Medical Education and Accreditation (3)

 Hi all....bear with me to go for this topic again ka....last one laew ka.

Several things I think I should share further are:

1. Statistics about foreign medical doctors amazed me as I never knew it before. The US has 215,630 foreign doctors with a 17% share. Saudi Arabia's foreign medical doctors stand at 68,017 with 73% share of them to the local ones. UAE with its fewer numbers of population has 22.216 foreign doctors and is considered the world's highest share at 91%.

If it were Thailand, what would we want to point out specifically?  This could be one important question to ask and discuss plus to seek ways to ensure that we do have enough quality physicians in our country with reasonable workloads and environments for retention ka. Medical schools and our Government have a role to take this matter into their considerations as well.

2. What I presented on how our medical circle has grown strong all through these years and the keyword is 'leadership' ka. When I was asked to help give a presentation about the Consortium of Thai Medical Schools (COTMES), I discussed it with both Ajarn Mor+ Avudh (former SG) and Ajarn Mor+ Nantana  (current SG). It was so clear that leadership in our eastern way and principles of higher education management (autonomy and freedom) have been invaluable. 

The healthy existence of COTMES is due to the trust the med schools have had in it as SG's come in to support and enhance the quality of the schools as needed while retaining harmonious relationships among all. Another aspect that COTMES has done is that it's not only kept up with both the external and internal forces, but also optimized its brain trust (e.g. National Conference on Medical Education) with strategic policies proposed to both the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Technology and Innovation, and the Medical Council to adopt them and bear impacts to the medical community and beyond.

I did notice one thing from this WFME World Conference that not so loudly nor often did leadership mention. Perhaps more studies should be done on this topic for the community to grow even more productively and beneficially.

End of my sharing from this conference ka!

Medical Education and Accreditation (2)

 It's me again to share a little more what I got from  WFME World Conference 2025  ka.

1. On the theme of 'Educating the Physicians of the Future', a Medical Futurist, Bertalan Maesko, pointed out 5 aspects to be prepared into the future, comprising patient design with proactive involvement of them, new communication skills/methods with patients, 'trust enough' in the use of AI with its rise, prompt engineering to have enough ability to talk with the tools available, and learning to use digital technologies/smart applications.

2. On curriculum with the ethical use of AI, the Netherlands has come up with its guidelines for faculty and students.

Some examples for faculty are based on assessments on students' competencies so they can't use AI to solve assignments, human assessor on assignments is needed, if unauthorised use of AI is detected, it's considered 'fraud', communication about the purpose of assessment.

For students, I like it as they table out what's 'allowed' and 'not allowed' ka:'Ask Gen AI for an explanation but be aware of correctness or bias!', ask feedback on a text for improvement or use it to generate ideas, 'be transparent of using it (otherwise fraud)'.....focusing so much using AI as a tool to learn better, not to replace it ka. For the 'not allowed', the guidelines include something like, 'Do not ask GenAI to write your essay (integrity)', feeding (confidential) research data or personal data into GenAI, etc.

The guidelines set the understanding and actions straight from day 1 dee ka....sure needs a lot of mutual understanding and effective communication plus monitoring and evaluation na ka.

3. Education for life was a key issue presented by a UCLA professor...didn't jot his name down ka, sorry. He elaborated it as 'learning throughout life, learning to promote and restore healthy lives, and learning to live one's own life.' Two types of competencies are foundational  (theories, concepts, etc.) and integrative (more of soft skills like critical thinking and teamwork. Both are bridged by specialized competencies like knowledge, skill set for practices. I liked it when he stressed the importance of interprofessional education in addition to the links among health professionals to include  non-professional health workers and non-health professionals working in the health system. This definitely will promote understanding of a big picture and could also encourage DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging) ka...(the medical world uses EDI --Equity, Diversity, Inclusion). I'm glad his talk touched on leadership skills for transformative learning and more on face-to-face instruction.

4. Accreditation has its different approaches under the WFME framework.It's a good way to gain trust from the public yet some countries have too many medical schools to go through expensive charges and processes. So, it's voluntary....certainly with some issues and doubts.

Thailand is fortunate to establish IMEAc (Institute for Medical Education Accreditation). Having been accredited by WFME, it can take steps further to accredit our medical schools with much less cost and within our contexts too ka.

5. One slido question for you to answer ka: 'What do you consider the most important competency will be for a physician in 2050?' 

Top 3 were empathy, adaptability and resilience and communication ka.

Medical Education and Accreditation (1)

 Hello to all ka!

Earlier this week, I had a great opportunity to attend WFME World Conference 2025 to feel excited, curious and proud.

WFME is the World Federation of Medical Education which enhances the quality of medical education worldwide by promoting high scientific and ethical standards, developing global standards, recognizing accreditation agencies, and maintaining the World Directory of Medical Schools. 

In Thailand, IMEAc -- the Institute for Medical Education Accreditation -- has been accredited since 2018. This international recognition allows our medical graduates to pursue their studies anywhere in the world, including the US.

