January 2024 tragedy

I have been longing to pursue Medical Education.

The most important requirement to apply for a Clinical Lecturer post is to have Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) Full Registration and Annual Practising Certificate (APC). The Person's Specification for the post also mentions about postgraduate qualifications (such as MRCP), but it's unclear whether that's an essential criterion or merely a desirable criterion.

After I successfully completed my 5th posting of House Officer training on 6 September 2023, I began applying for MMC Full Registration. After a long wait, I was granted MMC Full Registration on 7 November 2023. I then applied for my APC immediately.

I was granted my APC for 2024 on 22 November 2023. I then began writing my curriculum vitae (CV) to apply for a Clinical Lecturer post. However, on the following week, I fell sick after getting infected with Covid-19 for the first time. Therefore, I delayed my application.

On 30 November 2023, I sent an email to enquire if I am eligible to apply for the Clinical Lecturer post without a postgraduate qualification. On 4 December 2023, I received a reply which stated that they had informed the Human Resources department for further action and consideration. I formally submitted my application on 5 December 2023.

On 13 December 2023, I received an email saying that the shortlisting process would last until late January 2024 and I would only be informed of the outcome by then. On 14 December 2023, I was informed by close sources that I almost certainly would get a place due to lack of manpower.

On 6 January 2024, I successfully completed my House Officer training and began working as a Medical Officer. On 9 January 2024, I sent an email to enquire about the status of my application, but I never got any reply.

On 17 January 2024, I gave them a call. Much to my disappointment, I was told that my application for the Clinical Lecturer post was unsuccessful, as it requires a postgraduate qualification which I didn't have.

That meant I had no choice but to continue working as a Medical Officer in the meantime. Later, I found that even if my application had been successful, I still would have to complete my compulsory service with the Ministry of Health before I could leave to pursue Medical Education.

I will try my best to get MRCP(UK) Part 1 and Part 2 done in the near future. After completing my compulsory service with the Ministry of Health, I will apply for a Clinical Lecturer post again.