[2] She began her medical studies at the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in 1936.
Classes at the college were suspended during World War II, and so Salma returned to Malaysia in 1941 to work as a trainee doctor at Alor Setar General Hospital.
[2] After her graduation, Salma became a medical officer at Alor Setar General Hospital, where she remained the only woman in that position until 1960.
Salma returned from Dublin to Alor Setar, where she was appointed Royal Midwife to Sultanah Bahiyah.
[2] She left Alor Setar for Kuala Lumpur in 1960 and served as the medical officer in charge of Tanglin Hospital until 1967, when she opened a private practice.