UTAR MBBS graduate in Melbourne - long hours and challenges but proud to be a doctor

Marcia Chan enjoying street food at Frankston Market

Marcia Chan, a UTAR MBBS graduate from the graduating class of 2017, was finally offered a position as a senior resident medical officer in Frankston Hospital, Melbourne, after 3 years of trying for job opportunities in Australia. Her determination, motivation and perseverance to succeed, coupled with her passion for the medical profession, saw her overcome the challenges to finally achieve her goal of obtaining her dream employment in Australia in December 2020. Her journey was one that took years to achieve but it was a meaningful and memorable journey.

Marcia Chan shares her story with UTAR:

I attended the UTAR Sungai Long campus Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences from 2012 to 2017. It was a relatively new programme then, headed by exceptional lecturers and staff. During my second year of medical school, I started thinking about working and living in Australia as a means to reunite with my sister and brother who migrated there years ago. Countless difficult goodbyes at the departure gate with my best friends meant I was more than ready to try my hand at the opportunities availed to me.

But the road was always paved with obstacles, and my first one turned up early. The UTAR Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences was established in 2009 and had yet to be registered under the World Directory of Medical Schools Registry. Without this, I would not be able to take the entrance exams to gain registration as a medical practitioner in Australia.

That was when I approached the Faculty Deputy Dean Prof NY Boo and Madam Sue, who helped accelerate the process of registration, and soon after, I was able to take the Australian Medical Council (AMC) exams in Australia. My lecturer, Dr LK Neoh was my referee during the early years of my career and job applications to Australia. Without the support of the above people, my dreams would have remained merely that. I owe them my deepest appreciation and gratitude for their help in progressing my career.

During the gap year as I waited for my housemanship placement, I began intense preparations for my AMC exams. With some luck, I passed my first AMC exam in Bangkok, and this took place by the time I was in my second posting in Melaka General Hospital.

My housemanship was full of rewarding challenges. Two years went by quickly when it was all about capitalizing on the knowledge that I had acquired in UTAR. My foundations were solid, thanks to the way the university lecturers had prepared us well. My work experiences further nurtured my love for medicine. Every day brought me new experiences – different people, different cases, different conditions. I enjoyed being part of a fast-paced clinical environment, where precision and professionalism were tempered with care and resilience.

After two years of the housemanship program, I worked as a medical officer in the emergency department and then transferred to a district hospital in Alor Gajah for a change of pace.

Applying for job opportunities in Australia commenced when I first joined my housemanship. It was disheartening to be knocked back for job after job. I applied to every state – calling and emailing all the hospitals I could find. I managed to save up some leave and money to fly into Queensland, travelling around the state to visit metro and regional hospitals, introducing myself. During the next visit, I went to Victoria, where my sister was located. Driving two or three hours to hospitals, introducing myself and leaving them my resume and details.

The rejection came often and painfully, and I had to keep persisting in hopes that my dreams would come true. I failed the AMC practical paper, and I was devastated. But I tried again, and studied harder. After the seemingly endless cycles of applying for jobs and being rejected, I was finally offered an online interview.

And when my prospective employer offered me the position of senior medical resident officer in Frankston Hospital in Melbourne in December 2020, I cried. I wrapped up my role in Malaysia and made the shift a month later and have been working in the emergency department since then. I am now living in Frankston with my partner, and only 90 minutes away by car ride from my sister and her family.

My experience, education and training in Malaysia has been relevant and applicable and I’m learning more every day. It has been an amazing journey despite all the hard work. Every hour that I ever had to work – sometimes working 30 straight hours, having 100-hour work weeks – had all been worth it. None of which would have been achieved were it not for the support of my family, partner, university lecturers and my peers. Every day when I step into work, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be practising medicine and living my passion.

I still vividly remember the day I registered for the UTAR MBBS programme, which was the first step into my career. As a medical doctor, it is an uphill battle every day to see patients and to see people at their worst, but it is rewarding to know that I can make a difference.

The only advice I have to my juniors and those interested in medicine is to keep going at it with interest and passion. We just need to keep at our dreams with the right attitude and remind ourselves why we became doctors in the first place.

 

Marcia with her partner