NUS enhances undergraduate healthcare education to future-proof Singapore’s healthcare system
Published: 15 Aug 2023
From left to right: Year 2 students Kanesananthan Yahrliny from the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Yunn Honey Aye Kyaw from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), and Tan Wan Ru Deiondre and Muhammad Amir Bin Mohamed Imran from the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), attended the pilot courses under the Common Healthcare Curriculum.
Starting from August 2023, NUS has implemented a new interdisciplinary common curriculum for undergraduates in Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. This timely repositioning of the University’s healthcare education tailors the development of healthcare talents in response to Singapore’s ‘Healthier SG’ vision, a new national initiative focusing on integrated and preventive care.
The ‘Healthier SG’ vision entails a major reform of the healthcare system to facilitate ageing in place through the use of technology and analytics. This requires doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists to work together to support and holistically care for the community in all aspects of their healthcare needs. These professionals trained by NUS will need to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to help shape a resilient and responsive healthcare system in Singapore.
About 870 first-year students from Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy will be taking five specially-designed courses together, and they will collaborate across the four healthcare disciplines as part of their learning journey. The common curriculum, which is to be completed in the first two years of their candidature, will complement the existing curriculum of the respective degree programmes.
A key content pillar in the Common Curriculum is the Social and Behavioural Determinants of Health pillar, which will educate healthcare students on the practical, social and emotional needs that affect individuals’ health and wellbeing in communities. This pillar forms the foundation for the other four content pillars, which will cover areas such as professionalism and ethical practice, teamwork and communication skills, as well as data and digital literacy.
Students will also engage in interdisciplinary experiential learning through the Longitudinal Patient Experience, where teams of students from various healthcare disciplines will visit patients in their homes and living environments continually for one year. This immersive learning journey provides students with opportunities to apply the concepts learnt in class to provide holistic care for their patients. At the same time, it fosters empathy and resilience in the students.
“I attended the pilot session for the common healthcare curriculum in August last year. It was eye-opening to learn that we should adopt a multi-faceted approach to health, and not view health as merely a physical condition or illness. It was also interesting to understand how non-medical factors, such as social and environmental factors, play an important role in how doctors view and manage a patient’s health. This will be an essential skill for me as a doctor in future,” said Ms Yunn Honey Aye Kyaw, Phase II student at NUS Medicine, who attended the pilot in August 2022.
She added, “Personally, the module, ‘Social and Behavioural Determinants on Health’, which delved into the topic on health in vulnerable groups, stood out for me. It highlighted the various barriers vulnerable patients face, such as the social, economic, environmental or political aspects of their lives, which affect how they receive care. These sessions have allowed me to reflect how I can be a better advocate for health and reinforced the importance of being empathetic towards my future patients.”
In conjunction with the new Common Curriculum for Healthcare Professional Education, the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) has also enhanced its curriculum for Medicine undergraduates by implementing a Minor that delves into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Biomedical Informatics, to better prepare students for the new era of AI-driven digital medicine.
Students from other NUS faculties, schools and colleges will also have the opportunity to acquire knowledge about the workings of modern healthcare systems through a new Minor in Integrative Health.
“Health and well-being are more than just caring for the sick. To help people stay healthy as long as they live, and better care for them when they are ill, we need to look beyond the traditional confines of medicine and science and draw upon other disciplines. Health sciences education should prepare tomorrow’s doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists to harness the power of artificial intelligence, computing, business analytics, even music and the arts, in the provision of holistic, patient-centric healthcare,” said Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine).
Read more in the press release here.