Why did I feel excited?

IMEAc co-hosted this world conference with WFME with over 900 participants from worldwide. I'm glad that 1/3 was Thai ka. 

Academically, it benefitted medical ajarns and healthcare professionals to learn from other countries/regions and expand their perspectives as well as to network for collaboration. Importantly, Thai medical schools could use it as a platform to share our ways of managing our medical education.

Economically, it definitely added positively to our economy from the hotels to tourist attractions, and other small businesses.

Why did I feel curious?

Having listened to speakers on the issues relating voices from a patient and from students, I'm more eager to know how their voices and actions could be taken up much further ka.

For a patient's voice, it was a young Thai scientist who shared her personal experience of being diagnosed during her doctoral studies with a kidney disease that would need to go through dialysis. Her story struck my heart how important it is for patients to have their rights, knowledge, and access to medical doctors/treatment, not only to speed up the overall processes, but also to let patients learn more how to care for themselves and  have an involvement to design their desired path.

This conference also recruited quite a number of student doctors as volunteers who did everything from giving presentations to packing conference bags. WFME gives a high priority to students to play an active role in medical education processes.

I talked with several student doctors and was very impressed by their spirit of volunteerism plus their learning from each conference they helped. It definitely has expanded their perspectives and cross-cultural understanding.....and gained more understanding about life and purposes.

Why did I feel proud?

When listening to what other countries think and do, I couldn't help but compare it with our current practices and future plans of our medical schools.It's hard to say out loud to others but I notice how far the Thai medical education has progressed to date....we stand on the top of the list without any doubt ka. 

I had a chance to help give a presentation on, ‘Bridging National and International Standards through Leadership’ to understand better about our Medical Education history to feel even more appreciative. The reflection shed light on how our leadership has shaped the community and so I wish we could have had more sessions to share our insight and strategies ka. 

One more email to share na ka.

Quantity over Quality?

Hello all. I have one little thing I got from LinkedIn May 16 that interests me ka. It's written by Daniel Pink about the 'Pottery Class Paradox', which he points out, '.... will change how you think about mastering any skill.'

Here's how the story goes ka.

A ceramics teacher split the class into two groups, Group A's goal is to make a single perfect pot by the end of the semester. and Group B is to make as many pots as possible — quality didn’t matter.

Can you guess what happens at the end of the semester?

All the most creative, beautiful, high-quality pots are from Group B.

The result tells him that Group A obsesses over perfection while Group B is learning by doing....making mistakes and improving fast.B doesn't overthink and so it can excel through practices ka.

Daniel Pink concludes by saying that if we want to get better at skills like writing, coding, etc., don't aim for 'perfect'. Simply do it over and over again....(the tougher part is to 'get started' na ka, I think.

This also leads me to what Adam Grant said in an interview with Stephen Bartlett ka. He said he was trying to excel in the sports he played when he was young. HIs coach told him he would never get to the perfect 10. That has unlocked his thinking and moved on with this mindset ka.

In Japanese culture, when it comes to pottery, they appreciate the work of the creators over imperfection....this too has been what I always have in mind to learn about another aspect of quality.

Quality is great but not always the case when it comes to skill sharpening na ka.

Reading it has changed how you think about mastering any skill mai ka?

Elderly issues?

Because of my age nae non...I've got to learn quite a bit from different sources about the elderly in various dimensions. Wish to share several that are still left in my mind ka.

1. It's said that there are some good aspects of being old since the elderly have had lots of experiences, tend to let go more easily, and still retain learning skills.

Agree mai ka?

Seriously, I feel in this era, having experiences doesn't always mean we can be that helpful to others, It's better for us to be more aware of our own selves and ways of life, including our preparations for the rest of our lives? About learning, I think earlier social attitudes shaped some people to think that older people can learn, yet very slowly with some feeling that there's no need to learn much after retirement. Thank goodness nowadays the thinking is quite different and when looking at learning as something fun, it sure brightens up elders' lives na ka.

There's one page of 'The Daily Stoic' by Ryan Holiday on, 'We can work any way.' It mentions Theodore Roosevelt after his surgery, confining him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. His response was 'All right! I can work that way too!' We as elders can say to ourselves similarly that even with our slowing down in this speedily changing world, we can learn that way too!

2. Elders survive better when they have life's goals, enabling them to wake up with eagerness and happiness.

I think of my late eldest brother who kept cheering his father-in-law when the mother-in-law just passed. My brother talked about the Olympic Games to be held in China (his father-in-law was very patriotic, immigrating from China!) Then, I didn't think much. but it was a good strategy to make him look forward to something he really liked ka.

Do you have any life's goals you want to share? I'm not so sure about mine but I guess I love to have some little things to do, to think, or listen to every day.

3. Family relationships have diluted as more elderly stay on their own especially Bangkokians and more hopefully are better prepared since their younger ones may build their own families or prefer living alone closer to their offices.

