My Stint as a Teacher!

The past nine months have been agony for me. Waiting for a reply from my applications to do medicine was mentally draining, and to top it all off, I was bored out of my wits! Seeing this, my dad recommended that I seek out a part time job. As most of my friends were already working either part time or full, I decided that I would look for one as well.

As I was desperately searching, a good friend of mine informed me of a job vacancy as a temporary teacher at SMJK Ave Maria Convent (AMC), Ipoh. It turned out that the present Chemistry teacher was on maternity leave and would be off for three months. As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. And so without much hesitation, I agreed to it.

After a simple interview with the principal, Ms Liew, I was approved and began work the very next day! Thus began my first real "job" as a Chemistry teacher at AMC. I was in charge of five classes - four Form 4 and one Form 5 class.

The five classes that I taught

Teaching Chemistry to secondary students has taught me a great deal of things. Firstly, it made me aware of how complex the role of a teacher is. As a teacher, you not only have to know the syllabus inside out, but you also have to be able to disseminate information in a way that the students can understand and follow easily. Not to mention different students learn at different rates; some are more self-motivated than others. Some go for tuition classes while some don't. All of this made teaching a very challenging, but altogether rewarding, affair.

Secondly, I learnt how to be friendly and inviting, while still being assertive. It is a constant juggle for teachers to be kind and accommodating to their students, yet commanding respect and obedience when needed. This is especially true during the many experiments that we had, where safety comes first. Suffice to say, I've learnt how to control a large crowd and to capture their attention so that they are focused on my lesson.

Thirdly, I improved my social communication skills. Prior to teaching, I was a rather quiet and withdrawn person, who didn't socialise very well. But when I came to AMC, I was amazed by how friendly and open the fellow teachers were towards me. They chatted with me, asked me where I came from, and some even offered me food! This essentially got rid of my fear to mingle, and I started talking animatedly with them. The more friends I made, the more welcome I felt at AMC, and this gave me extra motivation to do my best.

Lastly, I learnt how to manage my time efficiently. I had to take time off to prepare notes and experiments for my students, while also dedicating enough time to revise on anatomy and physiology, as I prepared for my admission interview for medicine. I fondly recall the sheer amount of pressure on me to finish marking five classes' worth of examinations papers, so that I could key in the marks in time. While I would be lying if I said it wasn't stressful, all the hard work eventually paid off. I became adept at spending time wisely, and learnt not to procrastinate in life.

After three months, I had to stop teaching as I am leaving soon for Ireland, to pursue my studies as a medical student. Although it was but for three months, the lessons learnt, as well as the memories made, will likely follow me for the rest of my life. It was a great experience overall, and I look forward to more of the same in the future!

With Ms. Liew Swee Fong, 

Principal of SMJK Ave Maria Convent, Ipoh 

STAY TUNED...

Of Hopes and Dreams

January-April 2016

Many events have transpired, collectively paving the way for my dreams (of becoming a doctor) to become a reality. As my father rather aptly puts it, "the skies are clearing, and the land beneath you is coming to sight".

Firstly, I managed to obtain 3A*1A for the CIE A-Levels exams. This meant I had definitely met the minimum requirements to study medicine (BBB) as set by the Malaysian Medical Council.

Secondly, I was attracted to the medical programme offered by Penang Medical College. It is a 5-year twinning programme, the first 2.5 years preclinical studies to be done in either the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) or University College Dublin (UCD), and the next 2.5 years clinical training back here in Penang Medical College (PMC). I applied online using my A-Levels results and was delighted to be called for the admissions interview on the 29th of April.

29th April 2016

My interview at PMC was scheduled for 2:00 p.m.. We took a bus to Butterworth in the morning, before boarding a ferry to Penang. After a simple lunch at Komtar, we proceeded to grab a taxi to Penang Medical College. Due to traffic congestion, we barely reached in time for my appointment.

Before I knew it, I was ushered into the interview room. No time to panic now, I thought.

My interview lasted half an hour. The interviewer was Head of Department, Obstetrics & Gynecology at PMC, Professor Knox Ritchie. He asked me questions ranging from my personal reasons for choosing medicine, to posing ethical scenarios for me to answer, in my capacity as a future doctor. We even found some time to talk about Rachmaninov's 3rd, the late Muhammad Ali and badminton. Such diversity made the interview feel very informal, and it certainly made me feel very comfortable opening up.

Before I knew it, it was all over. My dad took some snaps of the administrative building, and we were off. He promised to take my grandpa and I for a treat, so after much walking and complaining (as usual) we reached "The Safe Room", famous for its nitrogen ice cream. After such a mentally and physically draining escapade, I could not think of a better way to end the day.

The Safe Room, famous for their nitrogen ice cream

We took the bus home shortly after and reached Ipoh (my hometown) late at night.

It was with great elation that I checked my email a couple of weeks later, to be cordially greeted by a letter of congratulations for gaining admission into PMC's medical programme!

