8-9 day summer medical exchange for teens 15-18 at Parkway Shanghai & HK/Singapore hospitals. Hands-on with MAKO, suturing, CPR, AI imaging. No prior experience needed.
Tags:- Shanghai
- Medical Summer Program
- High School Career Exploration
- Hands-On Medical Training
- International Exchange
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In recent years, however, as career planning begins at an increasingly early age, more families have started looking for opportunities that allow young people to step into real-world professional environments, explore their interests through hands-on experience, and begin planning for the future.
This summer, Parkway Shanghai held two sessions of the Summer Medical Exchange Program, drawing on IHH Healthcare's international medical network across Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and beyond.
The program welcomed high school students aged 15 to 18 from countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Singapore, Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
Following two international medical exploration routes—Shanghai to Hong Kong and Shanghai to Singapore—the students spent eight to nine days immersed in real healthcare environments, embarking on a journey of learning and personal growth that extended far beyond the classroom.
A Hospital Can Also Be a Classroom Without Walls
A synthetic limb skeleton, a digital surgical planning system, and a MAKO robotic system.
During an orthopedic training session at Parkway Shanghai Hospital, more than a dozen high school students from different countries and regions gathered around the robot and closely observed as the instructor demonstrated the surgical process.
As the robotic arm precisely followed the preoperative plan to complete bone resections, many students saw for the first time how artificial intelligence and robotic technology have become integral parts of modern surgery.
Under professional supervision, the students then used synthetic bone models to experience preoperative planning and the simulated bone-resection process, gaining firsthand insight into how the MAKO system helps surgeons perform more precise and personalized joint replacement procedures.
"I used to think robotic surgery was something very far from our everyday lives," said Liu, a Chinese student whose name has been changed.
"After experiencing it by myself, I realized that the robot actually does not replace the surgeon.
"Instead, it helps the surgeon perform the procedure with greater precision and safety."
In addition to the MAKO session, students learned basic clinical skills, including surgical suturing, ultrasound examination, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
They were also introduced to emerging technologies such as AI-assisted medical imaging.
With each course without textbooks, students were truly engaging with medical knowledge in real practical environments.
From holding a needle driver and completing their first suture to practicing CPR on a manikin and visiting different hospital departments to speak with doctors, nursing teams, and hospital administrators, each "classroom without walls" brought medical knowledge out of textbooks and into the real world.
Students practice using the MAKO robotic system and synthetic bone models under professional guidance
"We hope to give students more than medical knowledge—we want to provide them with an authentic healthcare experience," said Dr. Wan Lijun, General Manager of Parkway Shanghai Hospital.
"When students enter a hospital, speak directly with healthcare professionals, observe how a hospital operates, and even experience advanced medical equipment firsthand, they gain a much more complete and realistic understanding of what a career in medicine truly involves."
Discovering More Possibilities Across Different Healthcare Systems
Cross-regional learning was one of the most distinctive features of the program.
At Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong, students explored emerging medical technologies and clinical practices, including the development of histotripsy, a non-invasive technology for cancer treatment.
They also visited departments such as radiology, pharmacy, and the emergency department.
Through presentations by doctors and case-based discussions, students learned how innovations such as artificial intelligence and precision medicine are being applied in clinical practice and contributing to the continued advancement of modern healthcare.
They also spoke directly with clinicians to better understand the diagnostic and treatment approaches behind these medical technologies, as well as the importance of physician-patient communication in clinical practice.
Histotripsy equipment demonstrates the simulated non-invasive treatment of cancer cells
In Singapore, students visited Gleneagles Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Hospital, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, and Parkway East Hospital.
Their learning experiences ranged from the practical application of AI in hospitals to visits focusing on laparoscopic surgery, sleep medicine, diagnostic imaging, and proton therapy.
Through hospital tours and discussions with clinical specialists and management teams, students gained insight into the positioning, specialty strengths, and operating models of different hospitals.
They also developed a clearer understanding of how different healthcare systems use multidisciplinary collaboration, digital management and patient-centered service models to provide continuous, efficient, and high-quality care.
Seventeen-year-old Singaporean student Darrel returned to Gleneagles Hospital, where he had been born, and reunited with the obstetrician who had welcomed him into the world.
The reunion, more than a decade later, helped him understand for the first time the responsibility and compassion at the heart of medicine.
"My parents have told me stories about the day I was born ever since I was young.
"This time, I finally stood in the place where that story began and met the doctor who helped bring me into the world.
"It made me realize that medicine is not only about treating illness and saving lives—it is also a profession that accompanies people through some of the most important moments of their lives."
Alongside their professional learning, students from different countries and regions shared perspectives on their respective healthcare systems, medical education models, and cultural backgrounds.
Through cross-cultural exchange and collaboration, they broadened their international outlook, turning the program into a learning journey that connected different countries, cultures, and healthcare systems.
From 'Enjoying the Summer' to 'Exploring a Career': Career Awareness Is Beginning Earlier
In recent years, career awareness among young people has continued to grow.
More families now hope that students can enter real professional environments, learn about different careers through firsthand experience, explore their interests, and build a stronger foundation for future academic and career choices.
"My child has always said that she wants to study medicine overseas, but as parents, we were not sure whether it was only a temporary interest or something that genuinely suited her," said a parent from Shanghai.
"Rather than simply telling her how demanding a medical career can be, we felt it would be better for her to enter a hospital and see for herself what the work is really like."
Ms. Chloe Li, CEO of Clinic Operations at Parkway Shanghai, explained that the Summer Medical Exchange Program was not designed to teach medical knowledge ahead of time.
Instead, it used real healthcare environments to help students learn about medicine and healthcare, encourage reflection through practical experience, and explore more possibilities for their future careers.
"Future healthcare professionals will need more than professional knowledge. They will also need an international outlook, interdisciplinary thinking, and human-centered values," Ms. Li said.
"By drawing on IHH Healthcare's international medical network across Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and beyond, we hope to help more young people broaden their perspectives and reflect on their futures through real healthcare experiences.
"We also hope to nurture a new generation of healthcare professionals with a global outlook."
Medicine is not only a science, but also a responsibility and a calling.
The Summer Medical Exchange Program is an international medical education initiative developed by Parkway Shanghai through IHH Healthcare's cross-border network.
By integrating high-quality healthcare resources across Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, the program brings together clinical exposure, international exchange, career exploration, and cross-cultural learning, providing young people with a platform to connect with the real world of healthcare.
Looking ahead, Parkway Shanghai will continue to leverage the strengths of its international medical network to develop more medical education programs that combine global perspectives, hands-on experience, and career inspiration.
The goal is to give more young people the opportunity to enter real healthcare environments, experience the value of medicine through practice, broaden their international outlook through exchange, and explore possible directions for their future.
This summer, they stepped inside international hospitals.
In the future, we hope they will carry their passion for medicine into a much wider world.
Parkway Shanghai will continue to use its international healthcare resources as a bridge, supporting more young people as they embark on their own journeys of medical exploration.
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