For Future Doctors: General Misconception of being a doctor Part 2
My first Part of this topic attracted more than 600 people to visit my blog in a day. Today, I post my second part of my discussion for your reading.
1) Being a GP
As I have written before in my MMA articles, the future of GPs are bleak. If you think that you just want to complete your MBBS and open up a clinic, then I think you are misinformed badly. Many GPs are suffering nowadays. Many have even closed their shops due to severe competition. GPs, not only have to compete with their fellow GPs but also with private hospitals, government clinics, pharmacy and traditional medicine sellers. The scenario has changed as I have said in Part 1. You are also strictly regulated by the Private Healthcare and Facilities Act which was implemented from 2006 onwards. Many GPs are only earning a net profit of RM 10 000 a month which is ridiculous compared to the amount of work that you are doing. Imagine that you have to work from 9am to 10pm daily including Saturdays and Sundays, especially during your early days. That’s the reason why you notice less and fewer doctors resigning from the government sector to set up their clinic. GPs are now moving from urban areas to sub-urban and rural areas to open up their practises. There may be a better market for GPs in these areas compared to town areas.
2) Being a Consultant in a Private Hospital
Only in medicine I can earn RM 50 000/month when I work in private hospital? I had many friends and budding doctors who feel that medical specialist earns the highest in private sector compared to any other profession. Again, I would say that you are mistaken. Even though you may be right in terms of the earning capacity but what you are not aware is the fact that the private hospitals DO NOT pay us a salary!
Basically you are NOT employed by the private hospital. You are just running a clinic as a self-employed person in the hospital. Whatever you earn is the consultation/surgical fees that you are charging the patients. In fact, the hospital takes 10-15% of your consultation fee as their administrative fee. Furthermore you also need to pay a rental for the clinic space that you are renting! The rental can range from RM 4000 to RM 8000/month. Yes, if you are an interventionist/surgeon or have a lot of patients, you may earn as high as above but at the same time you can also earn very much less than expected depending on the number of patients that you see for that particular month. You may even end up earning less than RM 10 000/month at times! Again, with more and more private hospitals coming up, the competition will be greater and the income of each doctor in each hospital will definitely drop even further. Remember, if a patient’s hospital bill for an admission is RM 5000, only less than 25% of the bill is the consultation fee which belongs to you, of which the hospital will take another 10%!
Also, when you are in a private hospital you are all alone. There are no junior doctors to help you. You need to do all the procedures by yourself and must be available at all times to entertain any medical complaints from the patients (even in the middle of the night). It is not just a matter of running a clinic! So basically you can only charge a patient when you see a patient for consultation and that is your salary!
And also don’t forget, for you to reach the status of a subspecialists before going full-time private practise, it will take at least 12 years following undergraduate medical education, a total of 15-17 years !! By this time some of your fiends will be earning much more than you and driving bigger cars and going holidays all over the world. Many of my friends who went on to do IT, accountancy etc etc had become company managers and directors by the time I finish my subspeciality. They have started to enjoy their life when I was just beginning to think of earning money.
3) TV programmes : ER, CSI, House etc
Don’t get carried away by watching TV programmes like ER, CSI and House. Things do not work the way it is shown on the TV. I had one budding doctor who said that she wants to become a forensic pathologist. I am sure she was influenced by CSI. In Malaysia, the reality is, any forensic pathologist just sits in the mortuary the whole day. They hardly go down to the scene of the crime. Furthermore, if you do attend a court case, you will be tortured by the lawyer. BTW, don’t think we have all the high-end technology in our mortuary like what you see in CSI. In Malaysia, forensic pathologist doesn’t work in a police department. You are just another specialist in a government hospital forever, as you won’t be able to go private. Malaysian law do not accept a report by a private specialist.
4) Patient’s demand and increasing medico-legal issues
Many doctors are being sued nowadays. This happens in most developing or developed countries. Gone are the days where patients will forgive and forget. Even the government is asking all doctors in civil service to take their own indemnity insurance as the government may not be able to cope with the legal suits. The cost of insurance has gone up tremendously especially for surgeons and obstetrician. For Obstetrician, the yearly insurance stands at RM 40 000 – 50 000! So, don’t think that the public has high respect for you and thus they will not take any action against you. A small mistake can land you in court and your entire reputation will be affected, no matter how many life’s that you have saved.
I am sure I would have made a lot of you very depressed by now. Please do not do medicine for the reasons that I have mentioned above. You will regret it later. If you really have passion for medicine then by all means, go ahead. I give the same advice to all parents who seek my advice regarding medicine. But always remember, no matter how much passion you have for medicine, it is still a job for you to earn money for a living. Once you are married and have children, money will be the most important factor no matter what you think now.
The amount of money you are spending to do undergraduate medicine alone can easily be used to start-up a business! Most private medical colleges in Malaysia charges about RM50 000-90 000/year which comes to about RM 250 000 to 500 000 in total, not including accommodation and food. You can easily safe this money, do accountancy/engineering/designer etc etc and use it later to start your own business venture. Don’t you think it is a better option? To get back the investment that you have made for medicine will take another 20 years, not including the money that you need to spend for postgraduate education!
Let me tell you, the money now is not in professional field. If you are smart and only want to earn money, please try technical studies like architect, interior designer, accountancy etc. This is where the money is! If you are good, you can easily become a manager or director of a company by the age of 35
Pagalavan's Avatar 
Hi Dr. Pagalavan again…
yes it is depressing! Joining the medical for money is a joke, as many doctors have already told me.
With the post-grad scholarship programs controlled by your own HOD or whomever, i have heard of many Malay doctors who did not get the scholarship for post-grad despite being good a what they do. Some even waited for 7 – 10 years for the scholarship.
I foresee a lot of doctors being stuck at UD44. And with the increase of medicolegal issues, i don’t think they will be a doctor that is un-sued.
reube
You need strong cables to get into master’s programme nnowadays.
Dr..I came across about Asia Pacific University in Bukit Jalil..So I applied online for E&E Engineering..It is dual degree programme..On completion of the programme,students will be awarded 2 undergraduate degree certificates and transcripts: 1 from APU and 1 from Stafford shire University..I need your advice Dr about this..Is it advisable to take this course?
I am not sure about this. Please check whether it is approved by MQA and you can also check with the twinning university whether what they say is correct.
Hello Dr..I do subscribe your blog and this is how I know you Dr..First thing first I would like thank you for your great work helping people out there by writing articles on your blog..I really appreciate it Dr..It helped me a lot..Thanks..Dr I did my SPM on 2010..I got 9A’S and 1B+ in biology..after that,I did my foundation in science in AIMST University..I got 1A-,2B’S and 1C..A- in mathematics,B’S in biology and physics,C in chemistry..My CGPA is 3.25 taken 3 best subjects..I applied for dentistry in AIMST but unfortunately my application rejected due to limited seats..Currently,I’m doing medicine in Allianze University College of Medical Sciences in Kepala Batas,Pulau Pinang..It is MD programme..I entered this university on 18th September 2012 after went through interview..They even gave me original offer letter..Currently,I’m in semester 1 first year..in November 2012,there was an issue about a few students in my batch that not qualified for this MD programme..One of the students is myself..The university people told me I’m disqualified because I got C in chemistry..So they asked me to send a letter to MMC..I did that..Sadly,they rejected..Now,the university is asking me to reappeal back..I’m in dilemma..I don’t know what to do..How long I have to study like this..When MMC will approve it..I have no idea about it at all..I need your advice Dr..please help me..
This sound strange. I knew someone who got even worse result than yours is doing medicine in one of the private medical school locally.
Probably that was before MMC issued the criteria in 2011
The MMC directive came out in 2010. All the local med schools know the requirement, and certainly by 2012 when they accepted you, they know you have NOT qualified based on MMC guidelines. Yet they wanted your money and offered you a place, and then expect you to ‘appeal’ to MMC, If I were you, I will sue Allianze for my money back. This is fraud.
The MMC has clearly issued the guideline over here http://mmc.gov.my/v1/docs/MY%20Entry%20criteria%2020120911%20Adopted.pdf
It says that you need CGPA of atleast 3.0 in 3 subjects which include Biology, chemistry and either physics or maths. Thus I presume you did not qualify.
I had written about this before that many colleges are giving seats to students who do not fulfil the MMC criteria and then asking the students to appeal to MMC!
It is all about money.
If MMC do not agree , then you got no choice other than applying for some other course.
But the problem now I already asked for the official rejection letter from AUCMS..But they are not giving me..Instead giving me solutions for this problem..they asked to reappeal back..and take the chemistry paper as part time..I just don’t know what is the best solution..
as I have mentioned many times, all these private colleges are here to make money out of our ignorance.
Get a lawyer and send a legal letter to them to refund money.
lol…..they still want to keep your money…..in spite of having committed fraud….
and this is a medical school?
thanks Dr. for the advice..another question Dr. may I know what other courses that have job demand in future specifically?maybe which engineering?and what about optometry?
you seem to be better in maths and physics. Why don’t you try electrical engineering/computer engineering. There is nothing guaranteed in the future. The future is all about electronics and IT gadgets, the way I see it. In fact, machines will soon take over the role of doctors in diagnosing etc.
but Dr. is it advisable for a girl to do electrical engineering or computer engineering since I’m a girl?what do you think about optometry?is it demanding?
Girl can do any job like man. There are even lady pilots!
Even medicine is not suitable for girls if you are going to get married and have children. That’s the reason many female doctors choose public health, radiology and non clinical fields.
Optometrist are still needed.
for engineering,which university in malaysia will you recommend Dr.?
Try Monash, University Petronas, Uni tenaga nasional, UTM etc
Dr. I already asked the rejection letter from AUCMS..but then what the Vice Chancelor said is he cannot give the rejection letter because they are not rejecting me..he said he wants me to continue my studies here..I already asked the MMC to email the letter that stating my application is rejected..and I got it ready..but now my PTPTN application is also rejected..Vice Chancelor said he already talked to people in MMC regarding this matter as one of them is his best friend..and will get the positive answer from MMC by next week..he asked to wait till then..I don’t how far is it true..Dr. is there any chance for MMC to approve the second appeal?how about PTPTN loan?will PTPTN process back if first time they rejected?I realy thought of getting out from this university after so much problems I faced because of my minimum requirements..but if I wanna get out,it seems I have to write the letter that I ‘tarik diri’ but they will not refund my money as what they told me..will it cause any problem in future?Dr. I really need your advice..because now the whole family don’t any idea what to do..please..
Basically, the uni wants to put the blame on you by saying that you rejected the offer. So, they will look innocent. MMC has come up with clear guideline and thus the uni suppose to have followed the guideline. MMC unlikely will change the guideline just for you. Then the rest will complain. Just how many in your college got rejected? May I know the numbers?
Your VC really do not have a good reputation out there. The only reason how AUCMS can become the only uni in the world to offer 5 medical problem is through connections. The rest of the world is laughing.
Why did PTPTN reject your application?
5 of us..3 of us foundation problem..2 of rest spm problems..ptptn rejected because of my minimum requirements..so what should I do now Dr.?
So it looks like even PTPTN is following the MMC guideline. I don’t think MMC will entertain the appeal. Did the college say anything like “pending MMC approval” in their offer letter to you?
not at all Dr..is there any way to out from this problem?
Get a lawyer friend and send them a letter
Dr. should I tell MMC about this?should I tell MMC that I already started my studies in AUCMS?because when I wrote the letter I didn’t tell I’m studying in AUCMS..because people in AUCMS asked me to not do so..
Yes, you should
Thanks a lot Dr..
Dr..last Friday when I called MMC regarding my VC’s appeal to MMC behalf me,I was told that it is approved by MMC..when I told my parents about this matter,they just asked me to continue my studies in medicine..but I had read your articles and I have a clearer view about this field compared to the time I entered AUCMS..I’m still thinking about pursueing my studies in medicine..my question is now Dr..is this approval is permanent or will it cause any problems in future?because I know medicine is not easy..and the money gonna spend through out this 5 years..RM280K tuition fees only..and I’m taking bank loan and also PTPTN I guess..so I’m gonna start my life with RM280K debt..
You need to wait for the MMC official letter.
NEVER take huge loan to do medicine. You will regret it later. Remember, you will end up with more loans like car, house etc etc.
http://pagalavan.com
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whatever that you have mentioned in this article is exactly what I have told SPM/STPM students who wanted to do medicine. Very sadly , most of them do not believe in what I said and I ended up looking like a bad person for ” dashing their dreams/hopes”
Nowadays I tend to stay quiet, I will also give them a “no comment” should they/parents ask me for advise. I told them, in the end, they will still send their child to med school, and the students will still do medicine, and in the end suffer from some mental breakdown, when they realise: medicine is about survival of the fittest and not the smartest.
I agree with you. Whenever I tell this to the young budding doctors and some parents, i received the same kind of response. But i realise that they are not aware of many things that you need to know about medicine. That’s the reason I wrote these articles to make them realise all the issues surrounding the field of medicine.
