Amidst the everyday hustle and bustle of clinical
work, back-to-back case presentations, chasing
research deadlines, and so on, the two days spent at
the recent NHG (National Healthcare Group) Chief
Residents Induction Programme felt like a breath
of fresh air I didn't even realise I needed. It was an
unexpected 'break' that broadened views, challenged
existing ideas, and even allowed us to glean insights
into our personal and professional selves.
We were kept on the edge of our seats as our guest
speaker, Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin of The Thought Collective,
shared her social enterprise’s aim to build up the
social and emotional capital of our nation through
programmes that facilitate cross-sector conversations.
Training in our respective specialities, it is easy
to get lost in the maze of medical minutiae, so it was
a pertinent reminder of how our roles in healthcare
fit into the overall objective of achieving a common
societal good. This involves building trust at multiple
levels – the head, heart, and gut.
My technical expertise as a specialist is a basic
expectation that my patients should have of me,
but above and beyond that, genuine sincerity and
concern for each and every patient is the glue that our
healthcare system should be built on.
A mainstay of this annual programme was the
opportunity to attempt the MBTI (Myers–Briggs Type
Indicator) personality test. Having previously had a
go at it as a 14-year-old in secondary school, it was
interesting to see how some of my core personality
traits remained quintessentially Vanessa... and also
how other traits had evolved with time and, I'd like
to think, maturity. What was perhaps even more
interesting was the exercise that followed - working on
several tasks in groups divided based on the various
personality categories and seeing the descriptors in
the MBTI booklet come to life.
I very much appreciated the emphasis on first
understanding ourselves well, to be able to work
well with others of other personalities and conflictmanagement
styles.
We then wrapped up the two days learning about
useful negotiation strategies to engage with others
within a team and advance meaningful agendas for
our patients.
Overall, this programme has been a timely
recalibration exercise, with the chance to pause and
evaluate our personal growth and professional journey
thus far. It has also provided a macro perspective of
how our everyday work contributes to the overall
healthcare landscape, reminding us of the original
reasons why we chose to do medicine.
| Dr Vanessa Lim Ziying is a graduate of the NHG Internal Medicine Residency Programme, and current Deputy Chief Resident of the NHG Dermatology Senior Residency programme. |
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