Student Electives

It’s my privilege to complete my elective here in the Department of Ophthalmology, University Malaya Medical Centre. Thanks to the many kind souls there including the friendly medical officers who are willing to teach, the helpful nurses and the knowledgeable consultants, I managed to have a wide array of clinical exposures there. There were many opportunities for me to observe rare surgical procedures in the operation theatres and to learn how to use the slit lamp. By the end of my elective, I felt confident to approach some common eye conditions in the eye clinic. I did not regret a single bit to come here for the elective as it deepened my interest in ophthalmology. Highly recommended to those who would plan to do your elective here!

I was placed at the Ophthalmology department for 3 weeks as a part of my medical school final year elective. The team was warm and welcoming and I was signposted to learning opportunities in clinic - such as Emergency Eye Clinic where I could see lots of acute ophthalmological issues, specialist clinics led by specialists and consultant doctors who were highly skilled in their craft. I also attended the operating theatre supervised by a consultant and specialist doctors and worked as part of their team. The ophthalmologists at PPUM were fantastic and despite slight language barrier with patients they endeavoured to translate and interpret consultations on top of their clinic work and taught me a lot about different eye conditions and emergencies. I also had the chance to examine eyes using the slit lamp and helped with patient flow during my placement. Thank you to the PPUM team for having me!

My month long elective programme at UM is without question, one of the highlights of my medical school career. The change in environment was especially welcome, and the staff, be it doctors or nurses working at the clinic were so friendly and willing to teach us whatever they could while we were attached there. The many facilities be it in the clinic or the OT allowed for an incredible learning experience far beyond what I could have dreamed of, and the many afternoons working on assignments by the OCT would be happy memories that follow me for years to come. The experience at the UMMC Ophthalmology Department would definitely be one I would agree to again in a heartbeat, thanks of course to all the staff who made it so.

It was a great time when I had my elective posting in PPUM Ophthal department. I prioritized PPUM as my first choice for my elective posting because of its good reputation and equipment settings. The one month period was very fruitful, as I  spent most of my time observing interviews and day to day sessions, to learn from MOs and specialists, and sometimes assisting them in tasks. I feel sincerely appreciated  as all the MOs and specialists were very helpful and very enthusiastic in lecturing us. Thousands of thanks towards all the medical officers, especially Dr Penny Lott and Dr Tham who set aside their time to make my elective posting as wonderful as could be.