Life at SUMC

Where is SUMC?

SUMC is in Shantou, a city on the eastern coast of Guangdong Province, China and on the verge of the China South Sea, 215 miles from Hong Kong and 207 miles from Gaoxiong of Taiwan. Shantou is one of the original five Special Economic Zones in China. The city is a well-known home place of origin for many overseas Chinese and has its own unique cuisine, culture and dialect. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the northern part of the city. Temperatures range from 25°C to 35°C in the summer and from 5°C to 15°C in the winter. The population of the city proper currently stands at about 5.5 million.

Along with its surrounding cities of Jieyang and Chaozhou, Shantou is part of the Chaoshan region. The population of Chaoshan has been best known for its rich history, unique language, love for family and countrymen, and a common spirit of open-mindedness, hard work and entrepreneurship.

Campuses and Facilities

SUMC currently has two campuses: one is the original medical campus located at the center of the city, and the other one is shared with the main campus of the university in the northeastern suburb, 6 miles from the heart of downtown Shantou. Students spend their first two years on the main campus and the rest on the medical campus or hospitals. There are regular school buses running between the campuses.

Supported by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, a new Medical Education Center of SUMC has been completed and put into use in 2016. The new SUMC, life sciences-centered and fully multidisciplinary by integrating valuable resources, is a unique and innovative learning environment that will unite Man with Nature and be conducive to nurturing creativity among students and staff.

Library Services

Both STU and SUMC have libraries and the two libraries offer a wide range of services, recourses and facilities designed to enhance self-directed learning, group collaboration and academic success. The libraries, well-equipped with wireless networks, have set up library web portals that provide digital library services and management. The library portals allow access to a variety of digital resources and services, e.g. databases, online journals, audio-visual materials, new book notices, and interlibrary loans. The libraries have established partnerships with domestic and international institutions whereby our students, faculty and staff can acquire the articles, books or other information that are not available online or in the library collection. In addition, our affiliated hospitals have three libraries and several reading rooms.

Fitness Facilities

The main campus houses a series of athletic facilities with a total area of 36,200 square meters including 28 table tennis tables, 17 badminton courts, 14 basketball courts, six tennis courts, three volleyball courts, three fitness rooms, two swimming pools, one gymnastics room, one staking rink and one football field. The newly built sport and entertainment park, designed by the renowned architect David Manica, covers an area of 52,000 square meters and boasts a multi-use arena, a natatorium with a competitive Olympic swimming pool, sport and fitness training facilities, a flexible grand conference hall, a 200 room boutique hotel, and an underground carpark. The green roof garden incorporates a series of raised landscape beds, turf areas, and both paved and aggregate walking zones.

Computer Networking and Information Services

In addition to providing basic network services, SUMC gives priority to applying advanced internet technologies in teaching, scientific research and administration.

SUMC has set up over 30 themed websites for teaching and learning. In particular, the Clinical Skills Center web portal, because of its rich resources, is very popular among our students.

SUMC has also established various network application systems to provide network services for teaching and self-directed learning, including the online course evaluations, online grade reports, online USMLE tests, online self-study tests, interactive English learning network, interactive digital microscopy learning system and mental health testing system.

Student Activities

SUMC encourages students to form their own organizations and to participate in various campus activities and community services, providing facilities, equipment and financial supports.

The student organizations consist of the Student Union, an autonomous organization responsible for defending students’ interests and providing a variety of services to their fellow students, and over 30 student associations and clubs. They are active in organizing various extra-curricular activities for their fellow students, which makes our campus life more vigorous and energetic.

SUMC sees the value of engaging student into cultural activities, thus sponsoring The Campus Art and Culture Festival and The English Science and Technology Festival every year. The Campus Art and Culture Festival consists of competitions (dancing, singing, event hosting, calligraphy, painting, photography, dorm interior design, and skits), concerts, and talent shows while The English Science and Technology Festival includes science paper presentations and competitions (multimedia courseware, speech and plays) in English.

SUMC encourages students to participate in various field medical practice activities and volunteer medical services. The three charity programs, i.e. The National Hospice Program, Medical Aid for the Poor Program and Rainbow Project, initiated and supported by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, have gained a wide appreciation in local communities. Participation in community service provides our students with an opportunity to apply academic learning to real human needs and to enhance their social awareness and understanding of medical ethics.
The Student Medical Ethics and Morals Promotion Team has conducted these promotional activities on a long term basis. Students go to the countryside providing the community medical services in nursing homes and children’s homes and conducting educational programs on environmental protection and blood donation.

The Clinical Skills Association is very active with members eager to learn and master clinical skills. Students are supervised to serve in the schools and communities, teaching emergency rescue, first aid and CPR skills and applying the knowledge they have learned in the practice. These activities have shown positive impacts on the society.