FRESH GRADUATES : HOW TO

APPLY FOR HOUSEMANSHIP

IN MALAYSIA?
Fellow comrades,
Graduating from overseas, I had zero clue as to how the housemanship application
process in Malaysia rolls. Local graduates would not lose too much sleep on this as
their respective institutions typically organise everything for them. They just need to
focus on dressing/suiting up appropriately and answering intelligently during the
interview.
How to apply for housemanship in Malaysia?
Huh? SPA, MMC, KKM? Who are they?
O.M.G., I think I forgot to sign & date the form!
Do I really need to get all my photocopied documents certified? Really?
I will definitely fail the interview. I have not been studying since SPM.
What is my starting pay?
Have the above-mentioned ever crossed your mind? If yes, congratulations, you are
on the right page! No? Read on anyway.
If you are a control freak much like me, the experience of completing and handing up
application forms to three different departments, without knowing whether the forms
are filled in correctly with the necessary documents attached to them, is unpleasant.
Being through this myself and making a few bad decisions that lead to some delay, I
would like to guide you through the entire application process so that you can stay
away from the mistakes that I had made.
The following flowchart summarises the thought processes and procedures that you
should process in your mind before continuing. Picturing the general process clearly
in your head prevents you from doing things in a counterproductive manner.
Deciding to or not to work as a house officer is equally crucial.

Flowchart of Housemanship Application

I hope I have not lost you. Next, lets focus on the reason why all of us need and
want to work SALARY.

STARTING PAY
According to this website, the basic pay for a UD41 Grade house officer is
RM2777.98. Adding that up with critical, housing and cost of living allowances, the
take home pay after EPF (if you are not on pension scheme) deduction is at the
region of RM4200 to RM4300. There is an adjustment to this net income depending
on where you work because being on-calls and working in East Malaysia will earn you
extra allowances.
Is this a good starting pay?
Now, this is a sensitive issue. Short answer, I dont know. It really depends on
individuals. The pay might not be enough for a few who are accustomed to spending
more than RM4000 a month on themselves, but it should be assuringly sufficient for
most, I hope.
If you feel that you are having difficulties to make ends meet each month, I can only
say this :
1.
2.

Keep a close eye on your cashflow and spending habits.

Stop skiving already! You are not supposed to have that much free time
to shop.

Personally, I think that this is a brilliant starting pay, despite the long hours pouring
into the so-called legalised slavery. Not many other industries pay fresh graduates
such high salary in the current age of employers market. Is it worth the money?
Again, its up to you. I do know that my peers who are working in the UK and
Singapore get paid better, and that the pay gap is even more astounding after
conversion to RM. However, dont forget that you have to spend at where you earn.
Unless, you plan to deny yourself of well-deserved rewards and siphon all your
money back to Malaysia. Apart from that, the taxation in the UK is high. If you dont
plan to migrate, retire and die there, you might not be able to reap the various
benefits and perks from the taxes that you have been religiously paying all those
years.
As a civil servant in Malaysia, it is hard for you to die from starvation nor will you
easily become wealthy. Lets pray for an inflation-adjusted pay rise for doctors in the
upcoming Budget allocation. My two cents? Be contented with what you get and
handle it with love & care like its your own baby.

SPA ONLINE

SPA is a department which is involved in recruiting new civil servants. You can apply
for a job online by filling in the SPA8i Form. Although the form is self-explanatory, do
skim through the manual before registering as a new user. Try not to make any
clerical errors when filling in this lengthy form. More importantly, key in the correct
IC number when registering to avoid complications. Certain details such as SPM
results are already in the system record, but theres no harm going through
everything again.
2 things to take note of when filling in the form :

Complete the extra-curricular activities section after checking that you

actually still possess the relevant certificates as proofs.

As trivial as this sounds, remember to complete the last step of the

application and submit the form. Otherwise, your application will not be
processed by SPA.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS (the boring section)

I find this the most labour-intensive part of the application other than the job
interview. All photocopied documents, especially for MMC, need to be certified as
true copies. This can be done by a government officer who works in administration
(ie. school principal, student affairs officer) or Commissioner of Oaths.

MMC
Apart from the Provisional Registration Form, you will need to fill in a Fitness to
Practise Declaration Form too. Click HERE to download.
Core documents needed are :
1.

2 passport sized photos

2.

