International Medical University (IMU) Medical Student, Yong Zen Zuan, had the opportunity to attend the Asian Medical Students’ Conference (AMSC) in Singapore. He recalls fondly his experience of attending the conference. 
“After having gone through Asian Medical Students’ Conference (AMSC), I realised how much of the world has made me feel even smaller. Those few days have been both pleasant and mind boggling to the extend I was just speechless. It wasn’t just about the greater technological advancement in Singapore. I was already expecting the fact to be unwaveringly true, but it was the effort, planning and teamwork which filled me with amazement and awe. The structure of the conference was thoroughly well planned out, there were barely any form of hiccups along the way and I reaffirm to this standing point that it was that they really took the time to expect the unexpected and to have backup plans which really made the whole conference run really well. If I were to elaborate on that, it was that we were never late. We never had to experience any form of inefficiency shown by many different conferences I had gone through in the past and I believe that this key value is what really makes the conference a whole. 
The people throughout this whole conference that I have met and the experience that they have given me will always be engraved deep within my heart. Frankly speaking, I am an outgoing person. However, this group of comrades were the ones that really took my values out, and moulded them thoroughly throughout the entire conference. From my point of view, new friends will always give a fresher feeling, they tend to notice the good points in you first before progressing, and I have to admit that it is this quality which made me more enthusiastic in making new friends. We will always have some kind of respect towards newly made friends, always trying to weigh the pros and cons before stating an actual fact or disagreement. It is through this that I can see will really help those who are behind the closet most of the time to come out and feel different. Our shyness and pessimistic attitude will always be our downfall, as medical caregivers, I believe that in time, we will have to tune in into different situations, and that will help us bring out the confidence and strength we need to carry on with our daily routine. The above two are things which I would prefer to highlight as the qualities which should come within medical professions such as us, and we ought to learn the simple things as even an ant can teach us where true strength really lies. 
The conference highlighted mainly on geriatric medicine. To be honest, anyone would feel a bore as it really does not sound appealing in the eyes of many. But NUS students have really done a good job in making me realise that this sort of thinking is really wrong. Noticing how well organised Singapore’s healthcare is as I was a part of it for the few days really gave me a new burning desire to aid these people. The smiles on the elderly was really the fruit of this conference. Though many would seem to look at caring for elderlies a burden, I really think of it as more of a responsibility and respect towards those who have already sacrificed part of their life for the future of their grandchildren. I realised that life isn’t so simple after all, you may have all the clinics, doctors and technological advancement, but if the heart and mind-set does not change, it will really be the downfall of the healthcare. Singapore’s efforts to assist this is in fact remarkable. If only I was blessed with the opportunity of it, I would really love to stay on in Singapore and receive their information and never-ending ideas to improve and advance. 
This conference has not only given me valuable information, but a much purer heart called ‘love’. We seem to always forget the minor things in life, that in the end, obstacles will then find ways to always breaks us down. But if we have this sort of mentality, I believe, we as medical students currently will be given new light to grow and further on receive the motivation, to be the role model and the best caregiver there is in the world.”
