Want to Study Medicine? Here’s What You Can Do in JC

So you want to study Medicine. Or you’re thinking about it, at least.

You’ve come to the right place. Once upon a time, I was just like you. Before stepping into JC, I’d already had my heart set on Medicine. Yet I was utterly clueless about what lay ahead. I had no idea of the opportunities available for me to gain greater exposure.

While you may find out about these along the way, many will require you to apply in advance. I discovered several of these invaluable opportunities only when it was too late. It is my hope that with this comprehensive guide laying out for you every opportunity out there, you will be able plan your JC life well and choose wisely those that you wish to go for.

(Note: Do check back regularly as the 2022 dates will be updated when announced! The relevant websites and social media pages are also linked below. You can follow these links for the latest and most accurate information.)

1. Events and Programmes

Disclaimer: I did not attend all of the events listed below (and hopefully you don’t either).

They are consolidated here, in chronological order, so that you can make an informed decision about exactly which events you’d like to participate in. (My advice is to select just one or two. That would be more than enough to get you acquainted with the healthcare sector in Singapore—and show your interest in the medical field.)

You will usually be notified of these events through your school, together with the details and sign-up links.

LKCMedicine Anatomy Challenge

Organised by: NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
Date: 23 April 2022
Links: Anatomy Challenge Facebook | Anatomy Challenge Instagram

The Anatomy Challenge allows participants to learn about various aspects of the human anatomy, including its history and latest imaging technologies and how they are applied in modern clinical practice. It consists of both an individual round and a team round. What’s special is that there is a theme for every season. For 2022, the theme is Cardiorespiratory System.

Past participants have described it as an “enriching” experience “rich in information”. Even medical students were stumped by some of the questions. Besides the competition itself, there is a workshop as well as exhibitions on intriguing ideas in the medical field.

NHMed National Healthcare-Medical Symposium

Organised by: Hwa Chong Institution, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Date: late May to early June 2022 (the exact dates have yet to be announced)
Links: NHMed Website | NHMed Facebook | NHMed’22 Instagram

This is one of the most informative and experiential programmes specifically designed to provide students with an avenue to find out more about Medicine and Singapore’s healthcare sector.

The programme is extensive, featuring lectures and talks by doctors and healthcare professionals, focus group discussions, and tours of healthcare training facilities. For 2019, it even included a visit to the Anatomy Museum. In 2021, NHMed was held online for the first time. You can get a glimpse of what it was like on their Instagram page.

Healthcare Outreach Project

Organised by: NUS Medicine, NUS Nursing, NUS Pharmacy, SIT Physiotherapy, SIT Occupational Therapy
Date: Outreach: May to June 2022 | Camp: late December 2022 (the exact dates have yet to be announced)
Links: HOP Website | HOP Facebook | HOP Instagram

HOP acts as a platform for students to explore multiple careers in healthcare. With collaboration across different faculties, their focus is on not just Medicine but also Pharmacy and Allied Health.

In 2021, they had an Outreach segment with five webinar sessions held in May to June, where they invited healthcare professionals from Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, as well as students from Dentistry, Dietetics, Speech and Language Therapy, Diagnostic Radiography and (Medical) Social Work to share more about their course.

Pre-COVID, the Camp was quite interactive with hands-on activities (I remember measuring out the exact amount of powder and sealing it in a capsule for Pharmacy) and tours of healthcare training facilities.

2020 was the first year they went virtual. The Camp was based on the theme “Journey of A Patient”, where participants assumed the roles of different healthcare professionals in patient care. In 2021, the Camp comprised student speakers sharing about their courses, as well as “Day in the Life” videos for the various healthcare courses, which you can find on their Instagram page.

ECG Events and Workshops

Organised by: the Education and Career Guidance (ECG) unit in your school
Date: ongoing throughout the year
Links (all JCs): ASRJC ECG | ASC(I) COG | ACJC HECG | DHS CSHE | EJC CSH | HCI ECG | JPJC ECG | NYJC ECG | NJC ECG | RI HEO | RVHS ECG | SAJC ECG | TMJC ECG | TJC CSHE | VJC HECG | YIJC ECG
Links (MOE): MOE ECG Resources | MySkillsFuture

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier article on the things I wish I’d known before JC, the ECG (or HECG or COG or CSHE or HEO) is your best resource when it comes to further studies and career-related advice.