Our food culture at home is disappearing so is our fine sense of collectivism na ka. 

4. Our younger gens in the age of social media and with a sense of competitiveness could be worrying. Do you think so? 

My niece has a junior friend who strives to get an A in every subject they've taken. Everything has to be perfect to the point that she's been consulting with her psychiatrist regularly. Nothing is wrong with seeing a psychiatrist ka. I only wish that some wouldn't take perfection and competition far too seriously in almost all aspects of their lives.

Another thing is the increase in the numbers of younger kids suffering from depression since they know less how to make best use of their family relationships, and how to create/retain healthy ones.

because of my age nae non...I've got to learn quite a bit from different sources about the elderly in various dimensions. Wish to share several that are still left in my mind ka.

1. It's said that there are some good aspects of being old since the elderly have had lots of experiences, tend to let go more easily, and still retain learning skills.

Agree mai ka?

Seriously, I feel in this era, having experiences doesn't always mean we can be that helpful to others, It's better for us to be more aware of our own selves and ways of life, including our preparations for the rest of our lives? About learning, I think earlier social attitudes shaped some people to think that older people can learn, yet very slowly with some feeling that there's no need to learn much after retirement. Thank goodness nowadays the thinking is quite different and when looking at learning as something fun, it sure brightens up elders' lives na ka.

There's one page of 'The Daily Stoic' by Ryan Holiday on, 'We can work any way.' It mentions Theodore Roosevelt after his surgery, confining him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. His response was 'All right! I can work that way too!' We as elders can say to ourselves similarly that even with our slowing down in this speedily changing world, we can learn that way too!

2. Elders survive better when they have life's goals, enabling them to wake up with eagerness and happiness.

I think of my late eldest brother who kept cheering his father-in-law when the mother-in-law just passed. My brother talked about the Olympic Games to be held in China (his father-in-law was very patriotic, immigrating from China!) Then, I didn't think much. but it was a good strategy to make him look forward to something he really liked ka.

Do you have any life's goals you want to share? I'm not so sure about mine but I guess I love to have some little things to do, to think, or listen to every day.

3. Family relationships have diluted as more elderly stay on their own especially Bangkokians and more hopefully are better prepared since their younger ones may build their own families or prefer living alone closer to their offices.

Our food culture at home is disappearing so is our fine sense of collectivism na ka. 

4. Our younger gens in the age of social media and with a sense of competitiveness could be worrying. Do you think so? 

My niece has a junior friend who strives to get an A in every subject they've taken. Everything has to be perfect to the point that she's been consulting with her psychiatrist regularly. Nothing is wrong with seeing a psychiatrist ka. I only wish that some wouldn't take perfection and competition far too seriously in almost all aspects of their lives.

Another thing is the increase in the numbers of younger kids suffering from depression since they know less how to make best use of their family relationships, and how to create/retain healthy ones.

Any responses mai ka?

Cross cultural wedding and bonds

 Hello all! My life has been socially active with many rewarding returns to fill my heart with joy ka.

Some of you know that I participated  in ‘The Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program’, initiated by the Japanese Government.The friendship has grown and many of us have become our BFF ka.

Quite a few Japanese and Thai ship friends went to Hua Hin to attend our ship friend’s daughter’s wedding ....our ship niece:))!. It was so touching that I wish to share some of the joyful and teary moments ka.

- I really liked the whole ceremony ka.

The first ceremony was when the Thai bride and Japanese groom vowed to each other, sharing their feelings about their first date (which was so funny!), on each other's characters and styles, and about their life together into the future. When they said their vows, one emcee had to try hard to carry on his announcement task loei ka.

During the dinner, the parents of both sides as well as several invited guests to talk and offer wishes to the bride and groom. It was such a great storytelling time when little stories made us laugh and teary, feeling so happy with the newlyweds. All the speakers did it nicely to make us feel the stories were so very 'real' and precious.

The last part was very Japanese (I learned from my Japanese friend ka)....when the two read out messages they've written to the parents of both sides. Again, I was in tears...so touched by the love and caring shown. The bride and groom are the lucky children to be born to the two families who brought them up well and are very open with their decision to get married!

They had an excellent translator who was able to select the right words and tones, making the overall wishes even more meaningful and in fact, much of it was so funny too.

- The bride and groom were kind ka...they agreed for the Thai side to invite almost half of the Thai mom's friends (from ship to mom's basic and higher ed friends and beyond.) Well! For the ship group, we all have known the bride since she was in her mom's tummy and occasionally, she travels overseas with our group even without her mother going ka.

- I'm so proud of the Faculty of Arts, Chula for being able to produce quality graduates, majoring in Japanese who are highly capable of working comfortably in Japan, doing great translation jobs, etc

My Japanese friends' visit strengthened our bonds as we updated each other with many stories while a few revealed the long-kept secrets during the ship program. I myself also learned more what is available in nearby provinces, especially Lopburi.

Happy getaway kaaa!