweak the questions it'll still have a taste of american right?) a few weeks before the final mb is pure madness. after, maybe, but definitely not before. i really doubt any mot would readily sign up for a usmle step 3 just before sitting for his mrcp! am hoping nothing happens because otherwise, mumbler will be tearing her hair out by the time march comes.

coincidentally in the papers lately, several letters have been written about the intake of medical students. year in and year out, various parents have commented on how 'heng' they've been to have the money to send their kids overseas because the our school apparently denies entry to some of the 'best' students (ie their own kids). i shan't comment on it since my opinion is obviously going to be biased since i'm in the system, plus the fact that my parents could never have afforded to pay for my medical education overseas, but i'll just say that when it comes to starting work as a house officer, it really doesn't matter which school you come from. what matters is that you can work fast and work smart, something which i hope to learn.

but what i wanted to comment on was this letter published today, in which the writer asked that since the ministry says we're short of doctors, why don't we have more places in nus? i should think that the answer is simple - a lack of resources. our lecture halls are full (the latest batch is 260 strong!), the wards are cramped with medical students, and some of our labs have been closed. just today our id tutor wanted us to clerk a patient, but he vehemently rejected us, because the duke students had gotten to him first (and it seems that they clerk alone, so imagine how many people have talked to him already). more locally-trained doctors is always a good thing (knowledge of local health system, dialects, diseases, etc) but until the financial and logistical constraints can be dealt with, it is unlikely that the class size will increase much more.

and talking about admin, sometimes, some of them really get my goat. yesterday a few of us received text messages threatening us with something if a specific paperwork wasn't done. again, mumbler regrets that this blog is too public, because this bit of paperwork has nothing to do with us, yet we are being held responsible for it, so preferably, mumbler would like to insert a rant about idiotic admin staff here. but i must say, in case i get shot down, that there are excellent admin staff that have helped me and my classmates inmeasureably and i concede they don't get much thanks from us. oh well.

and my frivolity was extended by one day today. haha.