Page 143 - HKU Surgery 110 Anniversary E-Book

Chapter V. Embracing the Modern Age

Getting Students Back

in the Ward

Surgical training is not the only area where Kent-Man, Director of the Department’s
things have changed. The undergraduate Centre for Education and Training, to get
years have also been affected by students back in the real world.
the changing student make-up and
technology. Here, too, the Department The Reform Curriculum merges the
and the Faculty have stayed on top of junior and senior clerkships into three 16-
the trends. week blocks covering surgery, medicine,
and multidisciplinary including a focus
With larger class sizes and greater on cancer, which gives students a
diversity among students, the Faculty’s longer time in each area to deepen their The larger number of students admitted towards ultra-specialists, but society also
chief aim is now to ensure all students are explorations (previously, they did eight to the MBBS each year means there is a wants more general practitioners.”
equipped with the relevant knowledge, weeks of each area in each of the junior wider range of abilities. And that is not a
skills and behaviours that are essential and senior years). It has also transformed bad thing, says Professor Stephen Cheng. The Faculty also understands who it
to becoming safe and competent doctors, the specialty clerkship into the Assistant is dealing with, said Professor Chu
while also encouraging excellence. In the Internship that requires students to spend “Before, all the applicants we admitted Kent-Man, and in some ways it is not
“Enrichment Year” in third year, students more time on the wards and participate were straight A students. Now, we so different from the past. “The thing
undertake service, research or pursue in patient care (starting from January accept less capable students because the that has not changed is that they are still
another area of study or degree; many 2026). Learning from websites and books numbers are increasing. But then maybe secondary school students. They like us
spend time overseas, living on their may seem a shortcut to acquiring lots healthcare doesn’t need so many GB Ongs. to feed them knowledge. There are still
own for the first time. Teachers are also of knowledge, but the most effective The government wants more primary good students, but also some who are not
getting assistance to cope with the higher lessons come from being around patients healthcare and general practitioners so good, so we want to make sure they
workload through online platforms and themselves. to look after people in the community. all achieve a minimum standard before
AI-generated questions, which a Faculty They cannot all be ultra-specialists. The they graduate.”
study found were comparable to teachers structure at Queen Mary Hospital is
writing their own questions.

Other learning technologies are also
being embraced, enabling students to
learn online, do things such as explore
anatomy through virtual reality and wield
portable ultrasound probes. However, this
has also meant students are glued to their
screens. In 2024, the Faculty introduced
the new Reform Curriculum, an exercise
that closely involved Professor Chu

“We observed that many students were staying in the library rather than the wards.
They may feel they gain more from reading books than taking the extra time to gain
knowledge in the ward. But that is not true. They will always learn more in the
ward. Technology can assist, but the most important thing is still real-life exposure.”
- Professor Chu Kent-Man -

Ultrasound teaching by Professor Michael Co.

142 | Department of Surgery 110 Anniversary Department of Surgery 110 Anniversary | 143
th
th