MBBS are two professional degrees in medicine and surgery awarded as a single undergraduate degree by medical schools upon graduation. It consists of two phases which are pre-clinical and clinical training. MBBS in Malaysia is a very challenging but rewarding course, spanning 5 to 6 years, in which you will learn about diseases, contribute to the advancement of healthcare and save people’s lives.

A typical undergraduate degree in Medicine is 5 years long.

However, in order to become a fully registered medical practitioner in Malaysia, you must undergo further training to obtain experience as a house officer.

Known as “housemanship” in Malaysia, it is a two-year compulsory internship that combines service and training roles. This is to ensure that you gain the appropriate knowledge, skill, experience, and above all, the right attitude, in order to be a competent, caring and compassionate medical professional.

Upon completing your housemanship, you will be a qualified medical officer (MO). After that, most medical officers will work for several years, before going into an area of specialisation, such as anaesthesiology, orthopaedics and gynaecology. In order to be a registered specialist, you will need to take another 4-5 years of postgraduate study plus 2-4 years supervised training as a specialist.

To summarise, it generally takes a total of 7 years to be a fully registered doctor, and more than 10 years to become a specialist.

The Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (better known as MBBS) is an undergraduate degree awarded by medical schools that follow the UK standard of education. It is a gruelling 5 year course that teaches how to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases. It takes 8 to 9 years to become a fully qualified doctor. The MBBS program is a highly competitve program that demands excellence in Biology and Chemistry.

Students will acquire medical knowledge as well as hands-on experience in dealing with patients and gain clinical exposure. This prepares

Fields of Medicine

Medicine is multidisciplinary and covers a wide range of fields. Students must know all the fields, but will be allowed to later specialise in one particular field. The following is an inexhaustive list of exampless:

MBBS in Malaysia usually takes 5 to 6 years of undergraduate studies plus a 2 year housemanship.

The MBBS is divided into two phases: Pre-Clinical and Clinical Training. The Pre-Clinical phase is the first 2.5 years and can done overseas as part of a twinning program in Ireland, UK, Australia, Indonesia, and India. The Clinical Training takes 2.5 years and must be done in Malaysia at an accredited institute. Upon graduation, students are awarded the Dr. title.

The mandatory 2 years housemanship must be at a Ministry of Health (MOH) and MMC (Malaysian Medical Council) approved hospital. Thus the total years to become a fully practicing doctor is 8 years. Any doctor wishing to become specialists will then have to further study and research for another 1 to 4 years.

What will you study in MBBS in Malaysia?

Pre-Clinical – Academic years when medical students are taught about the fundamentals of medical sciences, theories and basic clinical skills.

• Biochemistry
• Anatomy
• Pharmacology
• Pathology
• Microbiology & Genetics
• Hematology & Immunology
• Ethics & Behavior

Clinical Training – Students are put through clinical rotations where they will be trained in various departments in selected hospitals by the Ministry of Health (MOH). They will experience all clinical disciplines required to become a medical doctor (see Fields of Medicine). This phase will prepare students for their 2-year housemanship at selected hospitals. It will also give them insights on the different fields of specialization for them to choose later in their career.

What Will You Study in a Medical Degree?

Most medical programmes include patient contact, coursework in patient handling, and clinical rotations in general fields.

A medical degree is at least 5 years long, and is generally divided into 2 parts.

Part 1, which is about 2 years, relates to pre-clinical training that is set in an academic environment. It involves the learning of basic medical sciences, such as anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, pathology and pharmacology.

Part 2, which is comprised of the remaining years of your degree, relates to clinical training. You will undertake clinical training at teaching hospitals or clinical schools, rotating in various clinical disciplines such as general medicine, surgery, paediatrics and internal medicine.

When choosing a university for your degree in Medicine, you must ensure that your degree is recognised by the Malaysian Medical Council. Otherwise, you may risk not being able to practise medicine in Malaysia!