May 2016

Now the real work began. Looking through their website, I was aware of the RCSI-UCD Scholarships, which covered full tuition fees for the entire 5 years medical programme. With nothing to lose, and everything to gain, I applied for it and kept my fingers crossed.

To apply, I had to submit two scholarship essays, along with a CV and two testimonials. The weeks passed as I waited with baited breath for the outcome of my scholarship application.

June 2016

Somewhere in June, I received an email asking me to confirm my attendance for the scholarship interview to be held on the 24th of the month. I was ecstatic! All my hard work thus far had paid off, and I had one final hurdle to cross, before bliss...

Then came the days leading up to the interview. Every night, I (and sometimes, my dad) would rehearse interview questions and answer them as succinctly and precisely as I could. Each night, I would go to sleep in anticipation of the big day to come.

The interview would be held early in the morning, so my family and I had to take a bus there the night before and stay overnight. On the day itself, I was ready, all decked out in my suit and tie outfit. After a final practice, we set off for PMC once more.

Back once again to PMC

For the scholarship interview, there were three interviewers instead of one. Vice President for Academic Affairs PMC, Professor Kevin B. Nolan, as well as a representative each from RCSI and UCD, who traveled all the way from Ireland just to interview me. No pressure then...

My interview was rather brief; it lasted barely 20 minutes. Thoughts began to fill my mind, "Had I done enough?" "Did I say something wrong?" "Perhaps I spoke too fast and they had trouble understanding me?"

My parents did their best to comfort me. But this inner voice would constantly plague me until that faithful day.

July 2016

That faithful afternoon, I was busy taking a nap when I was rudely awakened by my dad. Before I could utter anything, he whispered "PMC", thrust my phone into my hands and asked me to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi. I'm calling from Penang Medical College and I just wanted to say "Congratulations! You have been awarded the full scholarsh... ""

Before she could finish her sentence, my heart leapt with joy and my whole body just went limp, overcome with emotion. My dad read my facial expressions and probably understood everything then and there. It was all I could do but to hastily voice out a "Thank you" before my dad shook my hand heartily, saying congratulations.

A few minutes later, an email sent by PMC confirmed that I was not dreaming (as I honestly thought I was) and I could finally say my long wait was over.

It has been an emotional roller coaster ride for me for the past nine months, since sitting for the last A-Levels paper on November 6th last year. So many months spent reading books on anatomy, reading medical journals on the latest breakthroughs in medical science, making my very own anatomical drawings to aid my understanding of the human body and its intricacies; all of this has not been in vain.

I am going to Dublin, Ireland to study medicine, and I will be leaving very soon, on the 1st of September.

Stay tuned...

December 2015

Ahhh, December. While many students would be making the most of their free time idling about or going on holiday, yours truly was contemplating how to apply himself to become a successful medical student. Two skills I felt essential for a future doctor to possess: basic proficiency in first aid, and practical experience in a hospital setting.

In search of the former, I was fortunate to discover a 3-day course for first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), being offered at the local St. John's Ambulance. At the end of the course, passing a written paper and practical exam would give me the privilege of becoming a first responder.

During the duration of the course, we were taught basic anatomy as well as how to respond to emergency situations i.e. the D.R.A.B.C. procedure, how to tie all kinds of bandages, and how to perform CPR when required.

Me trying hard (but failing) to model a head bandage

A doughnut bandage, for impalements and puncture wounds

At the end of the course, we took the hour-long objective paper and sat for the practicals. After that, it was just a matter of waiting a couple of weeks for the results. Finally, I was greeted with a congratulatory note, as well as my very own certificate of proficiency in First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation! One down, one more to go.

Looking for experience in a hospital environment proved rather challenging, until I spotted a vacancy for a volunteer at the St. John's Hospice Centre. I applied for it, sat down for a simple talk with the self-proclaimed "bos besar" (big boss), and started work the very next day.

Tasks were divided into two: specific and general. Specific tasks included managing the patient's medication; making sure they took it regularly, basic knowledge on how to use a glucometer and blood pressure monitor, and accompanying the ambulance driver to take the patients for health screenings, to collect medicine and even for acupuncture!

General tasks included feeding the patients, washing and cleaning up after them, and generally keeping them company. Many of these patients were plagued with terminal diseases and it really was touching to be able to hear their stories, their regrets and their dreams. Basically, what many patients wanted was someone who would listen to what they had to say, without cutting them off rudely and abruptly. I am proud to say that I was that someone.

Bringing a patient for acupuncture treatment

I think all future medical students ought to gain some experience dealing with patients before pursuing their studies, in order to get a better idea of what they are immersing themselves in and to ensure they are making the right choice for themselves.

In short, my stint as a volunteer at the St. John's Hospice Centre may have been brief, but I gained a treasure trove of information and experience, which I will ideally carry forward in my future studies.

Stay tuned...