Students undergo training in the simulation rooms of the Clinical Performance Center where they develop knowledge, skills and attitudes by interacting with actors playing the role of patients or computerized mannequins that reproduce real scenarios.

Being able to apply theoretical knowledge in a clinical environment at an early stage helps students better retain and reinforce what they learned early in their medical training.

“It’s quite a challenge for the first year, but it’s worth it for your second year when you can get into the wards and work with the patients.”

Ms. Higuchi enjoys the healthcare simulation training sessions and looks forward to going to class every day. “Group discussions allow us to exchange ideas with each other, using real human cases,” she says.

Moreover, these “human cases” – in reality, trained actors – never arrive with the classic definition of signs and symptoms that Ms. Higuchi and her colleagues are trained to look for. Some interrupt the trainees by taking long tangents; others with frantic or irritated outbursts.

“It’s up to us to understand and embrace all aspects of what makes a patient human and to think carefully about how best to help them,” she continues. “They constantly make us understand the importance of not only treating a condition or disease, but also treating a person holistically.”

And his discussions with his teammates are just as likely to take place on a zichar dine as they are within the four walls of a Duke-NUS seminar room. Outside of school hours, his teammates also eagerly showed him around Singapore.

Having classmates from diverse backgrounds like pharmacy, engineering and finance made learning interesting, says Ms. Higuchi, who is confident the friendships she forged at Duke-NUS will be lasting.

“I’m part of such an amazing community that I’m so grateful to have,” she says.

Applications for 2023 admission to Duke-NUS Medical School are now open. For more information visit https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/admissions/