NTU: LKCSoM
Get to know a little bit about what Medsku life is like at LKCMedicine.
What is the timetable of student at LKC like?
Medical years 1&2 (M1-2) are the pre-clinical years. These 2 years place a heavy focus on strengthening medical theory and core clinical sciences. M3-5 are the clinical years. Medical students are posted to various hospitals and medical facilities around Singapore so they can experience and strengthen speciality specific skills while also deepening their clinical theory during TBL lessons. Posting years involve different streams and each stream experiences a different order in which they are posted to the specialities. Hence, the timetable is highly variable. M1and M2s however, have a relatively more structured timetable. A typical week of a M1 student will look something like this:
Generally, a week has 2 TBL sessions and 1-2 practical and/or FCP sessions. However, there is great variability in our timetables every week! Some weeks may have only 2 school days while other weeks may be packed on all 5 days.
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The highlighted words are hyperlinked to videos that you can watch for a visual understanding of the lessons.
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The different lessons in LKC
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Team Based Learning (TBL): The main lesson of the week. A detailed walk-through of the TBL is in a section below.
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Foundation of Clinical Practice (FCP): It is split into 3 main branches. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations are largely based on what is taught during these sessions
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FCP Communication: In these sessions, we learn how to take history effectively, formulate a diagnosis and a management plan. Each session involves interacting with Simulated Patients (SPs/actors) by maintaining an effective clinical conversation with them. This conversation is then broken down by a clinical facilitator and is reviewed by our team and ourselves to understand how to improve our clinical communication skills. The SPs take on a variety of roles and characters to help students learn how to manage a variety of patients.
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FCP Procedures: These sessions are where we are taught specific skills relevant to tasks we may perform in the hospital in the future such as suturing, wound dressing, urinary catheterisation, IV insertion etc.
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FCP Methods: These sessions allow us to practice physical examination techniques on SPs. The physical examinations are relevant to the content block we are learning in TBLs, a cardiorespiratory physical examination, a musculoskeletal physical examination, a gastrointestinal examination etc.
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Anatomy Practical: Sessions held are relevant to the content block students are currently in. For example, if the students are in their gastrointestinal block, anatomy sessions will cover gross anatomy, histology, embryology and radiology of the GI system. LKC uses plastinated specimens, models and the Anatomage Table to aid our learning.
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Science Practical: These sessions take a more research based approach. We conduct experiments and collect data to learn more about a concept relevant to the content block that the student is currently in.
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Integrated Collaborative Core (ICC): This is a rather new inclusion into LKC's curriculum. ICC lessons are conducted weekly/fortnightly, and are where we learn about interdisciplinary concepts with NTU students from other courses.
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What is a typical Team Based Learning (TBL) session like?
The batch is split into 26-28 teams of 5-7 every year. You will attend lesson with your team throughout the year. A typical TBL session goes something like this:
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TBL prep
The lecture videos and slides for each TBL will be made available 2 weeks before the scheduled lesson. The number of videos that need to be viewed depends on the topic that will be discussed during the lessons. The total length of videos range from 2 hours to sometimes 6 hours worth of video content. Generally, however, there is sufficient time to prep and view the videos. Most weeks you will have 1-2 days of no scheduled lessons to prep for TBL and other lessons.
TLDR: TBL prep consists of watching the videos and reading any additional readings provided by the school. Many students also refer to textbooks such as Gray's Anatomy or watch YouTube for a more wholistic understanding of the content.
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Individual Readiness Assurance Test (IRAT)
IRAT starts exactly at 9am. IRAT is essentially a 25-30 MCQ ungraded (as of 2024) online test that everyone takes individually on LKC's learning management system. The purpose of IRAT is to test your learning and understanding of the content taught in the lecture videos. It is closed book and is done under exam conditions. There is no discussion between team members at this point. Everyone submits their individual answers and the correct answer is not revealed.
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Team Readiness Assurance Test (TRAT)
This is where your team answers the same set of questions together. A team leader is elected to select the MCQ options on behalf of your team. All team members can see what the other members of the team have answered for each question. This is the time to discuss within the team and come to a consensus on the answer to submit. The team leader submits the option and it is then revealed whether the option is correct. TRAT is arguably the most fun part because of how lively discussions can get. Teams can get particularly stumped sometimes because the correct answer can be an option none of the members chose. This section encourages team discussion and is also an opportunity for team members to clarify doubts and correct their understanding of the content.
If there are still doubts that remain unresolved, teams can submit burning questions to the content experts on the learning management system.
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Burning Questions
Burning questions from all the different teams are collated. The questions range from conceptual doubts students may have had from the video lectures or specific doubts pertaining to the IRAT answers. The content experts (CEs - a mix of consultants, professors and scientists who work in the field) for that TBL will address the questions raised and discuss the concepts with the whole batch. Sometimes, the CEs will provide additional resources or perspectives on the content.
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Application Excercise (AE)
For full day TBLs, teams have 1-2 hours to have their lunch and complete their AE questions. This section goes beyond what is taught in the TBL prep materials, encouraging us to refer to texts, research and other online resources. The questions in this section are more clinically relevant.
Many questions provide you with a clinical case, including presenting symptoms, lab test reports and investigation reports. It essentially trains you to think like a clinician by quizzing you on investigations, diagnosis and management plans. There are usually 2-3 cases and a total of 10-15 questions.
Similar to TRAT, teams will discuss and submit one answer together. It is open book and involves critical thinking. The questions are then flashed on the screen of the learning studio and the choice of answer made by each team is revealed. Each question will be gone through and the content experts will call on teams to explain the reasoning behind their choice. The correct answer is revealed, the content experts teach us on the correct order of deductive reasoning and we move onto the next question.
