LKCMedicine students finish ‘enlightening’ clinical placements at Imperial

Students from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) have completed six weeks honing their clinical skills at Imperial.

The 34 medical students from Singapore carried out placements with departments across various hospitals within Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and partner hospitals.

The fifth-year students – who will graduate in May 2019 - gained a deeper understanding of the NHS by spending time in departments such as cardiology, surgery, general practice and neurology.

The aspiring doctors described their Imperial placement experience as ‘enlightening, rewarding, empowering, stimulating and inclusive’.

Course leader Professor Mark Nelson told the students at a farewell reception: “It's been a pleasure having you here. I hope you've got a lot out of it and learnt something from your experience that will make you better doctors in the future.”

The LKCMedicine medical school, run jointly with Nanyang Technology University (NTU), officially opened last year and had its first graduation this summer.

The state-of-the-art campus admitted 132 students last year and builds on Imperial’s world-renowned medical curriculum as it trains the next generation of Singaporean doctors.

Kai Wei Lee

Kai Wei said: “The doctors were all very friendly and tried their best to include us and were very inclusive.

"I learned about how the NHS works, about free healthcare and the pros and cons. It’s a pretty similar learning environment to Singapore.

"Coming to London was very interesting - we can see how a lot of Imperial elements in the curriculum have been implemented into our system.”

Berwyn Tan

Berwyn said: “I think it was a great experience coming here to see how the NHS works.

"For me the highlight was seeing how the GP setting works – here they are the foundation of healthcare and Singapore is trying to move towards that.

"The doctors here know the patients well – they have more time with the patients. I also saw more complex things here that need doctor intervention and less of simple coughs and colds.

"I think for students who want to experience a modern healthcare system this is a good place to come.”

Genevieve Lee Min

Genevieve said: “My experience was very positive, the doctors were welcoming and encouraged participation and I got to join Imperial students for their teaching.

“I think one thing that strikes me is the interaction and soft skills with patients experience that you gain here.

"London is a very different city, there are a lot of things to do and it’s very vibrant.

"I would definitely recommend the elective programme for future students – I think for me it was a great way to meet people of different nationalities.

"It’s great that our school has partnered with Imperial.”

Siddharth Padigepati

Siddharth said: “It was a good six weeks, we watched operations and joined clinics.

"We also saw certain conditions that are uncommon in Singapore like multiple sclerosis and certain types of skin cancer.

"I’m thinking of becoming a GP in Singapore and I would recommend the programme to students who want to go to a developed country.

"Our school curriculum is influenced by Imperial but we don’t see it practised in Singapore – so it was good to see it here.”