Your school’s ECG will likely conduct some workshops, events, or information sessions etc related to Medicine. For example, alumni currently in medical school and/or working in the healthcare sector might be invited back for sharing sessions. The ECG will also publicise external events such as those mentioned above, thus you may wish to keep a lookout for these.

2. Medical Work Experience

Medical internships are notoriously difficult to find. Most hospitals and clinics in Singapore offer no structured job shadowing programme for pre-university students—not even short-term ones. In this regard, those with personal connections gain the upper hand. (In other words, if your mum’s friend works at SGH, you can easily ‘arrange’ a week-long hospital attachment there.)

I personally did not undertake any clinical work experience before applying (last-minute cancellations as the first wave of COVID hit). This goes to show that although everyone clamours for these (highly limited) spots, it is not a requirement in order to apply for Medicine.

During my JC years, I have often been told that medical schools are looking for “familiarity with the clinical setting” etc. First of all, I don’t think that came out very prominently in my interviews. And secondly, there are many other ways you can get this “familiarity” if you find yourself unable to secure a spot for clinical work experience.

That being said, it is great exposure. Seeing the realities and day-to-day work of medical professionals can be pivotal in helping you to decide whether Medicine is indeed for you.

Here I’ve consolidated all the known avenues to source for such experiences, including insights from my own attempts to arrange for one. Hopefully, it will save you a great deal of hassle.

National University Hospital (NUH) Job Shadowing [halted until further notice]

Date: No fixed dates (send in your application anytime – but preferably months in advance)
*In view of the COVID-19 situation, they are halting the job shadowing programme until further notice.
Links: Attachments & Job Shadowing – NUHS (refer to the second section on “Job Shadowing”)

This is probably the only structured medical job shadowing programme for pre-university students out there. The programme spans two to three days. Attachment opportunities are limited and they prioritise JC-level students, especially those who have graduated or are completing the final year.

You will be required to complete an application form and submit several other documents, all of which you should already have. The only one you’ll have to work on is “a write up on why you are interested in a Job Shadowing experience at NUH and what you hope to learn”.

If you wish to gain experience before your Medicine applications, you should apply as early as possible. I emailed NUH in October 2019 (my second year in JC), before my A Levels started. I was told that the earliest available slots are from May 2020—by which time the Medicine applications would have ended.

While most people (like me) plan to undertake some form of work experience during the months after the A Levels, it may be wise to do one at an earlier time, perhaps during one of the school holidays in your two years of JC. This may give you a higher likelihood of securing a place. It is also especially useful if you’re planning on applying to universities abroad (e.g. the UK), which have a much earlier application period.

Apply for jobs as a Patient Service Assistant

You can search these up online for both public and private hospitals and clinics.

One private healthcare provider, Raffles Medical Group (RMG), does offer frequent job openings for such a role. To apply, you will have to prepare a resume and submit it together with other relevant documents.

Duties will typically include things like answering calls from patients, updating patient registration information and processing medical records. A friend of mine did such a stint at the Raffles Women Centre—an integrated obstetrics and gynaecological specialist centre—located within Raffles Hospital.

While you do get some interaction with patients and insight into how hospital systems function, I personally feel that it is not an immensely fulfilling or enriching role. But if you feel that you can derive learning from the experience or that it will allow you to become more familiar with the clinical setting, then this is not a bad option as well.

Arrange for an attachment at a clinic

Wanting to eschew from being imprisoned in a 9-to-5 job doing only administrative work, I’ve never tried this myself. But I’ve heard from friends and seniors who have. And it’s definitely a good idea, especially if you have a clinic near your house or if you’re already on good terms with your usual GP.

In this case, it could be possible to simply approach the staff at the clinic directly and enquire about possible internship and attachment opportunities, or even entry-level job openings. If they’re flexible, you could even decide on your preferred duration for the attachment and would not need to be bound for many weeks or months.

While you are unlikely to be allowed to assist the GP in any real clinical work, you still do get to interact with patients, regardless of what kind of tasks you’re assisting in.

Call or email hospitals

After unsuccessful attempts to find opportunities online, this was exactly what I did.

