‘We have had great feedback from students – many feel it was their best year at HKUMed.’ Professor Kendrick Shih Co The Enrichment Year (EY) is a rare chance for students to immerse themselves in their interests, gain knowledge, and grow both personally and professionally, before the demands of clinical training set in. Currently, all medical students spend their third year pursuing activities in one or more of three areas: service/ humanitarian work, research attachment, and intercalation (earning a second degree or credits from free electives in a different field). To date, over 1,500 students have participated in the EY, with nearly 600 earning a second degree (including 59 with an MRes[Med]), while successfully completing over 270 service/ humanitarian projects and 470 research attachment projects across more than 45 countries and regions. The variety of their experiences has ranged from publishing research in The Lancet, earning an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and earning a certificate in cinematography from the New York Film Academy, to doing service work with Ukrainian war refugees in Poland, to give a small sample. Professor Kendrick Shih Co, Assistant Dean (Student Wellness & Engagement), who oversees the EY programme, said the experience gives students advantages in securing top jobs. ‘We are seeing our students want to make the best use of the year and equip themselves with skills and qualifications that go beyond what they can get in a medical degree programme,’ said Professor Shih. ‘In the Master’s degrees, for instance, they often interact with people who are more mature and experienced. This is a great learning experience for our students, who also gain skills that will be helpful in their careers.’ The Faculty offers guidance and support to help all students make the best of the year. New partners and modalities are also being added to keep pace with modern life, such as the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom which will offer a number of master’s degree programmes to our MBBS students in EY2026/27, and the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks where students will have the opportunity to work with several different companies to understand the nature of startups and innovation. ‘We have had great feedback from students – many feel it was their best year at HKUMed. New students are getting excited, too, and a lot of them are asking us how they can plan for the EY from their first year,’ Professor Shih added. Eye-opening Enrichment FEATURE 6
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