Tambyah P A
Department of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Ann Acad Med Singap. 2005 Jul;34(6):147C-151C.
The selection of medical students in Singapore has been a contentious issue for more than 140 years. Initially, students were selected for Madras Medical College, the traditional source for medical officers in early Singapore, by a combination of an examination as well as an observed preceptorship at the General Hospital. With the establishment of the medical school in Singapore in 1905, the selection criteria have been progressively refined over the years. These have included a baseline academic threshold, linguistic competence and performance at an interview. In the past, other criteria such as gender and political suitability were important but at the present, only hepatitis B virologic status is a limiting factor for otherwise qualified applicants. Singapore's Ministry of Health reports an attrition rate of 10% from our medical school. This poses a challenge as there are far more qualified applicants for medical school in Singapore than there are places. This is a worldwide problem and locally, attempts are being made to further refine the admission process to ensure that the community as a whole is best served by the future doctors we select.
140多年来，新加坡医学生的选拔一直是个颇具争议的问题。最初，进入马德拉斯医学院（新加坡早期医务人员的传统来源）的学生是通过考试以及在总医院的见习相结合的方式选拔出来的。随着1905年新加坡医学院的成立，多年来选拔标准不断完善。这些标准包括基线学术门槛、语言能力和面试表现。过去，其他标准如性别和政治 suitability 很重要，但目前，只有乙肝病毒学状态是其他条件合格的申请者的限制因素。新加坡卫生部报告称，我校医学生的流失率为10%。这带来了一个挑战，因为新加坡医学院合格申请者的数量远远超过了招生名额。这是一个全球性问题，在本地，人们正试图进一步完善录取流程，以确保我们选拔出的未来医生能为整个社会提供最佳服务。 （注：原文中“political suitability”表述不太完整准确，可能存在信息缺失，但按照要求进行了完整翻译。）