1 certified copy of Basic Medical Degree

3.

1 certified copy of academic transcript encompassing the results of

whole training period

4.

1 certified copy of IC

5.

1 certified copy of birth certificate

6.

1 certified copy of SPM certificate

7.

RM20 processing fee by money/postal order payable to The Registrar

Medical Practitioner

In addition to the list above :

Local graduates the original Deans letter
Overseas graduates

If your name in the degree certificate is spelt differently from the IC, get
a Commissioner of Oaths to issue you with a letter verifying that you are
in fact the person as stated in the cert. For example, Tan Ching Chong is
known as Ching Chong Tan in the UK, a classic example of the confusion
created by first name and last name.

For graduates from Indian institutions 1 certified copy of Bonafide

Student and Rotating Internship.

For graduates from Indonesian institutions 1 certified copy of Sarjana

Kedokteran and Ijazah Kedokteran.
MMC is rigid & fussy about the completeness and accuracy of all supporting

documents. And, rightfully so. Therefore, it is imperative to get everything right the
first time.
More information about provisional registration can be obtained here.

KKM
Download this FORM and fill it in completely. You will need to attach a photograph
onto it. Also, keep your parents IC numbers handy because you need to fill in these
to complete the form.
Supporting documents needed are :
1.

1 certified copy of IC

2.

1 certified copy of SPM certificate

3.

1 certified copy of degree certificate

4.

1 certified copy of temporary registration certificate (from MMC)

5.

1 certified copy of marriage certificate if you are married (Well done!)

6.

1 certified copy of resignation letter for those who had previously

resigned from KKM

SPA
The documents (original and 1 photocopy) to bring during the interview are :
1.

IC

2.

Birth certificate

3.

SPM certificate

4.

Degree certificate

5.

Academic transcript encompassing the results of whole training period

6.

Temporary registration certificate (from MMC)

7.

Certificates to as evidence for your extra-curricular activities as stated

by you in the SPA online form (Only original certs)

In addition, bring along a resume with your nice photograph on it and prepare an
extra photograph for another form which you will fill in on the interview day.
For more information, visit this website.

Fine. How many photographs do I actually need? I am

camera shy hopeless at maths.
Well, 2+1+2 = 5. So, at least 5. Capiche?

COMMISSIONER OF OATHS
For the sake of efficacy, you might just solve most of your supporting document
problems with just one visit to the Commissioner of Oaths. He or she can certify all
your photocopied documents and make a letter to put an end to the first name, last
name issues for once and for all, at a fee of course. I get mine done free-of-charge
though. So, just ask around and get the best deal for students fresh graduates.

MMC
MMC stands for the Malaysian Medical Council. The council is involved in regulating
doctors licenses to practise.
I sent all my documents via registered mail to MMC. A calculated move, considering
that I live far away from Klang valley. Unfortunately, it was not the wisest decision
as I had to wait a few days for them to receive my mail, phone back to enquire about
it, wait a few days for the temporary registration certificate to be issued and wait a
couple more weeks for the certificate to arrive at my doorstep.
If you can just attend at the MMC office at Jalan Cenderasari with all your documents
and submit by hand, I heard they would issue you with the certificate on that day
itself or the day after. MMCs temporary registration certificate acts as a speed
limiting factor in your application process as you cannot go for the SPA interview
without it.
Their address can be found here.

KKM
Fuss-free. I sent this by registered mail, too, although it is more advisable to hand in
the form at the KKM office. This is not an urgent part of the application process
because you can do it before or after the interview. If you are falling asleep by now,
wake up! In the Borang Maklumat Diri, you can state your top 3 hospital
choicesfor housemanship from the list of hospitals given. Note that working in

Klang valley for housemanship means that it is mandatory for you to work outside of
Klang valley when your housemanship ends.