Many think that a doctor’s job is sitting in a clinic and see common cough and cold cases. They think they can become a GP immidiately after graduation!! This is the reason why they get a mental breakdown when they start their housemanship!Unfortunately, many of them actually begin to realise this when they are in medical schools, especially when they start their clinical years but it is too late to turn back. Some will just finish the course but never con’t their life in medicine. I had few in my batch who never did practise medicine but had become successfull businessmen!
wow, this is depressing.
i know this is all true and i admit that i was in a quite severe case of denial when i started med school. now i’m in third year and i’m a lost cause. but i still want to be a gp.
to be fair, you say all these facts to us the wide eyed dreamers, you gotta give some space because, you are shattering our illusions of being a doctor. now, for the accepting the reality part….that’s the hardest.
i’m still convinced that being a doctor is good, and it isn’t if you are money-driven. 🙂
Please read what I said about GPs. I just met a GP friend of mine. He left to become a GP in 2001. He said exactly what I said in my article: a lot of competition and you work 14 hours a day!! Even after 10 years, he is still doing the same.
You have another 6-7 years before becoming a GP. Imagine, with 6000 doctors coming into the market, you’re going to have a tough life then. Even now, you can hardly see doctors leaving civil service to become a GP.
So, please keep your options open, that’s the reality.
Do Doctors need to have SPM BM before he is allowed to open his own clinic or do the practice?
My daughter is not taking SPM, She is taking GCSE.
Please advise.
Thanks
No, you don’t need BM to open clinic BUT you need BM to get a job in civil service. Thus, in order for you to get a job for housemanship, you need BM. So, if your daughter does medicine and wants to do housemanship in Malaysia, BM is needed.
Dear Dr Pagalavan Letchumanan,
To do housemanship in Malaysia, can BM in IGCSE be used instead of BM in SPM?
To practice in Malaysia, hosemanship must be taken in Malaysia? Is experience from out of Malaysia considered?
Thank you.
I am not sure about the BM but since all housemanship post are now given on contract basis, it should not be an issue. Housemanship done outside Malaysia can be considered but MMC may ask you to do the remaining postings that you did not do overseas before full registration is given. Unless, you return as a specialist.
Hello DR. Pagalavan. My name is Rana and just so happens my father is a doctor. I know GP practise is tough these days but just to inquire, according to you, how much would a neurosurgeon or a plastic surgeon earn? I am about to start MBBS in Monash in two months and am just asking. Thank you siir.
First of all, you should never do medicine with money in your mind as you will definately be dissapointed! Whatever speciality you do, the earning capacity is almost the same in private sector. It all depends on the patient load and how good you are in the eyes of the public! If you don’t get patients then you don’t get any money. As I have mentioned in my article, private hospitals do not pay you a salary. As a good neurosurgeon/plastic surgeon, you can earn as high as 100 000/month but at the same time, as low as 10 000. It all depends. Furthermore, you also need to think the time it takes to become a neurosurgeon/plastic surgeon and the postgraduate opportunities in the future. To become a good experienced neurosurgeon, it will easily take 15 years after graduation!! Neurosurgeon has a very hectic life. What is the point if you earn 100 000/month but you are in the hospital almost 24 hours, 365 days peryear? Think about it?
I know of an obstetrician who earns > 100 000/year and very well known. However, he spends almost everyday from 7am till 1am in the hospital and hardly spends any time with his family!! Sometimes he even sleeps in the hospital waiting for his patient to deliver!
Plastic surgeons may have a better life but money only comes when you are doing cosmetics surgery. If not, your income may not be that high.
Hi DR,
I had great time reading your blogs. Keep us posted with your well-informative, provocative and mind-blowing articles. In addition, you have brainstormed many options and ideas for school leavers and doctor to-be. Well, experience is the best teacher! No wonder you know the nuts and bolts of medical profession very well.
To be frank, I’m depressed right now. Maybe you can advise me accordingly, DR…
Well, I’m 31 years old female, just recently got married. Till now, I’ve no kids. I was full of expectations when first got graduated from UTM (local public u) with 1st class Hons degree in Industrial Biology. Little did I imagined that I would end up jobless.
Basically, I aspired to become a doctor ever since I was little. In line with this, I studied and worked very hard to achieve my dream of becoming a physician. I even managed to top the school in both acad and cca. Alas for me, I couldn’t continue medic after my SPM due to financial encumbrances. At that time, my father was the sole breadwinner of the family working as a painter. All my dreams were shattered. I heeded my teacher’s advice & pursue a degree in a field I was not so interested.
As a result, I couldn’t stay in 1 job for more than 2 years. I’ve switched jobs 4 times already in a period of 5 years and was jobless for 2 years. I can’t concentrate…I hate doing a job I don’t prefer. I keep on asking myself “Why I didn’t become a doctor?” Some may wonder I might have personality or attitude problem. It’s not the thing…The problem is the great passion I’m still having for medical profession even at this age of 31.
Dr, I dread thinking of staying in a job I hate for the next (at least) 30 years. I’d rather further medic degree. But, after considering all those informative points from you, I started to have second thought. In fact, I’m baffled. Do I stand a chance to do housemanship at the age of 36-37? Would you advise me to take up medical studies at this age? Hw abt goin for an internationally recognised med degree & serve Singapore instead?
Please advise me accordingly, DR. THANK YOU.
The problem with our education system is that there is no proper human resource planning. Frankly speaking, what do people with Industrail Biology actually do? Our country is producing so many graduates in various field just for the sake of producing graduates. That’s it! Do you know how many graduates are being produced a year in Business Admin? There are 9 universities producing almost 100 graduates each in Auronautical engineering!! WTH Worst still, our degrees are not even recognised anywhere for graduates to find a job elsewhere.
My advise is, forget about doing medicine at this age. You must also understand that it is difficult to do medicine when you just got married and planning to start a family. Furthermore, how are you going to cope during housemanship when you have kids running around in your house? That is, if you do get a job as a doctor since by then there will be surpluss of doctors. So think about it, especially your family life. Many even resigned during housemanship as they could not handle their family. That;s the reason I always advise my Monash students, not to get married before completing their housemanship. Despite my advise, one of my student got married and have not even started her housemanship till today (more than 1 year already!).
Hi Dr. Pagalavan,
Hope you don’t mind me replying to Kavi :
Hi Kavi, It is not impossible to study medicine at any age. I am a female who had a great job and salary. However I knew this wasn’t my calling as I was always passionate about being a physician. (certainly not for the money, since I was earning so much more in my position)
So finally I took a big leap to quit from my comfort zone after I got admission to study medicine in Malaysia. By God’s grace, I am halfway in my medical studies past 37 years of age. Even without a family yet, it is stressful and very challenging. I agree with Dr. Pagalavan that it would be very stressful especially when you have children and are doing your housemanship.
Nevertheless, I wanted to let you know that it is not impossible to pursue medicine at an older age, provided one is very clear with the reasons, expectations, sacrifices to be made, risks involved and the reality of the profession. Need to stay focused and keep persevering. Hope this helps.
And to Dr. Pagalavan, thank you for your great posts and advice!! Really appreciate it.
Hi Dr.
I was a 2010 SPM candidate that has been eyeing a career in the medical field. I am planning to start studying Dentistry soon without the help of any scholarships. My questions are
a) Is the scenario of being a future dentist similar to GPs?
b) Honestly and personally, do you really recommend to enter this field at this time now? With Malaysia’s current overflowing numbers of medical undergraduates?
Thanks. Correct me if I’m wrong and yes, your opinions are very much appreciated 🙂
Dentistry has a good future if you are talking about job oppurtunities and money. There is still alot of vacancy in gov sector as well compared to medicine where there will be surpluss of doctors by 2015. Many of my dentist friends who opened their own clinic are doing quite well and staying in bigger house than me. Their litigation rate is low, charges are high and patients usually will come back to you again and again. A dental surgeon will do very well especially if you are doing tooth implants!
I think everyone is depressed. Yet it is good! Now I know what doctors are facing here. It is a mega dilemma. So what is a person supposed to do? I have an offer for Medicine and Biomedical Science. Which has more prospect in the future> I don’t mean in terms of money. I mean in terms of getting a solid a job to consolidate my tertiary education.
What do I do now? I don’t know if I have the passion to become a doctor, nobody really knows until they are in the field, but I love talking to people and I have a sound scientific approach. But these things probably won’t cut to become a doctor right?
So..take biomedical science or medicine…
I am still NOT SURE…it is completely frustrating.
I do not want to regret in 3rd of my medical degree..and ruin my life..
Thank you. 🙂
Hi Dr Pagalavan,
I am medical student currently in my 2nd year. I am now thinking of quitting medicine and start anew in an engineering course which i think will have a better future prospect compared to a doctor… but my dad is against this as he thinks that doctors will never be jobless… and he thinks that a doctor has a stable job because doctors are never the victims of being unemployed whenever there’s an economic downturn…
Unlike in the medical field where we have MMA or MMC, there are no proper organization or association that records the number of accountants, engineers and many other professions, god knows, how many accountants do our country produce every year? Thus, no regulations can be made to monitor the number of graduates from all those fields.. on the contrary, in the medical field, the govt can estimate the number of doctors graduating from all different schools and in according to that, take measures to offer housemenship posts to these graduating doctors… besides that, if doctors are not offered any post by the government and become jobless, wont parents and students dither and hassle the government, after spending so much time and money on their studies?
I think you have forgotten that you are in a country called Malaysia!! Everybody still think that doctors cannot be jobless but just look at some other countries like India etc. It has happened in other countries. That’s the reason why in US, China and many other countries, all graduates need to sit for a common licensing exam before getting a place for internship. If you fail, you will not get any offer for internship. You are also wrong when you say that doctors are never a victim of being unemployed whenever there’s an economic downturn! It might be true if you are a government servant (where at the most you will take a pay cut) but can’t say the same for private doctors. I have seen GPs closing their clinic and doing locums in other private clinics to earn a living!
You are also wrong when you said that only doctors have MMC to register the number of doctors in the country. We do have Bar council to register lawyers. Malaysian Institute of Accountants to register accountants, Board of engineers to register engineers etc etc. Yet you do see jobless lawyers around, don;t you? In Malaysia there is no such thing as human resource planning unlike Singapore and other developed countries. Do the government guarantee a job for all nurses? The answer is a NO. We have so many unemployed nurses in the country now, almost all paid by PTPTN but yet the government do not guarantee a job. The same applies for teachers, pilots, engineers et cte. The government is not obliged to provide job to everyone. It has it’s own financial implication to look into.
The government also don’t care whether you spend money to become doctors or not. It is your responsibility to find a job. Do you know that we have hundreds of students from unrecognised universities who are still unemployed in this country. Do the government bother how much money the parents have spent to make their children a doctor?
If the government is not worried in providing jobs for all graduates, why is the gov planning to introduce Medical Licensing Exams for all overseas graduates from next year onwards? Why did they put a stop in approving new medical schools? The Ministry of Health has openly declared that we will achieve a doctor population ratio of 1: 600 by 2016 and 1: 400 by 2020. What does this mean? That we don’t need anymore doctors after that? I think you are too young to know the complex situation that I am talking about and most non-medical parents are also not aware about the many issues surrounding the field of medicine. Do you know that the state of Victoria in Australia got no more post for internship? What makes you think that it will not happen here?
The last thing the government might do is for all graduates to sit for Medical Licensing Exam before getting a place for housemanship. Of course JPA/MARA and local university graduates will be given preference and the rest just have to wait and become jobless. The worst part, you can’t even apply for a job elsewhere because your degree is not recognised anywhere else.
Dr Pagalavan,
So 2012 will be the year of doom for all students graduate from foreign medical uni as MMC might implement the exam? Or is it just a saying? We Malaysians like talk the talk but can we walk the walk.
By the way, in today news – The Higher Education Department has temporarily frozen the issuance of Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) to new students wanting to pursue their studies in Egypt. Right now, we are freezing the issuance of the NOC and the department will send its officials to Egypt soon to re-evaluate the quality of courses offered by several universities there, especially in the faculty of medicine.
I think the government will just turn a blind eye and deaf ears over this matter as we all know it very well.
As far as I know, that is what the MMC is planning but it may take longer than that, likely 2013 by the time they come up with a proper structured exam format. They finally realised the number of students in Egypt is unimaginable!! The figure seem to be hitting almost > 10 000 students with > 5000 doing Medicine alone!! I heard there are also a lot of self sponsored students in Egypt on top of the MARA/JPA students.
Dr pagalavan,
Thanks for all these wake-up posts..
I am a medical student from Alexandria, Egypt sponsored by MARA…
As i read throughout your posts, I realize that you have been and are still convincing us not to take medicine..
but the problem is, I had put my steps into it before i know the real facts.. do you have any advice for mischose-students like me?
thanks in advance 🙂 keep writing !!
