Diploma in Biomedical Sciences (R14)

Biomedical Sciences cover a wide range of subjects from molecules to microbes to medicine, from body systems to diagnostic sciences, and from human genome to health issues. The mastery of the Biomedical Sciences is associated with a passion for science, and the desire to contribute towards understanding fundamental processes through a relentless process of questioning. Students will be equipped with a firm grounding in the concepts and fundamentals of the biomedical sciences; an appreciation of the biomedical industry, its best practices and societal considerations,; and the entrepreneurial knowledge of how biomedical companies operate.

In this programme, students will be given a broad-based biomedical science education with options for specialisation in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory diagnostics or medical imaging. The programme prepares students to be competent in providing scientific support and research for medicine and other medical-related industries, such as the medical diagnostic and medical imaging laboratories.

Students would have opportunities for industrial attachments conducted locally and overseas during their course of study. These opportunities prepare students for real-life employment situations that would equip them with professional, interpersonal and collaborative skills.

A popular pathway for further education undertaken by students is the International Programme in Biomedical Sciences (IPBMS) or in Medical Imaging (IPMI). These International Programmes are the result of a collaborative effort between Republic Polytechnic and the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Australia. It offers polytechnic students in the field of biomedical sciences additional pathways to gain a degree in either Biomedical Sciences or Medical Imaging.

Students who qualify can enrol in the IPBMS or IPMI programmes. The IPBMS programme will allow students to gain entry into the final year of a Degree in Biomedical Sciences and the IPMI programme will allow them to gain direct entry into the third year of the four-year Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging degree programme at Monash University.

A highlight of this programme is that it opens pathways to a wide variety of careers and higher education options after graduation, including entry into nursing, life sciences, and other allied health related degree programmes.

Course Content

Biomedical Sciences

This involves the multi-disciplinary study of health and disease. You will learn about the biological and molecular sciences underpinning modern medicine. The approach allows you to develop an understanding of normal life processes and the nature of changes occurring in diseases.

To master the Biomedical Sciences, several attributes are key - among them is a passion for science, the desire to improve human lives and a relentless drive to persevere against uncertainty and the unknown.

This specialisation provides you with the flexibility of pursuing areas of study that pique your interest, while providing a solid foundation for further studies.

Besides reading for Monash University’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences, you can seek further education in Biomedical Sciences and other disciplines locally and at other universities overseas.

Medical technology

Powerful technologies are available to diagnose disease states. These are organised in specialised laboratories that support healthcare as well as clinical research. This specialisation option prepares you for a career as a medical technologist in these laboratories.

Possessing an enviable medical infrastructure and being a centre of excellence for medicine in Southeast Asia, Singapore conducts a sustainable volume of medical laboratory tests, hence the growing need for well-trained and competent medical technologists.

This specialisation option provides you with the opportunity to combine the study of biology and chemistry with the exploration of state-of-the-art diagnostic technology. You will find it rewarding to apply your understanding of science to solve real-life health problems in a medical laboratory setting.

Medical Imaging

The geographical position and the fact that extensive medical support infrastructure is available here, has made it possible for Singapore to rapidly position itself as a centre for medical treatment.

The country currently attracts around 200,000 patients from abroad every year and aims to increase this number to one million by 2012. This plan, together with increased demand from Singapore’s ageing population on the healthcare system, is expected to result in a heavy demand for manpower in the allied health domain. This includes the need for medical imaging specialists and medical diagnostic technology support.

This specialisation allows you to learn the processes and basic skills involved in medical imaging. You will be able to combine the study of human anatomy with the physics of radiation and apply what you know in the field of diagnostic medical imaging.

The option also provides you with the flexibility of pursuing further studies in the field of radiography at Monash University.

Career Prospects/Further Studies

Graduates can work in hospitals and laboratories as junior medical or laboratory technologists in research, diagnostics and therapeutics, and as biomedical sales and marketing executives. They can also work as laboratory technicians in biomedical and pharmaceutical research laboratories.

As the programme equips graduates with a broad biomedical science foundation, graduates can pursue further studies at universities, both here and abroad, in biomedical sciences and many other disciplines.