Helping the Underprivileged through the Community-Based Practice programme

Monash University ’s second year medical students had the unique experience of applying what they learn in classroom and gain hands-on experience in working with people with special needs.

The opportunity came through the inaugural Community-Based Practice (CBP) component of their Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery programme, which aims to give students the opportunity to integrate the practice of medicine with a hands-on experience in understanding issues of social justice and equity.

Through the Monash CBP programme, which is an essential part of the MBBS curriculum, the students were attached to a community organisation involved in the provision of clinical, health and social care for the needy and underprivileged.

The programme is aimed to give students the bigger picture of medicine beyond the hospital walls. Apart from that, CBP also lets them appreciate the importance of human skills in multi-disciplinary teams coming together to help and guide the needy.

This year, a total of ten teams comprising of three to four people, were involved in the CBP programme, and they were attached to various organisations including Kiwanis Club of Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Alzheimer Disease Foundation Malaysia and Dyslexia Association of Malaysia.

The CBP programme evolved from the Monash Community Partnership Programme which started at the university’s Clayton campus four years ago and had students working with various organisations to help the community.

But instead of just helping the community, the CBP programme in Malaysia also requires students to carry out research and come up with a programme or activity specifically catered to the agency’s needs.

Aside from this, students are also introduced to the concept and process of health promotion in medical practice such as policy making, project development, implementation and evaluation through series of workshop and lectures.

The students’ health projects must be in the specific area of need for the agency they are attached to, with hopes that the projects will facilitate, enhance or increase the efficiency of the organisations in delivering their services.

“The programme not only got the students involved in helping the underprivileged but also taught them that medicine is not only confined to physical help that is given at hospitals but also exposed them to social justice and equity,” said Associate Professor Dr Wong Chee Piau from the Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine.

“In addition, as the university is committed to ‘Engaging the World’, what better way to demonstrate that by engaging our local community,” he added.

Following the completion of their programme, each team presented a report on their activities and students with the best presentation were recognised for their effort.

Some of presentations included Improving the Well Being of the Intellectually Disabled through Horticultural Therapy, Awareness of Dyslexia Amongst Youth in Malaysia and Pictorial Duty Roster for People with Learning Difficulties.

The team consisting of Chuah Joo Keng, Anna Maria George, Lee Jia Lin and Mah Jia Yee gave the best presentation with the Integrated Home-Based Therapy for Children with Cerebral Palsy.

The team with the best presentation consisting of Anna Marie George, Chuah Joo Keng, Lee Jia Lin and Mah Jia Yee.