I am not convincing anyone not to do medicine. I never said that in any of my articles. I am just stating the facts from the ground so that every one is aware what is the reality on the ground. At the end of the day, it is what you want, the type of life and what is the reason you do medicine? glory? money? good life? passion to help people? please ask this question before doing medicine. many are doing medicine for guaranteed job and not for passion, that’s the fact. If you feel that medicine is not for you then by all means choose another field before it is too late.
i’m sorry for the misunderstanding.. thanks for the advices… and i will think about it again 🙂
Dr. Pagalavan,
First and foremost, I’d like to thank you for a well-written, eye-opening post. It’s true; not all medical students realise that medicine ISN’T a field guaranteeing 100% satisfaction for those who seek financial gains only. As countless other jobs, it’s exposed to a myriad of factors that threaten it’s stability.
Therefore, I’d like to stress again, if I could, your point above 😉 :
“If you really have passion for medicine then by all means, go ahead.”
Passion. Medicine is a lifetime labour that needs lifelong learning and sustained interest. It’s not sth that you can take up one day and throw away the next when you feel like it. Only true interest and passion will keep you going throughout your career.
I’m sure for those demotivated students out there who have read this post, that you’re having doubts about your choices. But please, I encourage you to question yourself: why did you agree to take up medicine in the first place? why did you agree to put yourself through a 6-year course?
Remember that this post will keep you realistic and grounded (as regards your expectations of the working world), but I’m sure Dr Pagalavan doesn’t intend to demotivate. So do not be demotivated!
If you delve deep enough, you’re sure to find an answer that will clear whatever doubts your might have about continuing medicine. Be honest with yourself. Remind yourself of your aspirations and aims that you want to achieve in this life and the hereafter.
For myself, the main reason is this, as Ust Hasrizal (a well-known author, motiv.speaker..) said:
‘Erti hidup pd memberi’.
Study hard, and earn that MD as best as you can. Give the best of yourself for every book read, every practical class and clinical round attended. You’re sure to find success in this world and the hereafter, bi iznillah.
Thank you again, Dr Pagalavan, for a truly valuable insight into the medical career. 🙂 Hopefully, we will all be as successful as you when we graduate, insyaAllah~ 🙂
You are right. No where did I say, don’t do medicine. I am talking about the reality on the ground which many people do not realise when they decide to do medicine. In my years as a doctor supervising many Housemen, Medical Officers and even teaching medical students, I realised that many did not know these factors. That’s the reason why I decided to write these articles to make everyone realise that it is not as rossy as you think. Of course it will demotivate many people but as you said, you need to ask yourself why you wanted to do medicine in the first place?
Hi dr! I’m actually a first year med student of Indonesia and not for being cocky, i’m studying in one of the so-called best three universities here. You know what, the fact of being a doctor here is not so different from there, except the gratitude here is considered less than there in malaysia. A fresh graduate doctor here is paid about RM 520-820 or at least we say Rp1 500 000- 2 500 500.
Honestly I’ve been feeling so desperate for six months about my study. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since kid, maybe just because i was influenced by my mother which wanted to be a paramedic but could’t live her dream. And yet, every parents seem to indoctrinate their children to be a doctor as they see that being a doctor is really prestigious.
So then, i was determined to be a doctor. For me that time, seems like I didn’t know any other proffesion. Being such a brilliant kid with good grade, everyone kept telling that it was waste of potency if I don’t be a doctor or engineer or any other “difficult” proffesion which related to science. So, I attended science class instead of social class. In my years in science class, everything just went away. I did biology well, chemistry quite well, and physic went so-so for me –I didn’t really like those subjects, but I didn’t hate them either–. To be honest, I wasn’t really interested in what i studied. I love languages, art, and finance even more. I kept saying that I love biology since I wanted everone to think that I was suitable to be a doctor. I kept saying that i wanted to help people but to be honest, it was just a crap, bullshit, a cliche! I never really felt the passion in medicine but I tried to deny it. I wanted everyone to think I’m great because I can go to medical school and besides, I always be a first rank in my classes. I wanted to be considered such an angel so that I told them I have desire to help people.
When I attended for med school in my first year after graduation which is in 2009, I was not accepted. I went to pharmacy instead. After a year in pharmacy, I was still feeling that I wanted to be a doctor, but still, with wrong reason and without knowing what is it like to be a doctor. So I reattended the next year (2010), and fortunately i was accepted. I was so happy that time but honestly i also feel intrigued. When I was in pharmacy, I had already thought that I was not really into health things. I was not really into science. However, since my gpa in pharmacy was not really good (I had no spirit learning pharmacy) and my mother seemed to be very happy i was accepted, I moved into medicine.
And now I’m so miserable. Everything is just not like what i thought. For just a month after the starting of new term, I’ve already regretting my choice! I’m not really into learning systematic thing just like how the body works, I can’t understand the way it works! I really can’t imagine how the muscle works, contraction of myosin, etc. I even hate learning Basic Life Support and CPR! I couldn’t imagine myself faces a very urgent time like that, and battling with life and death makes me want to vomit. When I was visiting UGD (Unit Gawat Darurat) and saw a man with amputation in his foot, a man whose eyes are torn by something (his eyes were full of blood), I was so scared myself I couldn’t even sleep thinking about it. I often have bad dreams until now. I really am miserable and thinking about quitting! Moreover, reading your blog and other infos about the reality of doctor’s world in indonesia really opens my eyes of the “other side” of being a doctor. However, my family insists me to continue my study since they want me to be a doctor. I’ve ever changed my major once though, what else could be worse than changing my major again? I’d just waste my time, they say. And also, I sometimes feel a bit fear that I would be envious of my friends who can actually become a doctor. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, but only to be praised by others and also only to get much money.. I know this is wrong, but the fact is doctor still attracts many people. I’m thinking to change my major to accounting/finance or other social subjects, but I’m so fearful I’d regret quitting medicine. I don’t really like meeting patient though. So what do you think doctor? Should I stick around or just quit? And what must I say to my family? Should I say “I don’t want to be a doctor anymore”? It sounds so unresponsive though…
Oh well sorry that my comment is really long. It’s just like a consultation..
I have got only one thing to say: You are not suitable to be a doctor. As I have written, you fall into the category of people that I described: doing medicine just because parents asked to, for glory/prestige and money. If these are the reasons for you to do medicine then you have chosen the wrong field. It’s people like you who will end up with a Psychiatrist when you start housemanship for depression. I would suggest you change your course before it is too late. Since you don’t like anything to so with science and medicine, then please choose a field that you have interest in, something that do not involve patients. Since you like fianance, probably accountancy might be a better option and prospect.
hmm thanks so much for the advice doc. even though i feel a bit confused what to tell my family, i’d go trough this. thanks again
Hello Dr. Pagalavan. How would studying pharmacy differ from medicine? I know it’s really a hectic life to become a doctor. I totally agree with all your points. I have no interest in doing medicine though my dad always wants me to do that. For him, its a guaranteed job with lots of money. But, i know medicine is not a money making business. However, i always wanted to be in the health care industry. I am thinking of taking pharmacy as I am very much interested in Chemistry. Need to make up my mind soon. Thank you.
If you are not interested in medicine then don’t do it. Most parents, especially those who are not from medical field will keep saying that medicine is a guaranteed life and good money BUT it is not so! Pharmacy is a good field and in government sector, the salary is not much different from a doctor. The basic salary is only about RM 200 less than a docto with less hectic life! Of course now, you need to do certain number of “housemanship” years for pharmacy as well before you decide to open a retail outlet or head a pharmacy department in private hospital. The prospect is better if you know how to find your way. There is not much hassle like medicine where you need to do Master’s etc for proper recognition.
Thank you Dr.Pagalavan. I am in my clear mind now. I know I am not the one who can tolerate hectic environments. I am scared that I can’t complete the whole course as I have no interest at all. Thank you. Keep posting useful information as this.
Hello Dr. Pagalavan. I just finished my spm last year. The main problem is, I TOTALLY SCREWED UP my SPM. I’m a straight As student before this and I know I didn’t study well-enough during my SPM years as I was busy doing other things like being the head prefect, president of this and that. I’m really really really interested in dentistry. The only way I could think of for now is to take foundation in science at some private college, get above cgpa3.0 and fly to indonesia. In the same time, I’m worried because I heard about Non Objection Certificate (NOC) is needed and it’s a must to own before I can go and actually study in indonesia. My SPM results did not meet the minimum requirement (All Bs in science subjects) to apply the NOC. For now. I’m thinking to resit my spm while doing foundation in science. Am I doing the right thing? I’m so lost right now.
Thank you Dr.
First of all, the NOC is a big joke. I have seen many with poor results but able to do medicine!! The agents do the tricks in the usual Malaysia Boleh spirit! Why don’t you do A levels?
I’ve been told that the government will be very strict in giving the NOC to the students. In fact, there are a few agents that actually asked me to resit my spm so that the NOC can be obtained without any problem. A-levels is another alternative but I don’t have any intention to study in UK or Australia. The thing is, if I’m not going to resit my SPM, but I score my foundation in science 3.5 and above, am I eligible to apply the NOC?
A Levels are accepted anywhere in the world same as STPM but NOT foundation studies. Foundation studies are not standardised in Malaysia and it is the way for the private colleges and agents to make money. They use this foundation studies to get students but pls remember that foundation studies from one college may not be recognised by another. It is definately not recognised internationally!!
Dear Dr. I have read your writeup and Q&A in your website regarding the misconception of being a doctor. I have a son who have just started to do foundation in science in local private university. Ever since he was 15 years old he kept telling every one he want to become a surgeon. After being enlighten by your article, i am worried if he pursue for his MBBS
Assuming he got a place next year then he will only grad with MBBS in mid 2017. Will the industry be saturate by doctors by then. I am thinking to change his mine to do dentistry as it involve a lot of surgical work as well and the opportunity to enroll into masters program will be brighter as you have mention the dentistry industry will only be saturated 2020. hopefully he can get finish is compulsary service with the government and open up his own dental clinic in 2020. My question is would that be a better option to do dentistry. Would appreciate your advice. Thank you.
Yes, the country will be saturated with doctors by then. BUT the main problem will be postgraduate studies. Does your son know what it takes to become a surgeon, I mean, the number of years and the need for postgraduate studies? Please ask him to read my postings on ” for future doctors” series and let him decide later. Dentistry definately has better future in terms of prospect and he can also procede to become a oro-facio-maxilla surgeon
hello sir. I’m doing med and just been into it for two months and already I’m depressed. I honestly have never loved medicine. Yeah an occasional interest here and there but it’s never been my passion. My passion is computers. Always has been. The thing is, I’ve been quite depressed lately. I know I can eventually become a doctor but at some points, I do consider quitting medicine and join Bachelor of Information Technology. The thing is, I’m not sure of the job prospects in the near future as a degree holder of Bachelor or Information Technology. The job prospects and the opportunities to climb the ladder.
please change your field while you can. IT use to have a good future but currently, it depends on how good you are in IT. I had seen IT graduates who does not even know how to handle simple IT problems and of course, some of them can’t even speak proper english! If your interest is in IT, then please do IT. I always believe that people will succeed in the field that they have interest in. Just why the hell did you choose medicine when your interest is in IT?
Parents decided it for me sir. I’m just hoping that if I do manage to switch, I hope I excel in it.
hi Dr..i’m really impressed by ur article..after realised the real situation in medicine i am considering veterinary as an alternative..so could u give me the prospect of a veterinary doctor in terms of their life..salary..business oppurtunity..and other thing that i’ve got to know..i’m just curious and need some exposure from and an expert..hope to hear the best
life is definately better, salary not much difference than medical doctor in government service but private prospect is definately better especially in big towns where people have a lot of pets!
thank you doctor, your blog is an eye opener for me. from now on i shall change my intentions, work harder and do my best. one day, when i am successful i shall not forget to thank you.
hai dr pagalavan.
I’m a medical students in alexandria university, egypt and yes, as u have a mention above there are a lot of us malaysians here and many more are coming next semester despite the chaos that had happened here during january-february.
I totally agree with what you said. Most people took medicine for the wrong reasons. As for me, I took medicine because my mother told me to and the fact that mara offered me a scholarship for medicine. Currently in alexandria we have a whooping no of 1000++ students studying pharmacy, dentistry but mostly medicine.
Despite all that, people still view medicine as one of the best career choice. I really don’t understand. My mother is a dentist, yet she urges me to take medicine. But right now, the future looks like somewhat bleak for us who will be graduating after 2015 and it is not helping that some people pointed out that medical graduates that comes from egypt are somehow less skilled than the others. I do not know how they come up with such a view when our seniors, the first batch here, will only graduate next year. So there is no groups of doctors from egypt yet in malaysia. (the government started sending students here on 2006 if i’m not mistaken) There may be one or two doctors who graduated from here but it’s not fair to judge the whole mass of student here by this one or two doctors.
I’m not saying these situations are bad rather we should see it from another point of view. Since people are saying we are less skilled before even judging us fairly, we are working hard to increase our knowledge and skills. Alexandria is by far the busiest medical school in egypt. Many efforts are being put in by various organisation to increased our skills in various fields that will help us in our career later on. I think rather on ranting about the positive side of being a doctors, there should be also some opinions on the down-side (or rather less exciting) part of being a doctor like yours, so that later on, those who will take medicine are those who are prepared to face any consequences. Then only we can acquired doctors who are actually helping and treating people, not just finding a way to fork out extra money.
