Pre-housemanship courses give new docs a headstart

University of Liverpool Trauma and Orthopedics head of department Prof Simon Frostick (left) engages with the prehousemen during one of the short courses called, Training the Learners.

MANY youngsters harbour the dream of becoming doctors someday.

In recent years, Malaysia has seen the mushrooming of medical schools, with current figures standing at a total of 32, of which 11 are public and 21 private.

The Higher Education Ministry said last year alone, there were 4,494 medical students who graduated.

As the profession thrives, many hospitals find themselves at the receiving end of the boom in graduates as they lack housemanship positions.

Today, a medical graduate will have to wait a minimum of six to nine months, or even a year, before receiving his placement.

Not wanting their graduates’ knowledge and skills to wither whilst waiting for their postings, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) has taken the initiative to introduce a two-month pre-housemanship programme (PreHoP) for its graduates, which began on Oct 2.

What is PreHop?