Careers in healthcare, which is for you?
The healthcare sector is among the largest and fastest growing sectors in Singapore. To no one’s surprise, they employ a myriad of skilled healthcare professionals — the more well known ones being doctors and nurses who are now at the frontline of fighting against the pandemic. This article will explore the lesser known career paths in the medical sector — allied health professionals, also known as AHPs.
AHPs play a crucial role in Singapore’s world-class healthcare system. Through extensive research, I explored the unique and diverse scopes of the following allied health disciplines — diagnostic radiography, speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy.
If you’re curious about these sectors but find medical jargon a little confusing, here’s a list of what they do on a daily basis, complete with personal narratives from professionals in the field.
DIAGNOSTIC RADIOGRAPHY
Diagnostic radiographers manage the technology, such as sophisticated imaging equipment to produce, display, handle, transmit and archive radiographic images. In layman terms, these radiographers look beyond the skin, into the body, similar to how airport staff use machines to look into the contents of your bag before you board the plane. This helps healthcare teams identify the patient’s problem and treat it with accuracy and efficiency.
Meet Joey Tan, a Diagnostic Radiographer at National University Hospital. As a Radiographer, she finds it to be a great honour to be at the frontline of disease diagnosis and be able to spot and identify problems, much like a detective would at a crime scene.
Ever since she was a student, Joey had her eyes set on being a Radiographer as it is a versatile occupation required in many areas. With such transcendable skills, it also gives her the opportunity to perform a range of radiographic examinations under different settings alongside other healthcare professionals. With this goal in mind, she discovered the MOH Holdings (MOHH) Healthcare Scholarships, and knew that the scholarship would propel her towards a career in radiography.
One of the opportunities that Joey had under the MOHH Healthcare Scholarships was to pursue her education in Melbourne, Australia.
“I enjoyed a very unique and fulfilling student life experience. Not only did I manage to forge lasting friendships and create fond memories, but I also experienced first-hand what it was like living independently, such as having to pay for bills and doing house chores.”
On top of that, she was also granted the opportunity to go on an internship at MOHH and a mission trip to Cambodia.
“I was offered an internship in MOHH to understand how the back-end processes work to support the ministry. I also had the chance to go for an overseas mission trip to Phnom Penh, where we provided basic healthcare support to the less fortunate. Beyond these experiences, the scholarship also enabled me to get to know and work alongside other scholars with a similar passion and interest in healthcare.”
Moving forward, Joey is looking forward to her career as a Diagnostic Radiographer, and advises students considering a career in healthcare to embrace the challenges along the way.
Joey’s full story and more information about Diagnostic Radiography can be found here.
MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK
While we all have a rough idea of what being a medical social worker entails (e.g. providing caregiving advice, financial counselling, etc.), there is much more that goes on behind the scenes.
Medical Social Workers are involved in working with medical, nursing, allied health professionals and the patient’s family to develop and implement a post-discharge care plan that ensures a smooth recovery for the patient. This is usually done through linking patients and their caregivers to the community resources available to help them navigate the road to recovery. One could envision them to be lighthouses at sea, guiding ships on paths that bring them back home.
A shining example is Pradnya, who is an aspiring Medical Social Worker and an MOHH scholar. She chose to pursue a career in medical social work after she attended a career talk in her Junior College (JC) days which piqued her interest in the field. After her A-Levels, she shadowed a Medical Social Worker in Alexandra Hospital.
“I was really inspired by how she interacted with her patients and her passion for medical social work, and that’s when I decided to be a Medical Social Worker.”
Initially, she was afraid of applying for the scholarship, as she did not receive a perfect A-Level score. But with her family’s support, she managed to push through and landed herself an MOHH Scholarship.
However, not everyone was supportive of her career, with doubts like “You need a degree to do social work? I thought it’s just volunteering?” and “Medical Social Workers make very little money.”
In response to these comments, Pradyna actually shared that Medical Social Workers do much more.
“Medical social workers lend patient’s a listening ear, assess their needs, and connect them to the relevant agencies so that they get the support they need.”, emphasising that they need the relevant qualifications, if not, they won’t be able to help their patients effectively.
Pradyna also shared that the starting pay has been increasing, but there is something much more valuable than salary motivating her.
“The sense of satisfaction we get is something money cannot buy.”
Pradyna’s full story and more information on Medical Social Work can be found here.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Next up is Occupational Therapy, also known as OT. Prior to writing this article, I had no clue about what OTs were or what they did. I had the false notion that they helped to ease pain in people with physically demanding occupations.
However, I was proven wrong. In actuality, OTs develop treatment programmes that help patients relearn basic skills which may have been affected by physical, cognitive or psychosocial problems.
Using everyday activities in a purposeful and therapeutic manner, through things like games to hone motor skills, occupational therapists help patients live more independently and perform their roles and tasks in daily living.
Png Hui Jun, an OT working at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, has worked with children, babies and teenagers ranging in age from 0–16.
She shared that her career in OT began after JC, when she was looking for a career option that could help people. But her journey in OT truly began when she was awarded the MOHH scholarship and got into the university of her choice.
“I enjoy the dynamic nature of the acute setting. It can be challenging at times with the daily crunch, but at the same time I enjoy learning, and I think it’s a great opportunity to experience every day.”