As for dentist, though most of my friends see it as an easier and better way to become a doctor. I have to disagree. it’s not easy, it’s just as hard, u’ll just finished a year earlier then us. My mother used to worked in KL and there were nights that my mum did oncall. The work load in government’s dental clinic is still a lot and if u are just graduated about 2-3 years, don’t even think about opening a clinic except if u are rich. The appliants in dental clinic cost a fortune (not to mention strict guidelines from the MDC) and if u are not well known, people will not come to you. I have seen some of my mother’s juniors who had opened clinics early in their career and suffered great loss.
So thank you for an eye opener opinion, sorry for the long comment, and looking forward to here more opinions from you.
Yes, many are sending students to Egypt simply because Egypt universities accept medical students after SPM without the need for Pre U course. As I have said before, I can’t comment about graduates from Egypt as I have not seen them yet. As for dentist opening clinic, it is the same for doctors as well: strict enforcement and tough life. In fact medicine is not the best career choice anymore in another 5 years timne.
Hi Dr, first of all thank you for writing this article. Yes, I agree wholeheartedly that medicine is the prime example of “survival of the fittest”. I believe that if they decided to do medicine just because of money etc, it would be hard for them to even survive 5 years of med school.
Currently, I am studying medicine in Australia. If all goes well, I am going to graduate by 2014. After that, if I pass the interview/exam I would have a chance to do intern there. But I am in a dilemma of whether I should do my internship there or do it in Malaysia. What do you think? In term of experience, which one would benefit me more? If I come back to Malaysia after 2 years of internship, do I have to do the internship again in Malaysia?
If you are a gov sponsored student, pls come back. I heard that internship places in Australia is also running out. Preference wil be given to their citizens and PRs. If you want to do internship in Australia than it is better to just complete everything in Australia including speciality. If not, might as well you come back and do housemanship in Malaysia. If you do internship in Australia and come home, you still need to do postings that you did not do in Australia.
read this with Pricetag – Jessie J in the background. ~
come on guys, don’t be scared, the way I see it, even in 6-7 years time 6000 doctors will graduate, but i’m sure there will be more patients. don’t chase wealth, not everyone can live a happy life like Barney Stinson.. =)
More patients does not mean more post!
Dear Dr Pagalavan,
What is your comment for doing Developmental Psychology for children?
A very good field. You may be in demand in big cities like KL etc. There is a lot of concern about child developement disorder and personality problems recently. Most of the time they are referred to a psychiatrist.
Dear Dr. Pagalavan,
May I know if a graduate from USM(which is not recognized by Singapore) and after completing postgraduate studies, work in Singapore?
Depends on which postgraduate degree. If Master’s : NO. If got MRCP or MRCS : YES
Thank you very much for the reply. Sorry because I’m just a 3rd year student and we students always thought that Master is equal to MRCP/MRCS. We just group these into postgraduate studies. Now I will look more into the differences between them.
Remember that both MRCP and MRCS does not make you a specialist in Singapore. You can only work as a MO or Registra.
Dr, I’m currently a STPM students and gonna finish soon. After I read your articles, I felt that medical field in Malaysia is too competitive. But, I really wish to be a doctor, in fact, i really wanna be a doctor. My financial background only able to support me to study in aimst and CUCMS which around 250k( if i can’t get into gov uni). or else Czech republic or Russia would be my choice.
1)What is your opinion regarding to university in Czech(through the agent http://www.bested.com.my/)?
2)If after i done my Dentistry, can i continue study medicine?
3)if i want to work oversea, can i take the entrance exam eventhough my medic certificate is not recognised by that country?
4)What is your opinion regarding to Traumatology&orthopedic? What should i do if i done my MBBS?
5) How about UGM and UNPAD in Indonesia?
Dr, i really have a lot of worries about life as a doctor. Oversupply of doctors?Work at east malaysia?How to be surgeon? Certificate not recognised worldwide? I really need your advise badly.
1) Generally, russian universities do not give a good impression. Many of them take foreign students just to earn money. You see this from some of the comments in my blog.
2) Yes, up to you
3) Yes, that is the purpose of the entrance exam
4) MBBS —> 2 years HO —> 2 years MO —-> Masters in Ortho for 4 years —-> subspecialise in Traumatology for 3 years.
5) They are both good UNi but generally done in Indonesian language
I’m sorry Dr. I think you should ignore my last comments though. Now I get it. I’ll read all the posts about this future doctors thing. Thanks for all this articles. You really help a lot. Thank you so much Dr.
Many people refuse to accept the reality, that’s the way I look at it. At least you are willing to accept the reality and find a way to improve. There are some who just brush off what I have said because they think I am exaggerating all these problems. They will know what I am talking about once they are into the system. You all are just too young to understand what I am trying to say. Working life is not like student’s life. Furthermore, in medical field, patient’s life is at stake. If your friends think I am a “no good Indian doctor”, I think they should look at themselves first. You should ask those who have done housemanship under me to know how “good” I am!! I know most of you are MARA sponsored students and I really pity you guys . You are kept under a tempurung without realising what is out there and how the world is changing. Too much brainwashing from the rulling party only makes you more ignorant of the actual problems.
yes.I’m sure you’re a great doctor.that’s why you really show your keen to give us a better understanding about this field.some people just don’t believe it, saying it’s just a made up story to make us felt down.they said some of their friends still in the system right now, and none of them really point out this kind of problem.I admit when the first time i read your post, i’m shocked!but when i begin to read it one by one. now i find a better understanding of what’s happening, and actually you’ve just make me and some of my friends here try harder to be better.thanks Dr.you really help a lot.the word “under a tempurung’ kind of true actually.
Many of the things I say is not obvious to the eyes. Some of your friends may still be in the system but they are yet to come face to face with the problem. That’s the reason they don’t see it. I also talk a lot about the future and not what is happening now. What your mind don’t see, your eyes don’t see!
I often wonder how it is possible that our political leaders are so uncaring of the increasingly serious decline in the quality within our nation’s healthcare system. This is a problem that can potentially affect anyone at some point in their lives.
Sure, there are still some good senior doctors left in the public health service; and the rich might have access to local and overseas private healthcare. But in emergency situations, we do not always have the choice of who treats us and which hospital we end up in!
Would you recommend medical students to take the USMLE/AMC and go there to train and work instead?
you can take but no guarantee that you will get a training post.
[comment re australia]
It is difficult, but very much possible.
For internship (PGY1/FY1/Housemanship) your chances are really, really slim. If postgrad and you have experience…. your problem would be that you will be effectively competing with all the other int med grads (IMG’s). There are many IMGs in Australia at the moment. I have been supervised by them, and they are very capable (often being the clinician in charge for the ED for example).
It is estimated that the pass rate for the AMC exam is only around 30% (rumour off the grapevine, correct me if im wrong)… and even then, you do need to find a job, liasing directly with hospitals and health providers. Depending on demand (and your conditional, probational AHRPA registration) you may be required to work in regional australia for a few years.
Dr Pagalavan, you wrote a great article. It’s very informative.I would like to share your article on my Facebook. Thanks a lot.
No problem
Good evening Dr., I am currently year 3 students in one of public medical uni in Malaysia, but not unis recognized by Singapore.
My interest would be surgery at tis moment, however considering lessened working opportunities in Malaysia i had a thought of taking MRCS after completing housemanship then seeking working opportunities in other county, my question is:
Does MRCS recognized by other countries, eg Singapore?
Singapore YES. But not as a surgeon. It makes you to be eligible for entry to surgical training.
Hi Dr. Pagalavan..
Nice to read your article..am a doctor in government sector and still pursuing my master pgme in local u – takes about more than 10 yrs to settle everything (1 yr premed+ 2 yrs med school+ 4 yrs confirm in service+ 4 yrs masters= 11 yrs in total) ..Agreed 100% on wht u ve written..Just to share with the rest..don ever think tht u can drive a ferrari or porsche after being a doc, not even any brand new bmw or merce cars..:). U can only join this path only if u really wan to do CHARITY..not because of $$..
Hey Doc,
Think you emphasis too much on the number game and the traditional sense of being a doctor and therefore painting such a bleak picture for the future doctors. A medical degree is just a basic degree which opens up other doors. Well for start, a doctor in Malaysia can change job and become a prominent politician or even astronaut! If money not enough, one can even have a side income by doing locum, selling medical insurance, set up joint venture or even farming (like a number of GPs with excess cash). If clinical work too stressful, then one can drop out of housemanship and become lecturer for nursing college or sale representative for a pharmaceutical company or laboratory. For the studious type, there are so much opportunity for research other than just being a clinician. The opportunities are there, think creative.
yes, think creative and that’s why you don’t need to waste RM300-500K to do medicine. If money is your aim then might as well do some other course and use this amount of money to open up a business or farming! You don’t need medical degree to open up other doors, any degree will do.
Hey Doc,
Something more to add. What my mama told me in the past still holds true today. Mama says if want to be a doctor, study hard and go to local University (UM and UKM best). Only need to sell car and not house; total cost around RM50K, can even get JPA scholarship for the needy. If not good enough, forget it lah, waste money only. Better start work early and earn money. Many millionaires never finish college.
Glad to say, I have gone on to be a top student at the time when STPM was even harder than A levels and got into one of the top university in Malaysia. Did one year housemanship (yah not too long ago, housemanship only 1 year) and complete membership in exactly 2 and half years following that. Total membership exam cost RM25K (earn that back in 2 years specialist allowance).
Like mama says ‘study hard. If not good enough forget it’.
Dear Dr. Palagavan,
Thank you for shared and showed us the reality world of a doctor. I have been considering between psychiatry and psychology. With all the concepts above, I could not face with the pressure for being a doctor. What is Dr. Palagavan’s opinion about psychology ?
Many of my teachers, family members and even seniors has told me that it is very hard to get a job if i study psychology. I have no idea whether i should take the risk to study psychology or not. Thanks.
Psychology is a new field in Malaysia unlike in developed country. However, I do feel it has a good future. Already many universities are looking for psychologist for their students. Soon, many big corporate giants will need to employ psychologist. As you know mental illness is on the rise in Malaysia. The more developed a country gets, the more mental illness you will see.
Hi doctor,
I am a 3rd year medical student in an unrecognized university in China, and will be graduating in 2014. My parents sent me here after my STPM in which I got 3B+ and 1C for mathematics. I am currently doing well here in my studies, since mathematics is in no way involved. I plan to return to Malaysia and do my MQE (I am aware of my chances, but i would like to try it anyway) but i noticed that on the requirement page they have asked for the sijil spm. unfortunately i did not do well enough to meet the criteria of the mmc for the NOC. does this mean that if i apply for the mqe, i will be rejected on the basis of my spm results? my university is also not in the unrecognised list, but i wouldnt mind submitting whatever information they require for me to sit for the exam. my university is very cooperative in that sense. my question is basicly about the SPM results, will it affect my eligibility?
Oh, and just another question doctor. In china the 5th year is allocated fully for clinical electives, or also known as the rotating internship year. is it by any means possible for me to apply for these electives in malaysia? i wouldnt mind going to different hospitals for the different rotations. please answer me, as i am unable to find any information online on this particular topic.
I thank u again for your time, doctor.
If you have STPM, then you can use your STPM for MQE application. If I am not mistaken, you can sit for MQE even if your university is not listed under “unrecognised university” but is your university under WHO listing?
You can apply for electives in Malaysia if your university allows.
Thank you for your reply dr. Does it matter if my STPM has a C for Mathematics, because they want all Bs usually? And does Malaysia allow students from unrecognized universities to do electives in the country? Sorry for the further questions dr, i would just like to know. My university allows it.
as for electives, the application is via ministry of health. So far, I have not seen any students for anywhere being rejected but being in “bolehland” things can change. Our new DG is coming up with new rules everyday.
As for STPM, I don’t think it is that important as long as you have a undergraduate degree.
And yes, my university is listed under WHO. sorry i missed that part.
Okay doctor, thanks for the reply. I am coming back to malaysia next week for my break, i will check with moh regarding the electives. I read a circular saying they only allowed students from recognised institutions to do electives, but i’m not sure how much it’s been implemented. I’ll double check anyways. thank u for your help dr. it’s much appreciated.
Hello Doc,
Just want to know,
1) is there any particular time period that we should apply for housemanship after graduating from medical university?
Thanks.
Not that I know of but it is always advisable to do it as soon as possible. You will forget what you learned and housemanship will be difficult.
wow Dr you having an interesting sites. Have a question for you, my son will be doing international syllabus in his primary and secondary so he will not be doing any local syllabus such as, spm, stpm etc. Can he practise in malaysia either in private hospital or opening up clinics in malaysia, will there be any problems? is spm must in order to practise in malaysia not in government?
your reply is most expected. Thanks Mohan
Firstly, in medicine you cannot immediately work in private hospitals or open clinics. You need to do 2 years of housemanship which can only be done at government hospitals at this point of time. In order for you to work in civil service/government hospital, you need SPM Bahasa or anything equivalent to SPM Bahasa Malaysia. If I am not mistaken, you need a credit. After 2 years housemanship, you still need 2 years compulsory service before you can resign.
