Medical school is but the first step on a branching journey which can take one to unexpected places. With the many possible specialties and subspecialties, it can be daunting for medical students to plan for their future. To help students with this, SMA and the TriMedSoc Alliance hosted the SMA 6th National Medical Students’ Convention (NMSC) with the theme of “Career Canvas and Connections: Painting our path in Medicine”.
The TriMedSoc Alliance is a coming together of the three local medical schools’ student representative bodies: the Duke-NUS Student Council, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) Students’ Medical Society, and the NUS Medical Society. The Alliance was founded for the purpose of unifying and representing the voices of the local medical student community, while providing opportunities for medical students to connect with one another. The SMA NMSC is the Alliance’s flagship event and was hosted this year on Saturday, 17 August 2024, boasting a total of 134 participants.
Painting the career canvas
Participants arrived bright and early at the Clinical Sciences Building on the LKCMedicine campus, and the day’s activities began with a welcome address by Guest of Honour Prof Benjamin Ong, Chairman of Health Sciences Authority. Prof Ong shared about his own journey in medicine, emphasising the importance of having a strong community for support, and that learning continues throughout one’s lifetime. Following Prof Ong’s speech, the presidents of the TriMedSoc Alliance’s societies signed the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding, solidifying their ties and reaffirming the Alliance as the official student representative body in the three medical schools.
Following the renewal ceremony, participants dispersed for their selected electives, which covered a wide array of topics. From learning about how one can enter the field of medical research to getting insider perspectives into various specialties, and even learning about investing and entrepreneurship, the tracks provided participants plenty of exposure to the potential lives they might lead. With each track headed by seniors, educators, and professionals, there was a wealth of firsthand experiences and practical insights to learn from.
Over the course of the day, participants mingled convivially, getting to know one another and building inter-school connections. Many participants expressed that they were glad to have this chance to meet those from the other medical schools, sharing that there were few platforms to get to know these peers who would eventually be their colleagues.
The instructive day rounded off with a dinner and social night, during which a lucky draw was held, with prizes such as an Apple Watch SE, a pair of AirPods (3rd Gen) earpieces, and a JBL Clip 5 speaker up for grabs. We would like to thank all participants and guests for making this event fun and memorable, and especially the TriMedSoc Alliance for their hard work in putting together the SMA NMSC 2024. We would also like to congratulate the TriMedSoc Alliance on the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding and wish the Alliance continued success in its mission.
"Today’s orthopaedics sharing by Dr Angel Lim was thoroughly insightful – I appreciated her frankness and openness when sharing her journey beyond medical school, into her house officer and medical officer years and finally entering residency. The hands-on backslab session was also a breath of fresh air, and as an incoming M3 with very little prior clinical experience, the variety of techniques imparted by the doctors was incredibly valuable."
–Jaden Rabind Charles, M3, LKCMedicine (SMA 6th NMSC participant)
Putting new suturing skills into practice
The backslab session begins with a hands-on demonstration