The Community Posting (CP) Programme is an integral part of the Universiti Malaya Medical Programme (UMMP), designed to provide medical students with practical field experience in community health. This eight-week programme is the result of a restructuring of the previous New Integrated Curriculum (NIC) and combines elements from the Community Residency Programme (CRP) and the Organisation and Management of Health Services (OMHS) into a unified community-focused curriculum. Through the CP programme, students gain hands-on experience with public health challenges, enabling them to develop critical skills in data collection, community assessment, and intervention planning.
Programme Structure
The CP programme is structured into three main phases:
- Preparation (Week 1): Students participate in preparatory lectures, case-based learning (CBL), and discussions with academic supervisors. This phase is designed to equip students with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for the fieldwork portion of the programme.
- Field Postings (Weeks 2-6): Students are posted to urban and sub-urban communities, where they work with District Health Offices (DHOs). Each student group is assigned a community to understand local health issues and healthcare access. They assess environmental health challenges, such as water supply, sanitation, and waste disposal. During this phase, students also visit significant public health sites.
- Debriefing and Presentation (Weeks 7-8): Upon returning to Universiti Malaya, students’ complete assignments, consolidate their findings, and prepare presentations that summarise their field experiences and data analysis.
Fieldwork Focus and Adaptation to Demographic Shifts
The CP programme was adapted to reflect changes in Malaysia’s population composition. When the CRP was originally introduced, 70% of Malaysia’s population lived in rural areas; today, the urban population has grown to 70%. As a result, the focus of the CP programme has shifted to address the health needs of urban and sub-urban underserved communities.
Course Learning Outcomes
Through the CP programme, students are expected to achieve the following outcomes:
- Understand disease prevention principles to enhance population health.
- Recognise the impact of family, community, and environment on health.
- Comprehend the roles and functions of healthcare entities within the community.
- Identify and analyse community health issues.
- Plan and implement appropriate public health interventions.
- Demonstrate effective communication and community engagement skills.
Lectures and Case-Based Learning
The programme includes targeted lectures and CBL sessions to provide students with essential knowledge in various public health areas. Key lecture topics include:
- Introduction to Community Posting and Project Planning
- Health care delivery and organisation in Malaysia
- Financial and human resource management at DHOs
- Environmental and occupational health
- Social and cultural health determinants
- Practical sessions on health data analysis
Case-based learning focuses on real-world issues like environmental health, occupational health, and maternal health, fostering critical thinking and practical problem-solving.
Summary
The UMMP CP programme is a comprehensive, immersive experience designed to train future medical professionals in community health. By merging theoretical knowledge with hands-on community engagement, students gain a deeper understanding of the multifaceted health challenges within Malaysia’s rural, urban, and sub-urban communities. The programme fosters the skills required to make meaningful contributions to public health through an understanding of healthcare systems, environmental factors, and effective communication strategies.
In-bound student mobility opportunity
The Community Posting programme offers a good opportunity for undergraduate medical and health science students for their elective programme. Interested students can get more information from the Universiti Malaya Student Mobility website.