At the moment, postgraduate training can only be done in government hospitals and university hospitals.
Of course, other that this, you don’t need SPM bahasa to open up any business.
wow Dr you are having an interesting sites. Have a question for you, my son will be doing international syllabus in his primary and secondary so he will not be doing any local syllabus such as, spm, stpm etc. Can he practise in malaysia either in private hospital or opening up clinics in malaysia, will there be any problems for him? is spm must in order to practise in malaysia not in government?
Your reply is most expected. Thanks Mohan
means my son have to do spm in order to be a doctor in malaysia? looks like i have to switch him to local syllabus in order to complete his spm first.
No, he just need Bahasa paper in order to work in civil service.
Pagal
Hi doctor, i am going to finish my a-levels and start my career, after reading ur article, i totally agree with ur idea and i tried to convince myself to change my mind. Dentistry / chem engineering are the first thing came to my mind… But the problem is, i was not exposed by any information relating to these careers before… So if i were to choose the following careers, will i end up my life same as the doctors???
Dentistry has a lot vacancy at the moment but I am beginning to hear that many are also doing dentistry in Indonesia, India and Egypt. Chemical engineering is a good field but try to get from a reputable university so that you can get employment in big companies. I knew of one chemical engineer from a local U who can’T even speak proper english. She ended up being a teacher!
Dr thanks for your advise, meaning my son can go for international syllabus and he need to do separately on BM subject only and obtain credits. Is this possible in Malaysia, having international academics with only BM? can you shine some lights.
Yes
Hi Dr,
I have always wanted to be a doctor since I was studying in primary school. However, recently, I’m not so sure about studying medicine and becoming a doctor anymore. The thought of being an flight engineer suddenly crossed my mind. I am currently doing A level and will be sitting for AS exam this May. Therefore, I have to decide what I want to study to prepare my personal statement. Can you help me with these? Please. Thank you.
I am not sure what you want? You can read all my post under For Future Doctors page and decide.
hello sir.
I’m a foundation student sir.. I got B’s for my chem, bio.. bt, i got a D for my physics in SPM.I’m interested to do dentistry sir.. Will the D in my SPM physics affect my chances to get NOC from the government?? I’m doing well in foundation now. I’m not being over confident, but Most probably, I will graduate with 3.5 or 3.9 pointer in my foundation. Can I still do a degree in dentistry? tq sir.
I am not sure about this. Physics is not a main subject needed for dentistry and medicine, thus I think it should not be a problem.
Sir, are you sure obtaining a D in SPM physics won’t be a problem to get the NOC?? I thought the minumum requirement is all B’s in science subject. Even some of the agents asked me to resit for my SPM.
If I couldn’t get into dentistry, I’m planning to do degree in Biochemistry or Biology and then try doing degree in dentistry. Will that be a good idea sir? Please share your opinion on this. tq
Surely you wont get the NOC to do medicine BUT I have seen many still going on to do medicine as no one can prevent you from doing it. The only problem will come when you apply for a job.
If you do degree in biochemistry or biology, try doing a job first and see whether you like it before venturing into dentistry.
btw, sir.. I’m doing foundation at UTAR.
Dear Dr Pagalavan Letchumanan,
The plan is to study medicine in either US or UK. In IB program, one can only choose 2 science subjects from bio, chem & phy. What is the best/safest 2 science to take?
Thank you.
Bio and Chem will do
Hello dr.I want to know your opinion…is it optometry the good profession or not?
Not so sure. usually they open spectacles shops and wotk with opthalmologist.
but the way optometry learn is the same as doctors right?
Optometry is a separate course from medicine entirely.
Opthalmology is a subspecialty of medicine that is next to impossible to get into.
I think you are confused between optometrists and opthalmologist!
No,i’m not confusing on anything.It’s just because the subject that the BOP(Bachelor of Optometry) learn is almost the same.Anatomy,Biochemistry.I mean the core is the same..
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hello,i am third year MBBS student.my parents are both doctor with their own clinics,i was just wondering if i can work with them under their supervision while waiting to be posted to do my housemanship?i really want to be ready for the internship.
NO. You can’t work as a doctor till you get your MMC registration. Furthermore, working in a clinic is TOTALLY different then working in a ward of a hospital. It does not help you in anyway.
Why can’t he work in the clinic under the doctor’s supervision? Seeing any patient is better than seeing nothing.
Under the medical act, you CANNOT practise as a doctor without a valid Annual PRactising Certificate (APC) and MMC registration. It is illegal and can be charged in court if patient complains.
Sir, I was thinking about becoming a lecturer in medic school after graduating. What is the proper pathway if i want to be a lecturer?
Generally, you can’t become a medical lecture without a postgraduate degree. Some medical colleges may take 1 or 2 MOs for primary care teaching. BUT you still need to complete housemanship.
This means I will have to complete my Housmanship and the goverment service.Then, I will have to do postgraduate to become a lecturer.
you need to complete postgraduate studies, get gazetted as a specialist and then apply for lecture post
Hi doctor, thanks for the eye-opening article.
I am a final year student studying Biomedical Sciences in UK, and I have an interest to pursue medicine since young. However, my parents do enot have sufficient money to fund my medical studies overseas, and my current option is : either PUGSOM / Monash, and I am intending to apply for Singapore’s medicine programme as well. Given that the future of medicine in Malaysia is rather bleak, I am having doubts about medicine at the moment, regarding the future prospects as a doctor. I don’t mind working long hours, it’s just that the inability to get the deserved career development (with so many restrictions imposed by the government) after putting in so much effort will make me miserable.
I did consider to switch into private corporate sectors, as I am partially attracted by the lucrative salary offered for oversea students (since I am from a considerably good university most of my friends managed to secure jobs with minimum 3.5k salary); but however I insisted on staying because I believed that no matter how much I am earning, it would not make my life happy because I genuinely enjoyed bringing happiness in people’s life.
But as I am approaching graduation, I am getting more uncertain about this decision. What I would enjoy as a career is one that gives me the flexibility to go from one area to another (i.e. corporate), with full potential for development (i.e. corporate), but on the other hand I would really wish to make a significant impact on other people’s life as well, and that is the reason why I am applying for medical schools.
I am sure that you will try your best to make sure that I stay away from medicine, as this has always been the mainstay of your comments to anyone who expressed any doubts in medicine, but I consider my case rather different, as what I am looking for is job satisfaction. My question to doctor : do you enjoy your job ? I am hoping to seek answers from you to enlighten me and give me an insight of what is going to happen to me in the next 10 years time. It is not an easy decision to make considering both sides are equally attractive, but I am sticking with the decision to become a doctor thus far. I am sincerely hoping that your views would guide me in my decision-making. thanks.
You can’t have everything in life. If you read all the posts in this blog, you will understand the life as a doctor. If you have all the passion for medicine and willing to put up with all the frustrations that will come along your way, then go ahead but it is not going to be easy as you will also be older then many others by then. If helping people is your goal, you can do it in many other ways , not necessary to become a doctor. Many people belive that being a doctor means curing people and making them happy. Remember, only less then 20% of the time, you can actually cure an illness. Many at times, you are just prolonging life by treating chronic diseases that got no cure. It is just the TVs and dramas that potray all the glorious life saving scenarios. How many brain tumours that can be operated? How many heart attacks can you save despite having the best centre? almost 50% die even before reaching the hospital! How many leukaemias and tumours that can be cured? Of course saying all these, there are still diseases that can be treated, mainly infections etc that may give you some satisfaction.
Do I enjoy my job? sometimes yes sometimes NO. I almost quit medicine at one point when I had a credit card debt of RM10K, just for sitting for my MRCP exams. It took me 2 years to settle this debt with 2 kids on board! At times i felt that I would have a better life if I have done something else. Seriously, how many patient actually thank you for treating them? There are more and more patients who scolds you, sues you for a single mistake and shouts at you. This is becoming more common nowadays with the younger generation.
If I were you, I will find a good job first and then decide whether to pursue medicine further. If you do become a successfull corporate figure, you can still help people by giving free sponsored healthcare etc etc. My comments may sound negative but it is the reality on the ground. You can ask any doctor and they will most likely tell you the same thing. Worldwide, more then 50% of doctors do not want their children to become a doctor! Just look at the cooment that I just received today:
The MOH knows that they control the key to any doctor progressing in the Malaysia now Dr Pagalavan. Unless you want to get your MMC registration done and then open a GP , all other avenues for your progress is determined by some training obtained in the Government service. I think the best option for these your doctors is to get the MMC and leave . If they stay next best option is still MRCP , MRCPH or MRCOG .. All getting tougher and tougher .. If not the above exams then Masters but be prepared to be in it for the long run because no matter what you have to fulfill criteria.
I heard for the subspeciality application , your forms go to Bahagian Perkembangan Professional and is vetted by not one not two but three officers to see that you have the 2 years post gazettement and also the rural posting locked in . If not the forms are just binned and not sent to the subspeciality chairmans . If no one qualifies but there are some applicants the DG has ordered still they should not be layan . So in terms of general surgery and subspeciality the bond is very strict.
I am a surgeon and my wife is a family Medicine specialist , we pray together as muslims do everyday and in my prayers i ask for the normal things such as long life , good health but since 2 years back we always end our prayers with ” please Allah , do not let our children look at us and choose to become doctors, let them live their lives and have time for both themselves and their own families, let them have a fair chance of being happy”
I believe in Malaysia it is truly the wrong profession to be in —at the current moment—.
Dear Dr. Paga,
It is true that being a doctor in Malaysia is quite hard and terrible. But what will happen if we continue to discourage young generations from being doctors, eventually we will have really little doctors. It might be that only the rich and elite people in the future will do medicine as they have the money to pay for an MBBS degree. I am really terrified if people with lots of money, but little brains pay their way to medicine and become dodgy drs. Honest to God. 🙂
I agree that there are too many medical schools. The government should be really strict and re-evaluate all the current medical schools and close down all medical schools who does not meet the standard. What puzzles me though is how are all the new private medical schools in Malaysia get quality lecturers and teachers to teach their medical students? If it is true like you said that we have close to 30 medical school to date, there must be hundreds of lecturers and clinical lecturers out there, are they really qualified? And are there any evaluations in their ability to teach?
I can understand the frustration of senior doctors in trying to guide new doctors if their baseline knowledge is not even up to par. This is when quantity defeats quality, sadly.
Studying med in Australia, I have always been fond of giving back via international programmes such as Doctors without borders and etc. But looking that the near impossibility of progressing to become a specialist in Malaysia and how Malaysian based specialties are rediculed and not accepted in other countries, I find this really unacceptable and sad.
You have no choice but to save money, with the little salary you get and the life obligations that you have to pay, and do internationally recognized programmes such as MRCP etc. If you do master in Malaysia, you will definitely be stuck in the system, bonded and suffering.
Personally, I feel sorry for the possibility of lower standard of care for patients in Malaysia in the future due to resentment of doctors. Will the medical system in Malaysia ever be able to climb out from this rut? One can only pray….
Hai Dr pagalavan….
i just would like to share my experience as HO…
Currently,im in my 3rd posting in orthopaedics in our beloved government hospital in Klang Valley.
Well im just an average student in my University,in fact im a Grad from Indonesia.
I do agree that HO training is really crucial training grounds for a budding doctor.
But im very disapointed to see some of MO,s attitude towards HO,all those bullying and etc
1)MO scolding using vulgar words and sometimes threatening,this is so unprofessional
2)i do agree that,we as HO are lacking of experience n knowledge,well in my department,rounds start at 7.30am…the specialist would be sharp at 7.30am while the MO joins at 7.45am…if anything goes wrong MO blames us…but the MO would never be around to guide….ok well,at least for us to inform/update current issue of patient.
3)I had such an shocking experience in the clinic,my MO,s was rushing me to see as many as patient,s quickly….he did not even wait till i finish my clerking….neither care about current complaint of patient.ok….refer to physio…give some pain killers and TCA after 6 months.i really dont know,is it like they have evolved in such a way that…they can quickly diagnose and give management or just getting rid of patient,s…ok see you for next appt…im rushing to go home.
I feel very disapointed to see such ppl becoming our first line healthcare providers in our Government Hospital.Patient,s are treated like 3rd class people.
First liner health care is either Emergency Officer or Outpatient Officer not specialized clinic.
This type of bullying happens in almost all hospitals but varies between departments. As for management point of view, it is the same in all ortho department, sorry to say, like this cartoon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rTsvb2ef5k.
Next issue that i would like to raise is that….is Malaysia really ready and prepared to establish IT hospital??
Im not even stressed due to the workload or hectic life of HO.But the complications which is caused by mere IT.Even printing a label for blood samples can take up to 30minutes to 1 hour.
i usually do my review at 6am,so that i dont have to compete childishly with my collegues and nurses to use the PC and enter notes.Imagine sir,each ward has 3 PC,while there is minimum 30 patient,s.We HO,s are at least 5-6 per ward sharing the same PC with another 3-5 nurses and to add medical students.
