Poster

Title: Introduction to Medical Studies (IMS): a transition program for sponsored Malaysian international medical students

W.C. Hodgson, M.E. Story, M. Lewenberg, L. Fortington, C. Lawson, J. Rouvray & M. Liddell

Abstract

Each year since 2000 up to 30 Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) sponsored Malaysian students have been selected for the medical course. This coincided with the introduction of a new integrated curriculum. Selection is based on a combination of students’ academic performance, interview score and essay score. Aware that many international students experience difficulties in this learning environment, and that these could be magnified by the presence of a large cohort of students from a single ethnic group, a transition program was developed. The 12 week program is residential with out-of-hours support available. Previous IMS students are involved in aspects of the program including attendance at a camp. The program consists of three units: Learning Styles for Health Professionals; Communication Skills for Health Care Professionals; The Australian Health Care System and Society. Learning tasks are modelled on key aspects of the medical course including tutorial discussions, mock Patient-Centred Learning tutorials and clinical skills sessions.