“In 2012, a friend lost her life in a devastating road accident. I was at the scene but didn’t know how to help her. She later died of severe injuries at the hospital. That heart-wrenching moment made me decide to work in the medical and healthcare field. So, I pursued the Diploma for Medical Assistants, graduated in 2016, and became an Assistant Medical Officer (AMO).”
Tragedy apart, the profession itself held an allure for Hafiz. “It is both interesting and challenging. AMOs are often out in the field, especially in providing pre-hospital care.
“Sometimes, we need to fight tooth and nail to save the lives of accident victims. We are their lifeline, stabilising them at the scene until we can get them to a hospital.”
However, despite already having a job, the 28-year-old father of two from Perak went on to enrol in the Bachelor of Medical and Health Sciences with Honours (BMHS) programme at Open University Malaysia (OUM). Having begun classes in January 2020, he graduated at the university’s 27th Convocation last month.
He also passed with distinction, earning him a medal which he wore proudly at the convocation. Introduced by OUM this year, the medal was presented to about 700 of the approximately 5,000 graduates.
“Everyone who chooses to further their studies has their own answer to the big ‘Why?’ Mine was that my working environment made me want to learn more, so that I could do better. I genuinely believe that taking the BMHS was the best way to improve my knowledge, so that I could keep up with advancements in healthcare technology both in Malaysia and on a global scale.”
But why study at OUM? For Hafiz, it was a matter of convenience. “OUM offers part-time studies in a flexible, easily accessible, and user-friendly learning environment.
“All the classes are held online and recorded. So, if I missed out on a class, I could just watch it later. I didn’t even need a computer; I could watch it on my phone. This allowed me to study anytime, anywhere.”
He added, “I even got my studies shortened. While BMHS usually takes 4 years, I was able to use my diploma for credit transfer and finished in just 3 years.
“I believe that as AMOs, we need to answer the Malaysian Medical Assistants Board’s call to enhance our profession through education, as outlined in the Medical Assistants Professional Development Plan 2016-2023. By having more AMOs with degrees, we can make our profession more competitive, opening doors to brighter career prospects”.
“If you ask me, success doesn’t require exceptional talent. It can be achieved through effort, sacrifice, and solid faith.”