In my tagging period,from7am-10pm.70% of my time was consumed just sitting in front of the PC entering notes for TDS rounds,finding available PC, and walking to another ward just to print blood sample labels.
Yup, you are absoultely correct. When I was in selayang Hospital for a short while, I use to tell the housemen that they are just a glorified typist!! Our government hospitals are not suitable to become paperless hospital. Infact, Selayang suppose to be the first paperless hospital in the world, wonder why? They were using a software from US but there is no paperless hospital in US? It is because, US did try a paperless hospital in Boston but failed miserably. Our politicians thought they can do wonders but also failed. In 2008, our DG did announce that paperless hospital is NOt workable in Malaysia. They did abandon the idea after that and only opted for partial computerisation like many other developed country.
My dearest Dr. Pagalavan,
Thanks a lot for sharing your views and all the things that happen in health sector nowadays.
I’ll be doing my second year of medicine soon, somewhere in the world and after reading your articles, I wonder if I am doing the right thing.
So Dr Pagalavan, I begging you>> do write some other articles which would motivate us as the future doctors…
Yes I appreciate all the articles you wrote but
…. please do tell us about the best things when you become a doctor.
Your best happy moment ever AS A DOCTOR or something?
Actually, if you read all my blog entry, I have mentioned about the good things about medicine. You need to read all my articles.
have just skimmed throgh the comments.
Woww….you replied all the comments, didn’t you?
Sir, in what perspectives are dentistry better than being a doctor.what does a oro-facio-maxilla surgeon do ?is that a stressful job…hope to hear from you soon..thank you.
Dentistry only deals with the face and mouth. Oro-facial-maxilla surgeons are people who do surgeries and corrective surgeries involving the face and oral cavity. Usually trauma cases and dental procedures. Job as a dentist is definitely less stressful then being a doctor.
dear dr,
i am planning to continue my study in dietetics.. i want to know is this job (dietitian) is in high demand in malaysia? TQ =)
Malaysians are still not very much concerned about their health. Most private hospitals do not hire dietitians at the moment. However, you have a wide option like lecturing, government sector, hospitals, pharma companies, nutrition product business, hotels etc.
dear dr pagalavan
thanks for sharing all the useful and honest stories.
is Graduate diploma in family medicine from singapore recognised in malaysia to set up a private gp clinic?
Anyone can set up a clinic in Malaysia after 4 years compulsory service. Whether you have a diploma in family medicine or not does not make a difference
Dear Dr. Palagavan,
Thank you for shared and showed us the reality world of a doctor. I have been considering between medicine and medical imaging. With all the concepts above, I could not face with the pressure for being a doctor. What is Dr. Palagavan’s opinion about medical imaging in Malaysia ?
Many of my teachers, family members and even seniors has told me that it is not easy to get a job if i take medical imaging in Malaysia,because of the lack of advancement of the medical equipments in Malaysia. I have no idea whether i should take the risk to study medical imaging or not. Thanks.
Are you talking about a degree course in Medical imaging? As far as I know, there are already too many diploma holders in this field looking for a job. Almost all colleges are producing diploma holders. Having a degree may not add any advantage.
Dear Dr.Palagavan,
First,thanks for your reply.Yes,i am now given an offer for degree course in medical imaging in University Malaya.But,at the same time,i have also been offered to take medicine in Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NuMed),which is sponsored by JPA.So,i am quite confuse now which one should i choose to further my study.May i ask,which one of these two courses will provide better job opportunity in the future?
Thanks.
It depends on what you really want. Don’t do medicine for just job security, it is more then that. If after reading all that I have written about the life of a doctor, you are still interested in medicine, then go ahead. If not you can do Medical Imaging and try to get a job in university hospitals, private hospitals and even Singapore.
BTW, having a JPA scholarship means you are bonded with the government for 10 years. Job will be guaranteed in government service but if you don’t like it, you will still get stuck in civil service.
Then,will it be hard for me to get a job in government hospitals after i graduate from medical imaging course and do i need to compete with those who are just taking diploma in medical imaging?Will it be as competitive as doctor’s career in the future?And,may i know what is the roughly monthly salary if i work in government hospital,will it be a large difference from being a doctor?
Thanks.
It looks like you are more interested in job security and earning capacity. Things can change in 4-5 years time. Nothing is guaranteed in life. For medical imaging, most of the intakes are diploma holders but you may have an advantage if you have a degree.
There is not much of a difference between doctor’s basic salary, dentist and even pharmacist’s salary in government service. For example, the difference between pharmacist and doctor’s basic salary is just RM 200. The major difference is the allowances. Doctors receive a critical allowance of RM 750 which other don’t. However, critical allowance is not a fixed allowance and reviewed every 3 years. Once there are enough doctors, this allowance will be removed or reduced.
All science fields are competitive as we are producing just too many graduates!! The money making field now are technical fields like interior design, software engineering, network engineer, graphics etc etc.
By following your blog from General Misconception of being a doctor Part 1 till
Housemanship, Medical officer and postgraduate training Part 3, I get a little bit confuse on the flow of a doctor from housemanship to be a full private practise. My question is, how to become a consultant in private hospital? since you don’t mention it in the 5 article if i’m not mistaken.
Pls read the rest of the articles as well. Generally 10-15 years after graduating.
Greetings doctor,
I thank you for your several articles that have proven to be very helpful to me, and I’m sure several other Malaysians 🙂
I have a number of questions though.
I was under the impression that after becoming a doctor, if you migrate, no matter which country you go to, you will have to do their housemanship (all over again even if you’ve done it before where you were previously practising) before you are allowed to practise there. (i) Is this true? Or do you just have to sit for their test if your degree is not recognised there and if it is recognised (ii) can you practise privately right away?
Also, I understand from some off your articles that it is hardly possible to get a spot to do housemanship in countries such as the UK and Aus, but assuming you do get a spot and you complete your housemanship there, when you return to Malaysia, (iii) where do you start off in the civil service (those 2 yrs right after housemanship?) and (iv) is it necessary to start off in the civil service?
Finally, what is the procedure for someone wanting to practise in the US having obtained their degree and done their housemanship elsewhere (say Malaysia, perhaps?). I’ve heard that you need to sit for the USMLE, so after sitting for that, (v) where in the US system to you start off? (vi) Could you explain the breakdown of years leading to become a specialist in the US?
Once again, what you are doing here is a great service to Malaysian students about to make what is perhaps their most life-defining decision. I thank you again.
1) Every country have their own system. In most developed country, you will need to do the housemanship again after passing their exams. Somemtimes you may be exempted based on your experience, usuallu more than 5 years of working experience but this is up to the respective medical council. NO, generally, you can’t go private straight away.
2) You still need to complete the remaining postings that you have not done. Housemanship in UK and Australia is 1 year where as in Malaysia is 2 years. Yes, you still need to complete your 4 years compulsory service with the government. The only exemption is when you come back after 10 years of service overseas.
3) You start from internship. Generally you need 3 years of residency in US to become a generalist after which you need to get into the fellowship programme which is another 3 years. These are not automatic as you need to apply for each stage. You can become a specialist faster in US if you get everything on first try, usually 7-8 years. You msut understand that passing USMLE does not mean you will get a job in US. I know many who are still trying but failed to get a post.
Thoroughly informative and very helpful! Thank you very much!
Please correct my understanding of the UK FYP.
Is it correct that eventhough the foundation program in the UK is 2 years, full GMC registration is possible after F1 & certificate of completion? Thanks.
Yes
SIr, i was given a JPA scholarship to study medicine in India and hope to apply for CMC vellore.I have applied to JPA to place me in Malaysia.Choosing between Newcastle and Monash,which should be my choice.Or should I just go to CMC Vellore. How about Manipal? thank you
CMC Vellore is a good medical school. I would rather go there than MOnash or Newcastle Malaysia.
sir,
what about Manipal India compared to monash and newcastle malaysia?
I have not heard of any JPA students being placed at CMC Vellore at least in recent years. As far as I know the seats for foreigners are very limited, as they only take in about 100 students/year and all of them have to go through a selection process which is the entrance exam, and this is highly competitive. It is definitely good if you can get a seat there. I have seen professors and also PGs from CMC and I have to say that they are really good.
For JPA students who are offered a scholarship to India, KMC Manipal/Mangalore is possibly the best college that you can get, in terms of ranking of the college, infrastructure, and the living condition. And the fee has risen to almost 189k USD, which means it will be an “expensive” scholarship if you get in. Unfortunately JPA students who were sent to India could not choose their preferred colleges. You just have to go whichever college that JPA allocates.
Dr.. I just completed my SPM and dream to become a doctor.. and I receive alot of feedback from many other people .. they. said. that Why would you choose to be a pharmacist or radiology… rather than be a doctor.. cause there are too much of doctors nowadays.. Is it true.. Dr.. ?
Please read all the articles under “for future doctors” page and then decide.
By 2016, there will be surplus of doctors. You can read the facts in my articles.
I just completed my A level and plan to take either pharmacy , dentistry and chemical enginnering course.From ur previous post mentioned that pharmacist and dentist now are getting saturated ,it is true? How about chemical enginnering ? Among the three which have a good job prospect, and salary?Since i want to have better living life.
Do what you are interested in. Nothing is guaranteed in the future.
Doctor, I would like to ask regarding my decision in becoming a doctor.
I have never attended tuition classes before and I have been able to achieve consistently good academic results since young. I only read up on things which interested me and easily memorised them. These topics usually included medicine-related and other topics I am ineterested in. I often studied last minute before examinations. My results are as followed: UPSR-5A, PMR-7A, SPM-3A+3A4A-1B+, STPM-1A1A-1B1B-
The Bs are for my Chinese Language paper (the only Chinese paper I took in my 13 years of education) and my Mathematics T.
I have wanted to become a doctor since I was seven years old but I could not remember why I want to do so back then.
but I know I have wanted to cure people of their illnesses when I said I wanted to become a doctor starting from my primary years.
At times, I have considered whether it is the views of those around me who think that I am bright and so will become a doctor.
As I grow up, I have considered other career options in both sciences and arts.
I am interested in languages and wildlife biology, as well as being interested in animation and fashion design. And I used to have many other interests which I eliminated after much thoughts.
And these took place when I aged 11-15 years old.
But being a doctor seems to be my vocation. I was disappointed when I failed to secure JPA scholarship after being called for interview. My two friends (a Chinese and a Malay) managed to secure the scholarship and will soon be going to further their studies in medicine overseas.
I have even wondered is it because of my competitive nature that I want to become a doctor.
Yet in the end, I often wish to be involved with this field, to cure people of illnesses and I have read your articles and those by a columnist – an oncologist who had passed away.
I understand that no doctor can cure all diseases and one can only help to prolong the lives as well as maintaining, or better yet, to improve the quality of their health.
When I was younger, I have wanted to become a cardiologist, a neurologist or an ophthalmologist. Later, I realised that these are popular fields I would like to associate myself with. Soon, I have found that I am genuinely interested in pediatrics and oncology tough I understand that I have no real-life experience dealing with these fields so my interests could be temporary.
I have read how the life of a doctor is, and I am more than willing to lead a hectic life to help people with their health conditions.
I have been a member of both RCS (primary school) and St John Ambulance (secondary and pre-university school) as I wanted to learn more on first aid.
I have been a qualified first-aider for two years and though my first few cases were small cases of cuts and bruises and blisters and minor wounds, I have no fear of blood.
I am also ready to learn for years to become a qualified doctor.
I understand the route to become a specialist will take more than fifteen years and I am more than willing to do so.
I have managed to ask a private university and I have to pay registration fees before being called for interview and later, have to passed the interview before being given an offer letter.
My family will not be able to support me unless I secure both PTPTN and Kuok loans.
And my parents have discussed with me on the burden of having such huge loans when I graduate in the future.
And yes, they have even tried to talk me out of becoming a doctor because of financial constraints.
Hence, my uncertainty as I do not wish to cause any financial difficulties to my family. But neither do I want to give up on my dream.
But because of these and everything, I am asking myself everyday whether I really want to become a doctor and will I be able to complete the studies.
But the intake will begin soon in July and I have not pay my registration fees yet.
I have a few questions to ask here;
1) Based on my studying methods, will I be able to learn medicine well?
2) Should I be a doctor, given my results which are just low average for those wanting to become a doctor?
3) Will I not be able to study pediatrics and oncology in the future should I take up medicine?
4) Do you think I am suitable to become a doctor?
I hope you will be able to guide me on my decision based on my explanations.
Thank you.
I think no one else including Dr pagalavan knows better than yourself if you r suitable to become a doc as it seems that u really understand the hurdles that a person has to go through becoming a specialist. However make sure that your decision in becoming a doctor should not cause financial burden to your family. If u can sort out the financial part of it, I think u can as long as u have the right attitude towards studying medicine and do understand that the future of medicine after graduation as it will be even tougher to get into specialisation after u graduate in 5 years time as what has been pointed out by Dr pagalavan in his blog here.
The thing is my parents need to prepare rm 20000+ to ensure i can enter my first semester.