Hui Jun assesses a patient’s functioning level, on whether they are able to perform self care skills, or day to day activities. This is done through talking to caregivers, to see what they are currently able to do.
“I will analyse if this affects them in their daily activities, such as dressing, showering, toileting and feeding. I will carry out interventions to work on these targeted areas of difficulties through games, fine motor skills and table top activities.”
Finally, to ensure safe discharges, Hui Jun works closely with caregivers to ensure the best environment at home for the patient’s recovery.
“I may prescribe equipment, or work out their home set up so that it’s suitable for discharge back home. I will also teach caregivers and patient’s suitable activities to do at home to further work on recovery.”
From home to hospital, OTs walk the journey to recovery closely with the patient, to ensure that their recovery is safe and smooth-sailing. More information on Hui Jun and OT can be found here.
PHYSIOTHERAPY
The earliest memory I have of seeing a physiotherapist (PT) was on the big screen — in the iconic Grey’s Anatomy. The medical drama portrayed the PT, Jon, helping a girl with a prosthetic leg learn how to walk again after a speedboat-related freak accident forced her amputation (Season 6 Episode 2, if you’re curious).
Essentially, PTs help patients relieve their pain by improving their muscle strength, joint range and mobility. This is usually done through a variety of techniques such as therapeutic exercises such as chest therapy, or through electrophysical agents like ultrasonic therapy and electrical stimulation.
Matthew, who is a PT at Ng Teng Fong Hospital, gives us a rundown of what he does and what inspired him to pursue a career in physiotherapy.
At first, Matthew had no thoughts about becoming a PT However, it took a 180 degree turn when he shadowed a pharmacist and a medical doctor after graduating JC, deciding that he wanted to take on physiotherapy in the end. Awarded the Healthcare Merit Award from MOHH, Matthew pursued his degree in Australia, graduating with a first class honours degree in Physiotherapy from the University of Sydney.
Matthew has since progressed from a rookie PT to becoming a lead leader of Orthopaedics Surgery, where he leads a team of 7 PTs and two therapy assistants. His main challenge is to ensure that all his patients are adequately taken care of, and a large part of it has to do with ensuring his team is mentally and physically well.
“It’s all part of resource management,” he shared. Stating that it is done via prior planning, thinking constantly of the different factors that may affect their contingency plans.
However, Matthew’s responsibilities do not stop there. Aside from caring for the welfare of the team, he also spends time on patient care and managing operations, as well as conducting research with his colleagues.
Matthew shared that there are various career pathways for PTs to specialise in, via the Administrative, Clinical, Education or Research track. He goes into detail about which pathway is best suited for who here. (Under “Many Pathways and Opportunities”)
His parting words of advice were:
“The healthcare sector is one that is ever-evolving. There is not a day in the healthcare sector where I feel that I am not needed by my patients or the organisation. Each day presents a new challenge to step up to, or a new problem to solve.”
SPEECH THERAPY
When it comes to speech therapy, the first thing that may come to mind is helping people with language or speaking difficulties. However, speech therapists (STs) also help people who have trouble swallowing after injuries too. Brenda Soh, for instance, is an ST that always goes the extra mile.
Brenda shared that her first run-in with Speech Therapy was when her sister, who had Autism Spectrum Disorder received speech therapy when she was young. But it wasn’t until she was doing part-time work at a special school where she had the opportunity to observe up close what speech therapists did, that she chose to pursue speech therapy as a career.
One patient who stood out to Brenda was a man who had late-stage lung cancer who had never seen a speech therapist before.
“Unlike other patients who hated modified diets or fluids, he was happy to be prescribed thicker fluids because he appreciated the comfort of being able to swallow without choking on every sip,” Brenda shared.
Unfortunately, his condition rapidly declined and he eventually passed away. Brenda spoke extensively about her memories with him and his family, and how their appreciation of their work continues to fill her heart up to this day.
Lastly, Brenda’s advice to anyone who’s aspiring to be an ST is this:
“We will welcome you with open arms. If you are looking to work in a hospital setting, brave your heart as you may see and experience things that will push you out of your comfort zone. However, the fulfilment you receive at the end of the day will make everything worth it!”
More information on Brenda and Speech Therapy can be found here.
HOW DO I GO ABOUT PURSUING A CAREER IN HEALTHCARE?
If you are thinking about pursuing a career in one of these disciplines, do check out Healthcare Scholarships and the scholarships you are eligible for.
There are various local universities that provide health science courses, such as SIT, SUSS and NUS, and more information can be found on Healthcare Scholarships’ website and the SIT/SUSS/NUS’ websites.
Through our research, we found out that a holistic approach is taken when assessing your suitability for a scholarship, so don’t fret if you feel your academics aren’t up to par. MOHH looks at much more than just grades — they also look at your leadership skills and your passion for the healthcare sector. Evidence of a commitment to service like VIA hours and volunteering experiences are also taken into account.
So what are you waiting for? Apply for a healthcare scholarship and leave your mark on the world!
For more information on the academic pathways towards a healthcare career and healthcare scholarships, check out our first article here.
More information on the healthcare disciplines can be found here.
If you have further questions for us, simply post them (anonymously or otherwise) on our Padlet and we’ll liaise with our partners at MOH Holdings to answer them.
Photos in the article were used with permission from MOHH and obtained from the Healthcare Scholarships website and screengrabs from the YouTube channel.
