AUCMS route to a proper `meducation'
NST - Jun 26, 2010
Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS) is unlike any other colleges. AUCMS executive chairman Datuk Dr Zainuddin Wazir is determined to position the college as the top "meducationist" in the country and the world by 2015. Dr Zainuddin, who is also the college's chief executive officer, says AUCMS is not only dedicated to churning out medical professionals but also function as a centre for life-long medical education, or "Meducation". This is in line with AUCMS' tagline of "Ideas Beyond Science", where state-of-the-art facilities are balanced with a professional and experienced teaching staff, both locals and recruited from abroad.
"We are positioning AUCMS as a renowned medical sciences institution that nurtures and promotes life-long Meducation."For this purpose, we have comprehensive courses, from certificate level up to a medical degree." Dr Zainuddin says AUCMS is not only offering tertiary meducation for school-leavers but also those who are already in the job market. "We encourage those who are working in medical-related field to further their study at AUCMS to secure a better future." He says age factor is not an issue as AUCMS has a significant number of mature students who are determined to excel in their studies.
Dr Zainuddin said AUCMS can cater to up to 500 medical degree students, thanks to its strategic collaboration with renowned local and foreign universities. Apart from its twinning medical degree programme with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, AUCMS also has a longstanding collaboration with Universitas Sumatera Utara in Indonesia. AUCMS is offering a bachelor degree in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics in collaboration with National University of Ireland and a bachelor degree in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics in collaboration with National University of College Cork, Ireland."We have ample space for those who are keen to pursue a medical degree but could not secure a place in local universities.SPM holders with a minimum of five credits, with at least a B in Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology or other Technical subject, are encouraged to apply for the 11-month intensive programme at AUCMS' main campus in Bertam, Kepala Batas, Penang.Upon completing the pre-medical studies, students may enrol in medical degree courses at one of AUCMS' four partner universities.
To help aspiring doctors from low-income families, AUCMS has also set up a foundation in collaboration with national astronaut Datuk Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha.The foundation will finance the tuition fees for the first three months before they receive their study loan facility from the National Higher Education Fund."It is my personal mission to help aspiring young students from low-income families achieve their dreams."
Being a dedicated medical sciences college, AUCMS also offers comprehensive diploma-level courses in nursing, physiotherapy, pharmacy, medical sciences and medical laboratory technology.The college is also looking at introducing alternative medicines courses to complement the existing modern medical training. The three-year programmes are tailored to prepare the students for the job market.
AUCMS is also collaborating with government hospitals to set up internship for its students at the Kepala Batas, Seberang Jaya and Penang hospitals. AUCMS is in the process of building its own hospital. The hospital would start with 200 beds but would eventually be upgraded to become a 1,000-bed hospital. "The hospital not only reflects our commitment in providing hands-on training facility for students and job security to our graduates, it also is part of AUCMS' corporate social responsibility of providing the best medical services to the society."
Moving forward, this year is a busy one for AUCMS as it embarks on a rapid growth and expansion programme, the highlight of which would be its transformation into a university college. The status is set to pave the way for AUCMS to introduce its very own bachelor degree and post-graduate programmes. In line with the transformation process, AUCMS will be opening branch campuses in several states beginning with Kuala Lumpur, Perlis and Kelantan, followed by Sarawak, Johor and Malacca. "The university college status is a major achievement and we are recruiting more Meducators to meet the expected surge in number of students. "We aim to have 5,000 students following these expansion programmes, up from the 2,000 currently," says Dr Zainuddin.
For more details, call 04-5780898
Source - NST