Take Five with SingHealth Residency AY2022/2023 Valedictorian

I was pleasantly surprised because SingHealth is a huge institution with truly exceptional people, and my cohort      is no different. Exiting from residency training is not the end of training and learning, but it's a significant          milestone nonetheless. I was therefore honoured to be the chief celebrator of this milestone for my colleagues.

I can't choose between studying hard or smart, because both are important. Instead, I just tell myself to do my best. We study so as to be competent, and also to pass exams which then open more doors for us to apply our competencies. However, in both the practice of medicine and in exams, the result is often not fully within our control, so there's nothing to regret if we have tried our best, even if the result may be disappointing. But in resolving to do my best, I have to really hold myself to it. Since I'm a human being with limited time and resources, doing my best requires commitment and sacrifice. There are many things in life that seem appealing, but are not actually useful to our endeavours, and yet consume our time and resources. Hence, it's important for me to be honest with myself in discernment, and remove unhelpful distractions.

I don't count my study hours, so I don't know how to answer that question. Often, I study a certain topic ad hoc because I have an immediate need to know it in order to treat a patient that has come under my care. However, when I take study leave, I like to go to a place without distractions and I can study for the entire day with breaks only for meals.

There are many things that drive me, but I think the most important one in residency is passion for medicine.

Our common purpose in medicine excites me greatly. Years ago, I applied to join medicine because I want to help people, and I enjoy academia, which is the pursuit of truth. Medicine marries both of these. Now that I find myself as a doctor, I see medicine as a God-given vocation, alongside my other vocations, as a father and a husband, for instance. So it excites me greatly that I am in a position to apply my knowledge and skills for the benefit of others, and that does not refer to patients alone, but also my fellow healthcare colleagues, whom I hope to be of service to as well.

In addition, the subject matter itself, particularly in my chosen field of Neurology, is also very exciting to me. One of the most gratifying things for me is to apply knowledge gleaned from books and articles, and see it actualise in the exact manner or pattern it was described.