It's a Friday! I guess everyone would be rather excited on weekends than on Mondays. Nevertheless, here's the latest update on the Special Study Module. Sorry for the delay in update, but I do hope you guys and gals can at least spend a little bit more time to read this lengthy piece of information before you go on a sleepathon out of exhaustion vacation and take a break from studies.

For those who just wants a summary overview, click HERE.

1. Oral (Platform) and Poster Presentation
   Based on the overwhelming response from fellow medical students, it had been decided that we will be retaining the section for oral (platform) and poster presentation for our Annual 2nd Scientific Meeting as well. There will be 21 groups doing the oral platform presentation and 21 groups doing the poster presentation. Currently, there is a slight imbalance in the composition as there are a a bit more groups vying for the oral platform presentation.
   
   Therefore, a selection committee consisting of doctors will be the ones handpicking a few research titles from the groups who selected oral platform presentation for the poster presentation in accordance to suitability. No students will be involved in the selection committee to ensure that the SSM student committee do not play favoritism/ other students bearing grudge at the student committee a fair selection system.
   
   But no worries, there are a few groups yet to decide on it, and the chances are, only up to 5 groups would be transferred from the oral platform presentation list to the poster presentation list. That's only a 20% chance at most.
   
   
2. Research Abstract Content
   Sorry for the commotion regarding the abstract submission. There are a bit of changes upon the abstract requirement. Previously, we'd voted for an abtract without results and conclusion, but this time round, the results and conclusion is necessary for the abstract in accordance to international standards. In view of this, we'd decided to push back the submission deadline to allow more time for SSM groups to finalize the results. The deadline will be discussed in the next item. As of now, we have yet to get a hand on the abstract format, so we could not provide you with the format yet. Please be patient though, as we are really trying hard to get it. 
   
   
3. Research Abstract Submission Deadline
   The previous suggested submission deadline was 13th April 2010. Currently, the new submission deadline would pushed back to enable students to finalize the data and conclude the findings. Therefore, the new submission deadline is by 11.59pm, 12th May 2010. Any late submission upon thereafter would not be entertained.
   
   
4. Photos Please
   With this, I would again request for students to have a group photo with their supervisor, a formal one. Please also take some photos(better if there's videos) of yourself in "action" during SSM research. It can be funny or interesting, it's up to you. Please send in to kong1ming2-at-gmail-dot-com. Your co-operation would be appreciated.
   
   
5. Committee members recruitment.
   For each group, we would exclude 2 members for the presentation on that day itself. The others would be involved in this organizing committee. So if you have 6 in a group, 4 of you would be involved. For 5 in a group, there would be 3 members involved to help us out. We've the name list and selection is voluntary initially, and the rest would be divided into the respective field of work, namely:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Event & Management  (Program)
     Nurulhuda Bt Abdul Rahman
   • Public Relations & Protocol  (Perhubungan & Protokol)
     Kanit Tha A/P Deang 
   • Publicity & Multimedia (Publisiti & Multimedia)
     Wong Yee Ming 
   • Logistics & Technical (Teknikal & Pengangkutan)
     Syed Muhammad Bin Syed Ali 
   • Marketing (Pemasaran)
     Nur Ain Binti Mohamad 
   • Banquets & Souvenir (Jamuan & Cenderamata)
     Nur Adibah Binti Matsaruan 
   • Special Tasks  (Tugas-tugas Khas)
     Amirudin Bin Sanip
     
   Kindly contact the respective person in charge so we could know who's interested to help us out in that area of work.
   
   For multimedia and publicity(me), you can drop a message in my FB account or email me at kong1ming2-at-gmail-dot-com. Thanks! (P.S. Preferably people who would at least know how to handle Windows Media Player, Microsoft Word etc. :P )
   
   For any further enquiries/suggestions/feedback, please do drop a message in the chatbox on the right of this site, or you can email me at kong1ming2-at-gmail-dot-com or even drop a message in the SSM Facebook group.
   
   
   

Welcome! This is a newsletter from the SSM 2009/2010 committee which would be keeping you guys updated on the latest news as well. Of course, we do have our SSM Facebook group, but we are trying to reach out to everyone, including the public, on our progress towards the SSM 2nd Annual Scientific Meeting somewhere in May (Current proposal date is 25th May 2010). Bear in mind that it is not just us who would be gearing up for the meeting, but you guys as the participants as well. So, here's a few updates first, which would need your guys' help.