Ptptn will be disbursed later and the kuok results will only be known by august or september.
the classes begin in july but the results of upu will only be known in july after classes begin.
if i failed to secure kuok, i will have to let go.
although i do plan to take up biomedic in upu if i cant afford to study medicine, and later study medicine as postgraduate degree; i am afraid that even by then i will not be able to fund my medical education .
Medicine is not about memorising facts. Yes, you need to study hard but the clinical application is what makes a doctor a good doctor.
Whether you should be a doctor or not , is not up to me. It is entirely up to you. If after reading all the infos in this blog , you are ready for the challenges and have real passion for medicine, then go ahead. Whether you will be able to become a paediatrician etc, it depends on the availability of post after you complete your horsemanship.
However, never take huge loans to do medicine.
I will give myself a few days to decide and i hope will be a good decision. Thanks for the advice.
Doc Wannabe, you are very lucky because you are in Malaysia. If you are in countries like USA or Singapore, it’s near impossible for you to study medicine with your grades. Students with stellar academic achievements are generally preferred. WE NEED THE BEST PEOPLE OUT THERE FOR MEDICINE. Medicine is a field which permits very small margin of error, hence we need ALL-ROUNDED students for the job and excellent academic grades is a good way to start.
Though you may have the heart, the desire and the right attitude for this vocation, you do not have the grades for it. I am a surgeon and I have interviewed students that want to enter medical school. We have no short of 4.0 or 4A’s student in Malaysia, why should we choose you ? Can you convince us that you can handle your studies and your patients ?
Doc Wannabe, you have failed in the first round. My words are sharp, but they are true. Critics may argue good grades does not equate to caring personality. But I told them, we have more than 3000 students with 4.0 and 4A’s in A-level, STPM, IB, Matriculation. We can just screen them during interview and surely, we can identify the correct student for the place.
Doc Wannabe, now two questions for you. Why should we choose you rather than a 4A’s STPM student ? What have you done to fulfill your dreams to be a doctor, is it just a dream or a dream backed with actions ?
P.S. Good job here, Dr Pagalavan. It always saddened me that medicine seems to be an automatic choice for top students. What we truly need is students with good grades, right attitudes, strong determination, creativity and strong moral compass. Hopefully something can be done to resolve these issues.
Mr Low, I do agree with you. The funny thing is when I received my offer for medicine from Cardiff and Aberdeen universities in 2004, their conditional offer is ABB! And Leeds was AAB. However, my results far exceed their offers as I score AAAA for my A levels (and 10A1s for my SPM). During my time, there was hardly any 10A1s in the country. Nowadays, u get 13 to 16A1s all across the country. Is it because the exams are getting easier or because the students are getting cleverer?
In the year I enter med school, Cambridge university made a conditional offer of EEE to a Malaysian student. Why? Of course, Cambridge knew he already has the intelligence from his academic achievements and he made such a great impression during the interview, that Cambridge wanted him regardless of his eventual A levels results.
Would be interesting if a local Uni offers a student EEE as entry requirement for medicine!
That being said, I heard from my juniors that the offer for medicine is now at least AAA in all British medical schools.
Doctor,
I am currently an A level student thinking of becoming a doctor in the future. I have thought of everything you wrote on this blog and deeply considered what and how it is to be a doctor in the future. Because of this, I am considering going into dentistry instead. I do have passion for both of these fields.
And also, I did not do really well in my A levels. My results are slightly below the entry requirements set by MMC. So my plan is to give it another shot by doing foundation in science in AIMST and entering either MBBS or BDS after that.
What do you think about my decisions? Please advise.
Another question I have is about postgraduate studies. How is it like to apply for postgraduate studies as a doctor? What I mean is how competitive is it to apply for…let’s say becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon? What criteria do they look at when applying to become a specialist? Are they looking at our job performance? Our results obtained in MBBS? Depending on our luck? Or is it just solely “relationship-with-the-person-inside” thing?
Thank you doctor, I love your blog very much after a friend of mine who is a dermatologist recommended me to search for your blog. I personally think it is really great to have doctors such as you, willing to share the thoughts and opinions in becoming a medical officer.
Most of the answers are available in this blog. What you want to do is up to you but never do medicine for wrong reasons.
With the increasing number of doctors and saturated market by 2016, it is going to be very competitive to get into master’s program, which is the only way to become a surgeon and subsequently Cardiothoracic surgeon ( please read my article on Cardiothoracic surgery)
When you are in Bolehland, nothing is transparent!
Dear Dr,
I’m interested in health care industry, are there any other courses which have better job opportunities and less hectic life compared to medicine?
Well, I’m not quite interested in dentistry and pharmacy.
I was considering biomed but what I heard from many biomed graduates is that they cannot find a job and finally ended up in sectors totally different from what they study.
Frankly, the healthcare sector is almost saturated. Radiographers, physiotherapist, nurses are all jobless now. Doctors will be the last. Statistician are in demand if you are interested. Many universities are looking for one. Medico-legal law is another field which is in demand now with rising litigation.
Dear Dr. ,
I’m interested in health care industry, what are those related courses that have better job prospects and less hectic life compared to medicine? (Excluding pharmacy and dentistry)
I was considering biomed, but what I heard from biomed graduates is that they cannot find a job and ended up in the sector which is totally unrelated to their study.
So around 2016/2017, should students take medicine or not? As usay the salary is decreasing and are there any websites to see what kind of surgeon earn how much in Malaysia?
Jeff, say you enter medical school in 2017/18, when in your mind do you expect to become a surgeon?
Maybe around 2026 – 2028 haha
I’m interested on being an orthopedic surgeon, but I could not find any relevant posts about specialist thingy on this blog.
Please read carefully. I had mentioned many times. The only way to become an Ortho surgeon in malaysia is via the local Master’s program. Even now, it is the most saturated surgical field. Whenever a private hospital opens, ORthopaedic surgeons will be the most number of applicants. There was once 30 applicants for 1 post for a hospital in Klang Valley!
hey jeff, u must be a big, rugged, rugby player! anyway, thats the preconception of doctors who pursue Orthopods here 😉
As I said, in government sector, all surgeon earns the same depending on your grade. After 10 years of service, you will be paid about RM 11K, assuming you become a surgeon by then.
As for private sector, what you earn depends on how popular you are and how many patients you get in a month. I know surgeons who are earning less than RM 10K for working 24hrs a day and 7 days a week. No patient, no money! There is no such thing as a fixed pay in private sector. You are self employed in the private hospital.
What if I can be the one among the 30 applicants for the master programme? My father has some “insider connection”, that’s why my parents push me to be a doctor.
I am not talking about Master’s! I am talking about private hospital. The number of applications for Master’s is more than that. Your insider connection does not work all the time. Furthermore you are talking about something which is 15 years away!
If assuming u become a cardiologist or rheumatologist etc, you would stil get around 11k after 10 yrs right?
yup, in government service
Great blog Pagalavan Letchumanan! What’s your opinion about dentistry, is it better than medicine and do dentists earn more than doctors?
I presume you are talking about “better” in terms of earning capacity. In government service, the salary is just about RM 200 difference. In private sector, it depends on how you perform and how popular you are. I know some dentist who are earning more than doctors
definitely….when a teeth whitening session is Rm1200, extraction of wisdom tooth (x1) is about Rm1k, routine cleaning is about RM100 (and it’s done by dental technician) and filling is like RM 150 per filling…..i think they are earning more than gp and lots of specialist for sure….
even my friends in australia…those who work 5 days a week are earning up to AUD300k pa
have friends open dental clinics and business is not so rosy. Because how often do we visit dental clinics per year? some even more than 10 years never visit any dental clinics at all. Don’t believe me, please ask around.
It is the same for many doctors as well. It is a business and some may succeed, some will fail.
I have also seen dentist who are earning way more than my GP friends.
Yes you are right! But after years of research (as I have yet to decide my profession between medicine and dentistry) I’ve come to the conclusion that at the end it’s all about luck.:)
Good afternoon Dr,
I’m a fresh graduate from Alexandria university faculty of medicine, Egypt.
I would like to ask you is there any possibility that i can do housemanship in another country like uk or ireland or australia?
No
For UK and Australia : NO
For Ireland: you need to find out whether your degree is recognised in Ireland. Furthermore with the current economic condition of Ireland, many foreign students who graduated from Ireland universities are not getting internship post.
Hi Doctor,
I’m currently a 2nd year medical student in Indonesia. Till now I don’t have NOC. I don’t have the enough qualifications to get NOC because I got a ‘C’ in Physics for SPM 2011 . But, I did my foundation in science before doing Medicine and I manage to get 3.5+ pointer. Will I face any troubles in Malaysia when I’m done with my medical studies? I’m planning to do my housemenship in Malaysia. My university is recognised by MMA/MMC .
If MMC follow through with their guidelines, you will NOT be allowed to be registered with MMC.
Having said this, I foresee MMC/BN Govt will not have the political will to see this through, and they will break their own rules.
It is definitely risky. With the upcoming glut, it is always better to have NOC. Jobs are not going to be guaranteed in the future
Those who went after april 2011( after the introduction of minimum entry requirement) will have to abide to rules of MMC. Unless you went earlier than april 2011.
Dear Dr paga
I obtained 2Es in my A Levels and am now in my 2nd year of medicine in Nizhy ,Russia.
Will the MMC requirement affect me when I graduate?
Does this mean I will not be able to obtain a job or register with MMC when I return?
What should I do? I know of many ppl who did not obtain the necessary marks but are now studying medicine here as well.
As I thought Nizhy is recognized by MMC why is there a further requirement on minimum entry requirements???
In fact many students who did pass the STPM was still accepted by some universities here for medicine but have to undergo their Russian Preparatory Foundation Studies.
Pls help clear some light.
I do not want to spend money and be jobless!!!
Yes, you will be affected as the minimum requirement started in 2011. If you have 2E, you should not even be doing medicine! That’s the reason why the minimum requirement was introduced. There are many universities out there which will take any tom,dick and Harry just for money!!
High possibility that you will be at the bottom of the list in getting a job. Only time will tell
I would advise you to quit medicine immediately and do something else since you are still in 2nd year. I am sure you don’t want to spend the next 4-5 years in medical school thinking whether or not you will get a job once you graduate after spending so much time and money in medical school.
By the way, I find it interesting that you think that mere recognition of a medical school by MMC is superseded by minimum entry requirements. In that case, every Tom, Dick and Harry would be able to do do medicine and practise as a doctor in Malaysia! However, I believe this is partly due to the work of agents though, brainwashing every potential medical student with lies and more lies. Remember, the agents would never be responsible once you graduate and become jobless.
You should get your friends with substandard results to go through Dr Paga’s blog to get some enlightment too. No wonder the standard of doctors is dropping in Malaysia with countries like these accepting substandard students to do medicine.
I spoke to my parents about this and they say I can specialize and work in the USA or UK. After reading your blog I realize this isn’t easy.
However it is extremely hard to convince my parents as they think one can just work in the USA or UK.
In an alternative scenario- can I sit the Qualifying Exam? or can I redo a foundation program in Russia??
More than 60% of my classmates at Niznhy is also in the same scenario as we were unaware of the requirement. Many feel the MMC will definitely allow us to practice as it is compulsory to do government service and we will be registered then???
Your parents belong to the same group of ignorant people out there to whom this blog is directed to! Many are clueless about the field of medicine.
Having a recognised degree and getting a job is 2 different issues. Just because you have a recognised degree does not mean the government must give you a job. It all depends on availability of post. Previously there were ample amount of post, thus everyone will get a job. That scenario is changing. The government can now become selective in choosing who they want to employ. Thus, the first group which will be eliminated will be those who do not have the minimum requirement.
BTW sitting for qualifying exam and redoing your foundations is not going to make any difference. As for you, the best option will be a common entry exam that is being proposed above . If you pass the exam than you will get the job.
This is a great sitwe,congrats Sir,your dedication is unparaleled.
Dear Doctor,
I’m just graduated from Alevels with 4B’s (A2 level of Maths, Biology, Chemistry and AS Physics). I’ve wanted to study IMU-PMS however my results cannot meet the requirement for the twinning programme and can only go study locally in IMU for 5 years… Recently, I’ve read your blog and i felt so anxious because of the increasing Doctors graduates in Malaysia.
So, Dr.Do you recommend any medical universities who can accept my result and offer a chance for twinning programme so my degree can be recognized overseas after I graduted ?? I don’t want to be jobless after spending so much of money, efforts and time!
I need your advice so badly!!! X(((
Thank you so much!
Try Monash but again, job scenario in Australia also does not look good. The best option will be to go to Australia and do it over there
But Dr., does Monash can accept 4B’s?? because i have searched their website and they can only accept at least 3A’s and above… Please correct me if I’m wrong…
you can always try. With so many medical schools in Malaysia, definitely one will accept but your degree will not be recognised elsewhere
Ok, Dr. I’ll try my best!! Thank you so much! ;D
Dr. , it’s me again. Can I ask you one more question??
Which medical university you will recommend, IMU or Taylor?? I’ve meet the entry requirement for both university… Seems like Taylor is more cheaper compare to IMU although is at lakeside campus. But I still need your advice please~ Thank you so much! 😉 and have a nice day!
