8DiscoverNEWSSayonara to the participants of the 5th International Summer Medical School 2011On the 20th July 2011, the PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences welcomed six participants from Kagawa University, Japan for a 5-week long summer medical program which is running for the fifth year since 2007. The summer medical school is an exchange program organized annually as part of a collaborative program between the IHS and Faculty of Medicine (KUFM), Kagawa University, Japan. The institute organized a farewell dinner for the participants on the 19th August 2011 which was held at the VIP Hall of the Rizqun International Hotel. The function was attended by the Assistant Vice-Chancellor Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti PKLWDSS Haji Awang Abdul Aziz, Deputy Deans of IHS, Dr Lin Naing @ Mohd. Ayub Sadiq and Ckg Awg Ahmad Faisal bin Hj Zainal Abidin, all committee members, lecturers, administrative staff and all students involved in the program. The function started with the breaking of fast, which was followed by Dr Lin Naing@ Mohd Ayub Sadiq’s opening speech. In his speech, he indicated that the institute is very glad to have this close relationship with the KUFM of Kagawa University which is evident from the annual exchange program and confirmed that our medical students will be going to Japan this December for the 4th International Winter Medical School. After his speech, the AVC Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti PKLWDSS Haji Awang Abdul Aziz presented souvenirs and certificates of participation to all 6 participants and their first buddies. It has become a tradition for all international participants to be paired up with our medical students at the institute as their official buddies. It was an emotional and memorable moment when the participants presented their photo slides to summarize their 5-week experience as UBD students. The participants had made close bonds not only with their buddies and IHS students, but also with foster families arranged by the Brunei Japanese Friendship Association, UBD. The participants had experienced life as a medical student here at UBD. In terms of academic experiences, the participants were taught through lectures, problem-based learning (PBL) sessions, clinical and communication skills as well as tutorials. As one of the other main objectives of the programme was to enhance their English language proficiency and communication skills, all sessions were conducted in English. The participants also gained knowledge and hands-on experience on the Brunei medical system through clinical placements at the Diabetes Unit in RIPAS, Sg Assam Clinic and JPMC. The participants were assessed by both written examination and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as well as having to prepare presentations and reports.The function ended with a friendship song ‘Kanpai’ which was performed by the participants and dedicated to all those who had helped them throughout their 5-week visit. On the 21st August, the participants left Brunei with well wishes from all of us at the PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences.
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