I figured calling would be more expeditious. This couldn’t have been further from the truth. Each phone call was a replica of the last: listening to an automated voice → keying in a few numbers to indicate my intent → waiting → being told that all customer service associates are currently occupied → being put on hold → waiting (for several minutes) → being told that all customer service associates are currently occupied.

You’d think I would have given up. But no. I kept at it relentlessly. Finally a call goes through. I enquire very politely about job shadowing or work attachment opportunities. Invariably, I get the same response: “Please email our … department.” (Either that, or I am told outright that their hospital does not offer such opportunities.)

Trying to keep my hopes up, I send an email to the email address given to me during the phone call. This leads to more waiting (this time for several days instead of minutes). Most of the time I don’t get a response. It’s likely that these hospitals do not offer such opportunities and are too bogged down with more important (life-saving) work to respond to a desperate JC student.

I did get one response, however.

Of course I didn’t get accepted right away. I had to send in all my transcripts, write-up, CV, and so on before I could convince them that it was worth it to accommodate me. I even went to get the latest flu vaccination—immunisation is part of the requirements of working or volunteering in any hospital.

Less than a week before my attachment was due to start, I was told that they were cancelling all non-medical-related activities in view of the novel coronavirus situation.

But this experience does show that calling and emailing hospitals directly is in fact a possible way to get a job shadowing opportunity. With some luck, you may get a positive response without being ignored as many times as I did.

Look for opportunities through your school

You are extremely fortunate if your school does arrange Medicine-related internships for students. However, slots are often extremely limited, and you may even have to undergo an internal ‘selection process’ to vie for those few places.

It may also be wise not to jump into any internship opportunity that you see. My school did offer one during the June holidays, but it was in a small clinic far from my house. From what I gathered, I wouldn’t get much actual exposure to medical procedures nor real interaction with patients. As I’ve said, I do not fancy devoting so much time to paperwork and administrative duties.

If you need support, you could try asking your teachers (in the Biology department, for instance)—especially those that you know may have some ‘connections’. Of course, they are in no way obliged to help you arrange for work attachments. But it never hurts to ask if they know of any possible opportunities.

BSMS Virtual Work Experience

Last year after COVID hit, I discovered this virtual work experience package designed by the Brighton & Sussex Medical School. Especially if you intend to apply to UK medical schools, definitely check it out!

Even if you’re not applying to the UK, you can enrol for free and delve right in. It’s packed with multimedia (videos!), and even questions and reflections to guide you through. You may skip over the first part on the NHS (the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK) if you find it less relevant.

While it’s definitely more geared towards the UK, you can gain insight into different medical specialties, including how ward rounds are conducted and how hospitals are run. You will also be awarded a certificate of completion if you submit both pre- and post-course surveys as well as a reflective piece of work.

3. CIP and Volunteering Opportunities

Undoubtedly, you will have to get some community service done during your two years in JC. It’s the best way to expose yourself to different communities and contribute in whatever way you can. Compassion and a heart to serve are especially important if you wish to pursue a career in Medicine.

You should engage in some form of regular volunteering (not just one-off events) and commit for at least six months. (I volunteered at a nursing home for one-and-a-half years, stopping before my A Levels.) I would also advice you to look for those opportunities that involve human interaction (and not just office or admin duties).

Personally, I chose to devote myself to causes I was deeply passionate about, which were not always directly related to Medicine. But many people do go for the obvious choices of volunteering at a hospital or healthcare facility.

Hospital Volunteering

Below are some opportunities that you can consider. This list is by no means exhaustive and you can search up other opportunities on your own. Note that I’ve only included the activities and timings that are suitable for JC-level students and involve patient interaction (i.e. not administrative or logistical duties).

You can visit their websites for more details (links included below). The respective application forms can also be found there.

*Note that most of these activities are currently on hold due to COVID-19.

Local CIP

For local community service, you can often find opportunities through your school. You can also seek them out on your own, through organisations such as Youth Corps Singapore (YCS).

While COVID has severely limited physical interaction, there’s actually been quite a number of online volunteering opportunities going on at YCS, such as teaching seniors digital skills and distributing masks to hawker centres. If you sign up as a YCS member, you’ll receive regular email updates of “What’s Upcoming”. These are really good to look for the latest opportunities.

