Medical students learn more about marine life and themselves

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A MARINE conservation programme left students with more than just new found knowledge on conserving underwater life but also self-development and friendship.

For more than 10 weeks, 12 first year Monash University medical students, including some from Australia, Sri Lanka and Singapore, learned about diving, marine conservation and interpersonal skills.

Counting hard: Students swimming along the marker.

According to Monash University Sunway senior lecturer and clinical psychologist Paul Jambunathan, the programme allowed students to think out of the box and it was unique for medical students to undergo such an activity during their course.

“Students had the opportunity to learn to live a different lifestyle. For the students to stay at the village, it allowed them to have a sense of being part of the community

“This is unique in Monash and in line with the university’s commitment to engaging the community,” he said.

He added that there was lots of interpersonal development as well and the students have became closer to each other.

The programme began with 10-hour sessions in class on diving followed by water sessions and countless briefings before they actually went under the sea.

Close encounter: Swimming amid the coral reefs was a beautiful experience for the future doctors

During the training, students practised buoyancy in order not to step on the reefs.

They also simulated emergency situations such as being out of air to prepare them to tackle such incidents if it arose.

Jambunathan, a PADI-certified diver, said it was important for the students to learn not to step on coral reefs.

“We hope they can become passionate divers

“They are also taught to be constantly mindful of what is around them and the impact caused,” he said.

At Tioman, Reef Check was among the activities carried out. It is a coral reef monitoring programme which surveys coral reefs and collects data on their health.

Through such activities, students learned about marine conservation and the current state of the underwater life.

For team leader Dion Koh, 24, reading or watching programmes about marine life was not as significant as seeing it up close.

“It was different from flipping through the National Geographic magazine.”

He added that the “buddy” system that was employed during diving for safety purposes also helps them in their course.

“With everyone working together in a team, it is good for team-building and it makes you a better team player.

“This helps in our patient-centred learning (PCL) where we work in a medical team,” he said.

Cleaning up the mess: Students cleaning up the beach

For Low Zhi Mei, 19, she had learned more about the underwater biodiversity through the trip.

“It’s not just the reefs, everything is inter-connected. For example, deforestation will also have an impact on the marine life,” she said.

Sri Lankan student Sisith Ariyaratne never had the chance to dive even though he lives near a beach back in his country.

“I don’t think we’d have a chance to do this (if not for this programme).

“It’s like a whole new world. It’s actually soothing underwater, it’s almost like meditation,” he said.

The students also took part in a beach cleanup and by the end of the day, they ended up with bagfuls of rubbish that marred the beach’s beauty.

Among the rubbish they picked up were cigarette butts, food containers, and plastic bags that will endanger the wildlife

It was evident that the experience had an impact on the students, and a positive one at that. Their faces lit up as they spoke reminiscently of their experience at the island.

It’s no wonder that they are already planning their next trip to Tioman.