IMU obviously. Taylor’s is new and yet to receive MMC accreditation
Ok Dr., Thank you so much!!! 😀
Sir. I really really want medic since I was small. I love the subjects they’ll be studying esp anatomy. However I screwed my spm and foundation. Doesn’t meet the requirements. Currently I’m in degree biotechnology. I really want medic but I think it’s not worth it taking private. Should I resit spm to get straight As and scholarship frm jpa/mara? Please guide me
Why not try STPM or A level?
Dr. I really love medic since I’m small. However I get bad results for spm and foundation. Now furthering in biotechnology in local uni. Should I resit my spm and get scholarship from mara/jpa? I don’t think it’s worth to spend money on private uni. Please help me
Hi Dr.!
I’m one of the 2013 SPM leavers and hoping to study in medicine. I’m planning to have my MD programme at Kursk State Medical University,Russia(RM250K+for 6 years,all in). Is that a good university? I’ve got 9As and 1B+ in SPM so am I eligible to be a good doctor? Due to I’m planing to study in Russia, I have to take my foundation in nirwana college,is that a good choice?
If you ask me, avoid Russia as generally the perception is not good.
Then how about Indonesia? Or do Dr has any suggestions? I’ve planned to utar before but then it’s still new and no graduates from there yet! Plus,the local private universities are really costs an arm or leg!
I only trust Padjajaran, gajahmada and briwijaya
Dear Dr Pagalavan. I am currently doing my A-levels and will be finishing by the end of this year. It is always been a dream for me to be a speacialist in neurology. I got 9A+ and 1 A for my SPM so i was able to receive a scholarship from the government to do my A-levels. I am indeed greatful that i stumbled upon your blog. currently I am in the process of applying to universities that JPA has approved but knowing that after being a doctor the future is bleak as you said i am now very confused. You are not the only one dr as i have few relations of mine that have dwelled deeply and passionately in this field. They all gave me a big NO! That was when i googled to find out what is actually happening in the real medical field and thank god i found your blog. I told my parents about this situation and i also informed about your blog. They have been such supporting people through out my life. So i cant afford to make a wrong choice in my career. I actually dont mind being a doctor with a small pay. i love living life simple and helping others always made me happy. And i have a cousin (whom i love dearly) that faces mental challenges, so i thought being a doctor (the first one in my mom’s side) a speacialist in neurology would be great as i can help those dear to me as well as helping others. I dont even mind being a volunteer to help those who are poor. How can i pursue something i love when i cant even practice it(as you said housemanship is not easy anymore). Now that is torture. And i know my parents will be very sad if i become jobless. So after much research done, i was hoping that i could ask your advice about being a pharmaceutical chemist or scientist. Are such jobs able to contribute for the people as much as medicine does? Some universities accept degree of medicine. Should i do medicine and then decide or should i proceed with a degree in biochem n proceed with Bsc Pharmaceutical Science. I hope you can give some advice dr. i want to live a life where i know i have contributed something to the world. that would certainly make me feel happy in a way. i may not treat them directly but at least i help improving the field that i love. well at least i hope to. pls do let me know dr about your point of view about pharmaceutical science in malaysia. Your advice might give some insight about my future. Thank you so much dr.
Do what you are interested in. Being a JPA scholar gives you an advantage in getting a job. You will definitely be given priority in government job as you will be bonded for atleast 10 years.
Thank you so much Dr for your immediate reply. By being a dr via JPA, will this enable me to do specialisation? I have read one of your post regarding this issue. Will there be a chance for me in another 10 to 15 years time to even become a neurologist? Or will the situation get worse by then? Is it true dr. that they take quota into account even for specialisation? Please do share your thoughts. Thank you so much dr, i am ever grateful.
Anything can happen in the future. You can decide what you want to do next, after you graduate. Many people will change their mind after graduating. Some may even resign. So, do not worry of what is going to happen as no one knows for sure. Post graduate education will be difficult in the future due to large number of doctors and limited number of post. In Malaysia, quota exist everywhere!
Dr Pagalavan i can never thank you enough. You have given me the courage to do something i love despite all odds. I understand that future is something i can never predict but from being doctor i might most likely find a clear path that truly interest me in this field. Thank you so much dr and i am ever grateful. 🙂
Hi, Dr.
May I just say, your blog is as a beacon of light in my dark life.
Ever since small, I have always been the hope of my whole family to become a doctor. I was raised to believe that by being a doctor I can have the life everybody wanted.And as the first eldest daughter, I have always been striving to achieve the best in life to please my doting parents.
But now, I had began for think for my own interests. This year was a rough year. I had literally betrayed my own principles and maybe because of the hormones, perhaps? And so, I went Google-ing for types of medicine professions and stumbled upon psychology. It had grabbed my attention and I’ve realized that it was the one for me! I love hearing to others thoughts that gave me insights of who they truly are and I too love advising people.
I had discussed it with my parents and they aren’t that, well happy. They said that the earning salary was low and in Malaysia, the job is unstable and I might end up jobless…
I honestly believe in psychology but I am afraid to take a leap of faith.. It is an arduous decision to make as I am lacking of information, Dr…So please help me, Dr.
Is psychology a striving field?
We only live once, but if we do it right, once is enough. With this being said, I thank you if you ever had the time to read and reply to me.
Do what you are interested. Psychology is rather new in Malaysia. It is more developed in the western countries where every organisation has a psychologist!
Eventually, as we move to developed country status, more psychologist will be needed.
hi dr. I’m currently a medical student in IIUM, just finished my 1st block there. I’m one of many who don’t have great passion in medicine that i can tolerate it’s heavy responsibilities.I consider changing my course to allied health science, in which something related to medicine but not as heavy as medic. IIUM offered bachelors in Dietetics, Audiology, Optometry, Radiography and Diagnostic Imaging, Biomedical Scences and lastly Physiotherapy.So, I want to consult you on the job prospect, working condition, salary and etc regarding the course i stated above, respectively. And I hope to hear your recommendation on which course is the best for me. Hoping to hear from you as soon as possible as I need to give my final decision this Monday. Thank you in advance.
I think it is entirely up to you. I can’t decide for you. Radiography is quite saturated at diploma level. However, audiology and optometry is still in demand. You have to decide for yourself what you want to do
it’s not that i asked you to decide for me. it’s just that i need to know the overview of the course. therefore i need your extensive experience in this matter to help me in making the right decision. i really hope you can explain a little more in detail regarding the course in demand. thank you.
I am not an expert in other fields but i do know that it is rather difficult to find a audiologist or podiatrist in town
Hello Dr. I am offered to do medicine by JPA in a number of listed universities. Out of all, I have set my eyes on 3 namely UCSI (since my cousin is there) , Monash and Numed. I need your advice and your point of view in which university i should enrol in. I am really looking forward to further my studies abroad. So which university will help achieve my dream. I know it is not easy to even get a chance to further my studies for masters (since there is quota for everything) but at least i want a pathway that would give me a small hope of continuing my education in this field. I am looking forward to your reply. Thank u so much Dr.
Firstly you are a JPA scholar, which means you are bonded with the government for 10 years. Of the 3 universities you mentioned, only Monash is recognised in australia. However, chances of getting an internship post in Australia is very slim. Furthermore, you can’t anyway since you are bonded with the government. If you don’t do internship in Australia, you will not be able to get a job there
Dr. If I graduate from Jordan in MD, can I do internship in UK ? If not, how I want to apply for internship in UK?
NO, you need to sit for PLAB exam but it does not guarantee you an internship post.Getting internship post in UK if you are non-UK or Non EU citizens is almost NIL.
Hello Doctor,
I’m a spm straight A student and have just finished my Malaysian matriculation. I was offered to do civil engineering in government university, quite a good university for engineering as well…but the thing is, I am very keen on doing dentistry…I’ve checked around private universities, but the cheapest I can get is PIDC offering twinning programme with India. I feel bad for wanting to use my parent’s money to study in a private sector as they earn a moderate income and have to squeeze in cash for my studies…I haven’t started yet..but I’m in a dilemma if I should just take the civil engineering offer…or persue my dreams…
I have also checked if I can change course from civil to any other engineering course such as chemical or oil and gas,( that particular government uni doesn’t offer dentistry) but according to the university, I will have to complete 1 sem of civil before changing my course…
What do you suggest doctor?
The question is ” where is your interest” ? Do what you are interested in but be careful not to be in debt!
hello dr.. thank you for your informative articles. i am now aware that a doctor’s life is really not as easy and glorious as i thought. i have been offered a degree in diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy in ukm and i had no problem with this until my brother influenced me to pursue medicine instead. he said i can’t go far with being a radiographer and i will only be a “button-pusher” for the rest of my life whereas a doctor can further his studies to become a specialist and has higher prospect. personally i have interest in medicine and i love helping people in curing their illnesses. however after knowing the harsh truths of a doctor’s life, i become scared to pursue medicine because i do not want to have that kind of life in the future, although i do have interest in it. but perhaps my interest is not that strong. i have also been offered a degree in medicine in MSU but it requires a lot of money and considering my parents’ financial constraints, i would definitely need to take loans from MARA and PTPTN. however i do not know whether taking huge loans for medicine is worth it because i am so scared of the challenges that i will face. although my parents insisted me to go for medicine and they said they will find a way to get the money, i still feel very guilty because they have already spent so much on my brother, who is also studying medicine. so i figured that maybe i should be the one to sacrifice my dream of becoming a doctor.
right now i am so confused. i do not know whether i should take medicine or radiography. studying radiography in UKM is clearly the easier path but i am only hoping that i will be able to develop an interest in this field. besides, perhaps radiographer’s job would be less stressful than doctors’. and i can still fulfill my passion of helping people by becoming a radiographer.
also, are there any chances that you know about the salary of radiographers and the job security? i do not intend to ask you to make a decision for me. i just need guidance and advice in choosing the right path for my future.
i hope to listen to your opinion on this matter, dr pagalavan, as you are well-experienced.
Taking huge loans to do medicine is NOT worth it. You can buy my books and read to make a decision(please see some of my latest post).
Passion is one thing but living a live is another. If you can’t stand the life of a doctor, you will only regret it later.
Most students do not understand about the life till they start working and they go into depression. I have seen countless number of students who said that they will become this and that but ended up quitting medicine or doing desk jobs(admin work).
The problem with radiographer is the fact that there are too many diploma holders. Degree holders may not have any advantage in terms of job scope. However, radiotherapy is a different job all together as it deals with cancer patients.
also, is there any chance that you could provide information on the difference in job description of U29 and U41 radiographers in government hospitals?
One is for diploma holders and the other is for degree holders. As far as job description, it’s the same
thank you very much, Dr. 🙂
Hi, Dr. I m doing A level and planning to take pharmacy for my degree but I m kinda worried about the problem of oversupply of pharmacist in our country since government had came out with the new rule that fresh graduates can do their Pre registration training in private sector. Does this imply anything?
Also, if I do Bpharm in IMU, am I able to work in other countries like Singapore? Please shed some light on me..Thanks.
Actually, compared to doctors, we still need a lot of pharmacist in Malaysia. Private sector is not saturated yet. If dispensing separation happens, we will need a lot of pharmacist in private sector. IMU’s Bpharm is a twinning program with Otago and Tasmania university which means you will receive those university degrees. These degrees are recognised in Australia, NZ and many other countries.
For those who are still want to do medicine with wrong reasons stated, i strongly recommend u guys to participate MMI programme which i think will held every year. It shows you how a life of medical students looks like and will give u guys more exposure to medicine. This year they did the programme in hospital sg buloh and i was lucky to participate it. One of the aims of this programme is also to discourage students to do medicine. Doctors and housemen will give talks. You will learn basic clinical skills such as using stethoscope and tendon hammer. 4th or final year med students will lead us to wards and show us how to take medical history of real patients. For those who like it much like me, MAYBE (not necessary) you are the one who can take medicine. MMI is held by med students, so they can share more about how med school really is and their experience.
They also have problem based learning which med students will do, we’ll experience that session. For me, it’s kinda interesting coz they will give us few cases and we have to discuss together with them.
This exposure should be more directed to what a real doctor does in a hospital rather than what medical students do. Personally, I feel Sg Buloh hospital is not a good example of what a real general hospital situation would be
I also hope that there will be another programme which can help students to expose to wat doctors do. But this probably will help a bit rather than not doing anything.
Hi Dr Pagavalan,
Ive been reading you blog and I find it as a very insightful and honest take on the realities of doing medicine. I am currently doing Foundation in Science heading towards a MBBS Partner Medical School programme in IMU. I understand that medicine is survival of the fittest and if money was one’s priority, she should venture into other jobs with relatively easier/faster tracks. Nevertheless, I am still very passionate to be a doctor, specifically a general surgeon. However, I read that passion does not necessarily pay the bills and that a large part of this profession has high tendency to be replaced by AI(s) in the future. I was hoping that you could comment on this and suggest what’s best for an aspiring doctor like me, since I’ll be graduating in 5-6 years time.
i think all the answers are in this blog. Just remember that there is no such thing as guaranteed job in medicine anymore.