Professor Dr Parasakthi Navaratnam said the Monash medical training involved not just the syllabus, but the role of a doctor.

.

Most of us have had some form of an encounter with a doctor at least once in our lives, be it a General Practitioner, Specialist or a Surgeon.

And some of us would also have our fair share of horror stories with the said encounters. These tend to leave an indelible mark and may cause us to never return to that doctor or even be turned off at the prospect of visiting a doctor except when left without a choice.

While most do the profession credit, some leave a bitter taste. From terrible bedside manners and a sense of superiority to putting your body through unnecessary tests (to increase billing, of course!) and misdiagnosis, the list is endless. It is these doctors that we shun and warn our friends and family to stay away from.

Therefore, one would really hope that while parents should do their part in raising their children who could turn out to be future doctors the traits of kindness and empathy, education seals the deal for the right kind of development.

From the educators to the syllabus, it is crucial to pick the right university to ensure that the young and impressionable med students find the right path. This would go a long way in helping safeguard the interests of patients and the future of these doctors-to-be.

One of the highlights among parents during the recent Discover Monash Week was “Becoming a Doctor – Medicine at Monash University”, organised by the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Professor Dr Parasakthi Navaratnam, who gave the talk, was obviously passionate about her chosen profession. She highlighted how the University will help students in their journey to becoming doctors.

“There’s greater emphasis on the doctor – patient communication skills and establishing a professional relationship, psychosocial aspects of healthcare, being able to critically deal with the explosion in medical information and continuous learning,” she said.

“In those days, doctors used to pick up the aforementioned skills after they have qualified. But we have found that to be inadequate and have included this into the curriculum. At Monash, we center our syllabus around four themes, namely personal and professional development, society, population, health and illness, foundations of medicine and of course, clinical skills,” said Professor Parasakti.

She continued, “To be honest, we are very strict with our student intake criteria. We cap the number of students who can come in. Therefore, if you go through our requirements including levels of education excellence, tests and interviews, and are offered a place at our School, you can be rest assured we consider you and your interest in doing medicine, very seriously.”

The Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences held various activities during the Monash Open Day, held in conjunction with the Discover Monash Week.

Some of the qualities that the School looks for include a realistic desire to become a doctor, perseverance in the face of setbacks and frustrations, sincere and attentive, respect for diversity, non-judgmental attitudes, an appropriate level of maturity, passionate and many more soft skills.

These would help a student to not just become a person with fantastic medicinal skills but also a human being who ultimately cares for the patient at a more holistic level.

To quote Professor Parasakthi: “A patient is not just a disease, a patient is a human being first and the disease is secondary.”