Many students also choose to start their own Service Learning (SL) projects. If you have a cause you’re truly passionate about, a beneficiary in mind and a few like-minded friends, it may be an option worth considering. It will take dedication and commitment, but will also showcase your teamwork and leadership abilities.

Below are just a few volunteering opportunities outside of hospitals that are more related to the medical sector. Again, these do not form a definitive list but are simply ideas to get you started. You also do not have to limit yourself to the eldercare sector and can pursue volunteering opportunities for any other cause (e.g. special education, the environment and climate action).

*Note that most of these activities are currently on hold due to COVID-19.

Those in the list above have an established and regular volunteering programme. That is to say, if you apply, you’ll likely be accepted as a volunteer immediately. Some other organisations take in volunteers only when they need to, so you may not be able to get a volunteering role.

Here are some other organisations that you can check out:

• RSVP Singapore The Organisation of Senior Volunteers
• HCA Hospice Care (HCA)
• Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH)
• Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf)
• Autism Resource Centre (Singapore) (ARC(S))

Overseas CIP

While usually not directly related to Medicine, an OCIP trip will give you a unique experience. It may lead to deeper self-reflection, self-discoveries, greater maturity of thought, or even a shift in perspective.

I personally embarked on two OCIP trips over the span of two years, teaching English to underprivileged children in rural China. They were life-changing experiences and triggered many personal reflections.

Most of the time, your school will provide such opportunities. Otherwise, you can challenge yourself with external OCIP initiatives such as the Youth Expedition Project (YEP) by Youth Corps Singapore.

4. Medical Society

I included this as one of the last points because not every JC has a Medical Society. My school does, and it was initiated and led by students who were passionate about the medical field. So many students were interested in Medicine that they had to conduct interviews to select new members each year (and another round of interviews for the Exco).

Depending on how the MedSoc in your school is run, being part of this could give you opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals (and maybe even seniors in med school), delve into medical topics, arrange for hospital volunteering as a group, and so on. Since this is a society in your school, it is likely one of the most convenient ways to be involved in learning more about the medical field as part of your JC life.

However, if your school does not have a MedSoc, there is no need to despair. External events such as NHMed and HOP (see the first section on Events and Programmes above) will give you a very comprehensive look into what it is like to study and pursue a career in Medicine. You can also self-learn anything you wish to know more about—by perusing books and a variety of other sources.

5. Books and Other Resources

You can read books and articles, watch TED talks, listen to podcasts, take free courses online… The possibilities are endless.

I always marvel at how extremely blessed we are to live in this era where information is literally at our fingertips. Anything that you’d like to learn about, be it experiences of doctors and medical professionals or an intriguing medical topic, you have a wealth of resources that you can access without even leaving your desk. You can self-learn anything. Isn’t that amazing?

I would say that, as an aspiring medical student, it would be really good to read at least a few books by doctors or about doctors. They will truly transform the way you think about Medicine and what it means to you.

My personal favourites include When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi and Complications by Atul Gawande. Both are wildly popular and well-known choices for prospective and current medical students alike. I say “include” becomes there are countless others.

There are way too many good reads and other resources to mention here. For that, you can browse through the articles on this page:

1. 5 Must-Read Books for Prospective Medical Students
2. 5 Inspiring Books on Specific Medical Careers
3. The 5 Most Inspiring TED Talks by Doctors and Patients
4. The 3 Best Newsletters for Keeping Up With Medical News
5. Top 15 Instagram Accounts to Follow for Aspiring Medics

A last word…

You should not feel like you have to accomplish all of the above to ‘qualify’ as a potential Medicine applicant.

I believe that what matters most is the meaning you derive from every one of your experiences—whether they are directly related to Medicine or not.

You should be constantly reflecting along the way. It would be great if you can jot down some of your thoughts periodically and write a reflection at the close of each endeavour.

In the end, it’s about who you are. Ask yourself: Why am I doing this? What does this mean to me? What am I deeply passionate about? What inspires me endlessly? And above all, Why Medicine?

You may not have all the answers by the time you apply. But hopefully, you’ll have given the questions deep thought, and will continue to live those questions as you pursue your dream of becoming a medic.  

Have a question? Leave a comment below or drop me a message anytime! I read and respond to every message and email.