Tina Tan
Singapore continues to ramp up its vaccination efforts with meaningful milestones aimed for National Day. It is a massive undertaking that has required swift response on the parts of many. This past year, all of us have had to make adjustments to the way we practise medicine in order to accommodate efforts against the pandemic.
In the midst of all this, let us remember that medical education has had to change with the times too. This issue features articles from medical students, educators and trainees, who contributed their perspectives on what the past year has been like. A number of Singaporeans who were studying medicine overseas have had their studies disrupted – some continue to make do, while others were absorbed into our local system. SMA has, in some capacity, continued to provide support for our overseas graduates, and I am proud to say that we will continue to do so.
Ganesh Kudva
Change: a single word that describes one of the constants in life. Change engenders many things – unpredictability, anxiety, adaptability and resilience. Change is an uncertain thing; would it lead to an insurmountable mountain, or to a door that leads to a new era? Some of us might embrace it, while many of us might evade it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought change upon humanity in an unprecedented way. Despite the advent of vaccinations, much remains uncertain. Singapore has not been spared, and in the last two months, Singaporeans have had to change much of their routines to cope with measures meant to stem the virus' spread.
It is in times like these that tales of great resilience and fortitude need to be told, and in this issue, we chronicle stories of doctors in training who have had to navigate through their educational journeys in these unpredictable times. There is the story of Carissa Ng, a mother, medical student and gelato cafe owner who had to juggle these roles during this time of unprecedented disruption. Dr Chie Zhi Ying, a family medicine physician and Deputy Editor of the SMA News Editorial Board, shares the changes she and her batchmates experienced as a result of the pandemic – such as learning by Zoom and sitting for examinations under safe-distancing restrictions.
COVID-19 has been an epoch-defining challenge, but the stories contained in this issue tell us that many have, in the face of the challenge, risen rather than wilted. It is this fortitude which shall define the brave new world that we will all live in.