1. Oral or Poster
   
   
   
   • I'm sure everyone would be wondering if they should be doing oral or poster presentation. Fear not. The prizes are the same for both events. Poster presentation make use of the power of visual seduction presentation to attract the crowd. Well, a picture is worth a thousand words, right? So there's no need to worry over the format or how it works as there will be a briefing for everyone about the poster presentation, so everyone would have an idea of poster presentation before deciding between these two.
   • A small sample of survey done from the seniors last year did take note that pre-clinicals research are better off in poster presentation, so this is a consideration by itself.
     
   
   
2. Research Abtract Submission
   
   
   
   • As you see, the proposed deadline for abstract submission is on the 12th April 2009 2010. We do hope that all abstract would be compiled by then as we need to send them for printing. All the abstract would be published in a book for the eventful day itself. But of course, we'll need to proof read all the abstract and make some edits here and there and laugh at it, thus we need a much earlier submission.
   • Do understand that 13th April is around the 1st week of SSM period in year 5, so you'll need to prepare before the new semester starts. Do not panic if your results aren't out and there is no analysis done. Abstract is after all, a summary of your research topic, akin an introduction rather than a presentation of results. In short, results of your research is NOT a compulsory inclusion.
     
     
3. Format of Research Abstract.
   
   
   
   • Soon we would provide you with the format of the research abstract so that we could standardize it. This includes the manner which you place your names as the author of the research. Of course, do ask your supervisor for his opinion on how to put his/her name as most doctors have established "research names" which he/she would like to use, and had been using for all his/her researches all these while.
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4. Photos Included
   
   
   
   • We are trying to insert photos into the abstract page of each group. Therefore, remember to snap a photo of you guys with your supervisor. Make it a formal one, so it'll look proper in the abstract book.
   • And another matter, we would like to request for each group to submit the photos of them at work during SSM. Be it clinical labs holding test tubes or beakers, to community work and surveys. Make sure to wear proper attire and practise safety precautions. Last year, the audience managed to spot some hazardous handling of lead and venipuncture where no safety gloves were worn.
   • There should be preferably 5 photos from each group. Of course, the best photos would be included in the multimedia presentation! :P
   • P.S: Recording videos of yourself are welcomed as well.
   
   
   
5. Recruitment of Committee Members
   
   
   
   • Well, there's only 10 of us in the SSM student council aka organizing committee. Therefore, we would like to request for the goodwill of fellow students to aid us in this. With a bit of help from everyone, I'm sure this task won't be as burdensome to all of us and to ensure a smooth sailing event on that day. We have approximately 6 months to plan, so we ought to do better than the previous event, nay?
   • This being said, we hope that each SSM group would be able to commit all their members (everyone) 3 members to help us out. Don't worry, it won't interfere with the research task at hand as we try to keep the workload to bare minimal. The presenter of each SSM group can opt to be excluded from the task force so that they can concentrate for that special day itself.
   • This is still in the planning stage, but would be finalized soon in a week or two. So, you are advised to be patient and wait for further announcement.
   
   Well , there's so much more I would wish to update you guys, but nothing comes in mind for the moment. I will try to keep you guys updated as soon as I've got the time. So, stay tuned.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Special Study Module (SSM) is a compulsory medical research for the Medicine undergraduates in UKM. It is conducted concurrently through Year 4 and 5 as they go through clinical training in other medical fields, in hope to develop their research and interpersonal skills to produce all-rounded doctors who are well-versed in the research aspect as well. This research project is done in a group of 5-6 students under a supervising doctor who had research experience to guide them along the way. Each department of the hospital, would also be involve in overseeing the student's progress in the research project, which is usually of the department's expertise.

The group of students are given the opportunity to choose the type of research which they are interested in, ranging from pre-clinicals to clinical aspect of Medicine, while developing their skills in communication, critical thinking, information and data handling, as well as professional judgment.

Therefore, the importance of SSM is particularly emphasized such that it is has become a pre-requisite for the Final Professional Exam for the medical students in UKMMC.



GENERAL MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of the module, the students are expected to be able to:
1. Write a research proposal for submission to the faculty ethics committee.
2. Identify ethical elements and issues in research.
3. Organize and implement data collection.
4. Manage and analyse the data.
5. Present the findings in a scientific meeting.
6. Write a scientific report in the form of manuscript appropriate for submission to medical journals.
7. Demonstrate the ability to function within a group.

2nd SSM Annual Scientific Meeting Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center, Lot 1590, Jalan Yaacob Latif, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. The webmaster can be contacted at kong1ming2-at-gmail-dot-com