Overall, TBL sessions usually last around 6 hours. Although the timetable allocates 9-5 as the TBL time. On most days we end between 2-4pm. TBL can definitely be tiring but one comes to appreciate this unique way of teaching through the years.
What are the examinations like?
There are 2 main forms of examinations: OSCEs and Written Examinations
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All written examinations are in MCQ format in LKC.
For a M1 student, there are 2 major examinations in the academic year. A formative assessment (Forms) in December and a summative assessment (Summs) in June. Both these examinations are written examinations. Forms are not counted towards the student's grade at the end of the year. Summs is the only graded examination that determines whether the student passes Year 1 of medical school.
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For M1, there will be Forms in December and Summs in June. Both papers only consist of MCQs.
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In M2, the observed structured clinical examination (OSCE) component is introduced.
From M2 to M5, there is no Forms. But M2 students do have formative OSCEs (FOSCEs) in February.
Summs from M2 onwards consists of 4 days of OSCEs and 1 days of written (MCQ) papers. Over the years from M2 to M5, the weightage of OSCEs and written examinations gradually even out. By the time the student reaches M5, OSCEs and Written examinations will have an equal 50-50 weightage.
Through the year for M1 and M2,there will be assignments such as anatomy tests and science experimental reports that need to be submitted. They are marked but do not count towards the final grade.
Disclaimer: The information written above is from current medical students’ experiences. Due to possible curriculum changes, we cannot guarantee that all the information stated will hold true for future batches. Hence, we encourage you to participate in official tea sessions held by the medical schools to obtain more updated information!
What is the difference between the 2 LKC campuses - CSB and EMB?
LKC has 2 campuses - the Experimental Medicine Building (EMB) in NTU and the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) in Novena next to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
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In M1 and M2, lessons are split between EMB and CSB. Most TBLs happen at EMB.
From M3 onwards, most if not all campus teachings happen at CSB.
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Below are how lessons are split between the 2 campuses. LKC organises shuttle buses for students living on NTU campus for the days that they need to go to CSB for lessons.
CSB
Novena
TBL
Learning Studio
Occasionally, we do have TBLs in M1 and M2 at CSB in the learning studio. For M3 onwards, most if not all campus teachings happen at CSB.
FCP
Simulation Wards and Communication Suites
Clinical communication lessons happen in the communication suites. Clinical Methods also are conducted in the simulation wards and suites. Clinical procedures happen in the Skills lab at CSB.
Anatomy Practical
Anatomy Lab
All anatomy lessons happen at CSB. The TBL for anatomy lessons happen at EMB or CSB.
Recreational Activities
Level 8 and 20
Other than usual lessons, CSB is also a place where student groups and houses get toegther for other activties. Level 8 of CSB houses the student lounge, music room, house rooms, dance practice areas and the gym. Level 20 is where the school's medical library is located.
EMB
NTU
TBL
Learning Studio
Most TBLs in M1 and M2 at EMB in the learning studio.
Science Practical
Practical Lab
We have science practicals at the labs here every 2 months throughout M1 and M2, where we learn skills such as doing ultrasound scans.
How does campus housing work for LKCMed students?
LKCMedicine students are assured housing on campus at NTU. All M1 students who apply for housing are assigned housing to Crescent and Pioneer Halls of residences (CresPion). Most students remain at CresPion in M2 while some choose to explore other hall cultures in M2. Many take part in hall CCAs such as hall sports and cultural activities. Students rarely continue staying on campus past M3 because of the various hospitals they may be posted to during their clinical years.
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Although EMB is certainly walkable from CresPion, most students choose to take the internal NTU shuttle bus that conveniently picks them up from CresPion and drops them right outside EMB.
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LKC also organises shuttle buses for students staying on campus to pick them up and drop them off CSB on days that lessons at CSB are scheduled.
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To know more about hall life, visit the the halls' instagram pages below!
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I heard that there are curriculum changes from the batch of 2029 onwards. What is it going to be like?
For students matriculating in LKCSoM from 2024 and onwards, they will be having a refreshed curriculum. As you may also know, the joint partnership between LKCSoM and Imperial College London will be ending in 2028. As such, students enrolling in 2024 or later will be receiving a NTU degree instead of the joint degree. However, we have limited information on the specifics on the changes in curriculum and would advise you to keep up with new updates on the official LKCSoM website. You can also follow their other social media pages to keep yourself updated.
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Below are some key updates the school shared during the Open House and some outcomes they ae working towards:
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The new curriculum plans to retain the best elements of the old programme but would like to enhance the new programme by increasing emphasis on topics related to:
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Population health, occupational medicine, health promotion and preventive medicine
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Patient safety, cost-concious care and quality improvement
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Digital health, AI and precision medicine
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Research skills and its employment to enhance medicine, medical education and training
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Some of the things future students can look forward to include:
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Introduction of cadaveric dissection: To be introduced in Year 3 and 4 to correlate with surgical knowledge
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MBBS Research Day: To allow students to experience entire research journey
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Increased focus on transition management: Bootcamps and seminars to be organised to help with Year2 to Year 3 and Year 5 to clinical practice transtions
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Verical integration of medical humanities: To be implemented from Year 1 to 5 - believed to be the first of its kind in medical education
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Programmatic Assessment: Shifting towards a "Learning Progress Dashboard" and programmatic assessment for better feedback and self directed learning processes.
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