Medicamp 2007
Thursday, November 01, 2007
The Story (Collated By Ganesh Kudva)
It's a yearly ritual, a landmark on the annual NUS Medical school calendar, and most importantly, the traditional curtain raiser for the students of each incoming M1 (first-year medical students) batch. In this collage of articles, written by the director of the whole event, an Orientation Group Leader, and a first year medical student who participated in the camp, I hope that you will understand better the most meaningful of welcomes for the newest batch of doctors-to-be.
Imagine being able to live what you might only be able to watch on TV. Imagine being able to test your wits, build your confidence, have fun and yet, discover new friends. Such an experience would be a dream to many but certainly not to a plucky group of first year NUS medical students (M1s) and their Orientation Group Leaders (OGLs) (all of whom are 2 nd year medical students), proud “survivors” of Medicamp 2007. Crafted around various hit TV shows such as the Amazing Race and Survivor, Medicamp 2007 attracted a record high 180 M1s, and had a sole purpose, to induct the freshmen into the amazing world of the medical school.
The Director's Perspective (By Keefe Lai)
Medicamp 2007, themed ‘MedTV”, saw some 180 participants and 100 OGLs participate in a 4day3night fun-filled orientation camp at Aloha Changi. Much work lay in the preparation and final execution of the camp itself. Recruitment of OGLs started early in November. The response was overwhelming- almost half of the class of 2011 signed up, so much so that we had to politely turn away some. Committees were organized soon thereafter- Logistics, Games, Fright Night, Finance, Canvassing and Programs. The camp program was solidified slowly through countless EXCO meetings and phone calls, being finalized on the week before the camp itself. Most of the funding was obtained from 2 sources- parental sponsorship from the class of 2011, and camp fees. Finance was admirably detailed and accounted for by Khadijah. Logistics was tough to handle, given the amount of equipment and bags to be transported to Aloha Changi. Fright Night was an interesting program, being remodeled on the night itself to make it scarier (based on negative feedback from earlier groups of frightnighters). Games were conducted with enthusiasm and professionalism, a product of personal initiative and thorough briefings by Shawn, head of games. Weiting and I spent long hours and much energy ensuring that things ran as smoothly as we could make them, contacting OGL I/Cs, conducting briefings, making quick decisions and running around the camp.
We hope that the M1s would learn that in medicine, friendships are as important as studies. Without friends, medicine is dreary, lonely, and dull. We also hope that they learnt from the examples of their OGLs that great joy comes from serving others.
This year's camp was different in that it was held at Aloha Changi, which really was a blessing in disguise. We also stretched the camp to a complete 4 days, with more activities than the previous one. More campers signed up too.
We hope that the M1s would learn that in medicine, friendships are as important as studies. Without friends, medicine is dreary, lonely, and dull. We also hope that they learnt from the examples of their OGLs that great joy comes from serving others.
This year's camp was different in that it was held at Aloha Changi, which really was a blessing in disguise. We also stretched the camp to a complete 4 days, with more activities than the previous one. More campers signed up too.
An OGL's Perspective
As an OGL, I had the golden opportunity to interact with many of my juniors. Through a whirlwind of activities, my juniors quickly developed a sense of camaraderie and unity with people who had been total strangers just a few days before. Forfeits and light hearted events such as the juniors dunking the OGLs into the sea (in which I was the target four times) rapidly broke the ice between the seniors and juniors too.
The reality TV theme of the camp was ever-present, especially in events where Orientation groups had to be “voted off” by their peers. There was a highly competitive Amazing Race event too, which certainly helped keep many of the campers on their toes.
To round it all off, a cooking competition was held in which each Orientation group had to prepare meals, the nature of which we had chosen some time back. My group, for example, went Japanese. We also included geisha and sumo performances, something that we certainly will not forget for a while.
The reality TV theme of the camp was ever-present, especially in events where Orientation groups had to be “voted off” by their peers. There was a highly competitive Amazing Race event too, which certainly helped keep many of the campers on their toes.
To round it all off, a cooking competition was held in which each Orientation group had to prepare meals, the nature of which we had chosen some time back. My group, for example, went Japanese. We also included geisha and sumo performances, something that we certainly will not forget for a while.
Like many other OGLs, my initial fear, that the juniors would not be able to bond effectively, was eventually allayed. I sincerely hope that the degree of camaraderie displayed in the camp will continue strong in my junior batch. It is only then that the memory of Medicamp 2007 will truly live on.
A Freshman's Perspective (By Wee Liang Yi)
Anyone who was at Changi Beach from 16 th - 19th July would have found the usually tranquil seaside punctuated by bouts of enthusiastic cheering and ecstatic laughter…
Welcome to “MedTV”, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine's (YLLSOM) orientation camp for this year's incoming students. 250-odd Year Ones and Twos, divided into 12 Orientation Groups (OGs) were gathered at Aloha Changi Resort for 4 days of sun, sand and sea. Thanks to the organizers, there was a wide variety of activities awaiting the unsuspecting freshmen. For the horror buffs, there was the “haunted house” the Year Twos set up in a chalet, complete with a tour of the supposedly haunted old Changi Hospital beforehand. For the “Iron Chef” wannabes, there was a cooking competition with different themes for every OG, ranging from Malay to Mediterranean. For the Machiavellian, the theme of the camp, based on the famous reality TV show “Survivor” ensured lots of turns and twists as each OG tried frantically not to be voted out. And, of course, who could forget the devilishly innovative orientation games, involving a whole array of substances such as teriyaki sauce, seawater and biscuits?
Truly, it was a camp to be remembered, not just for the programme, but more so for the firm bonds of friendship forged between the Year Ones, and between the Year Ones and Twos – so much so that some of my friends joked that they experienced “withdrawal symptoms” afterwards! Indeed, at the start of the camp, our group of freshmen hardly knew each other at all, preferring to remain in cliques of two or three based on the schools they had attended. After the camp, all of us felt much closer to one another, knowing that we all had found new friends that we could count on throughout our course of study, and even in our working life ahead.