SPA INTERVIEW
After you have received your temporary registration certificate from MMC, ring up
SPA to schedule for an interview date. The SPA contact details can be found here.
Tips? Wear appropriately for the job interview. If you are not a blonde but with
blonde hair, its time to disguise it with a darker colour on that day. Here are some
fashion inspirations on culturally accepted professional-looking attires. Seriously,
dress right. The tales of applicants being failed in the interview, are few and far
between. Rumours are that, people usually fail on the basis of inappropriate attire
and attitude problems.
It is advisable to be at the interview place an hour before the 8.00am appointment
time because, ladies and gentleman, heavy traffic and finding a parking space can
be a pain. Dont forget to bring all necessary documents. I cant stress this
more. Also, bring a glue too. You will need to paste your own photo onto an SPA
form on that day itself.
Out of the plus-or-minus 120 applicants who went for the interview during my time,
none had failed the interview. So, you should have more faith in yourself and worry
less. The interview setting is like this : 2 interviewers with 5 applicants sitting in a
row; introduce yourself first; questions were then systematically thrown from one
end to the other & there is no helping each other out. In my opinion, the questions
asked were very interviewer- and time-dependent.
If you get a orthopaedic surgeon, be prepared to answer questions on fractures and
arthroplasty. On the other hand, if you get a medical doctor, he or she can ask you
anything thats related to medicine, which is everthing. Get ready to talk about
diabetes, leptospirosis, SLE3, dengue fever or malaria. Basically, anything which is
covered by medical textbooks under the hot tropical sun. Dont be freaked out
though. My advice? Focus on the general and common conditions in Malaysia. Even
if you have a mental and nervous breakdown during the questioning session,
chances are you would still pass with a positive and pleasant attitude.
That was interviewer-dependent. What do I mean by time-dependent then? Simple.
As time passes by and fatigue sets in, the examiners would spend less time grilling
the students and cut them some slack. However, you dont get to pick your number.
Even if you are the first to hand in the SPA form, you might still end up in the final
group. Get ready for a boring wait. Bring some snacks, iPad, iPod, books, magazines
or anything at all to keep you occupied for the long hours.
One of the interviewers is usually an officer from SPA. He or she would ask questions
regarding the current administration. For example :

Who is the Prime Minister? (Just kidding. But seriously, shoot yourself if
you dont know this.)

Who is the current Minister of Health? What does he specialise in?

Who is the current Health DG? What does he specialise in?

What is the KKM slogan and motto?

What are the KKM health campaigns that you have heard about?

What is 1 Malaysia?

What are the 6 National Key Results Areas (NKRA)?

Examples of touchy personal questions include :

Why do you want to be a doctor?

Where do you see yourself at 10 years from now?

Given a chance, how would you improve the healthcare system in

Malaysia?
Which hospital do you hope to get for housemanship?

Bottomline? Speak up and respond to the questions thoughtfully and politely.

OFFER LETTER/INDUCTION COURSE

Finding out the interview results is just a phone call away. Ring up the same SPA
numbers that you initially used to make an interview appointment. If you pass and
most likely you would, wait for the offer letter to arrive. Once you get the offer
letter, phone up KKM to enquire about the induction course. You will find out about
your posting on the last day of induction and start working the Monday after. Oh,
and by the way, I heard our pay starts on the first day of induction.

What do they say about all good things?

Argh, right. They always come to an end. :P Hope this is a useful guide on
housemanship application in Malaysia and I have not muddled you even more. Let
me know in the comments section should there be any mistakes or dead links. I wish
us a smooth housemanship training, but we all do know that it is going to be one hell
of a bumpy ride, dont we?
Set your sails ready guys! PEACE OUT.

D I S C L A I M E R : T H I S P O S T I S W R I T T E N T O C L A R I F Y T H E M A L AY S I A N
H O U S E M A N S H I P A P P L I C AT I O N P R O C E S S F O R T H E C O N V E N I E N C E O F

FUTURE HOUSEMEN.

R E A D T H I S AT Y O U R O W N R I S K ( B U T I A M S U R E

Y O U A L R E A DY H A D T O R E A C H H E R E ) .

T H E A U T H O R I S N O T I N A N Y W AY

H E L D R E S P O N S I B L E F O R Y O U R D I S S AT I S FA C T I O N , L O S S O F T I M E O R
D A M A G E TO P R O P E RT Y D U E T O T H E T I P S A ND A D V I C E G I V E N I N T H I S
A RT I C L E .

T H E A U T H O R S TA N D S T O B E C O R R E C T E D S H O U L D T H E R E B E

A N Y E R R O R S I N T H I S P O S T.

T H E AU T H O R A L S O A P O LO G I S E S ,

B E F O R E H A N D , T O A N Y PA R T Y / PA R T I E S W H O F E E L S / F E E L O F F E N D E D B Y
T H I S P O S T.