Blazing through Boston

By Zan Ng Zhe Yan (Phase V medical student)

As part of the Phase IV curriculum at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, three full months at the end of the academic year are designated for electives, where students get the chance to arrange and attend clinical postings that they are most passionate about-both locally and overseas. Personally, America has always been a dream destination for me, because the amalgamation of outstanding surgical and medical expertise, fertile grounds for cutting-edge research, pro-teaching environment, and abundance of leading physicians and surgeons in their respective fields promise an invigorating electives experience to all who venture there. Thanks to a longstanding partnership between NUS Medicine and Harvard Medical School, a total of fifteen students from my batch were given the coveted opportunity to participate in month-long clerkships at Harvard-affiliated hospitals across Boston.

I was offered the Emergency Care clerkship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where I was embedded in a team comprising a senior surgical resident, a junior surgical resident and myself, and worked on the Surgical Consult in the Emergency Room. The call schedule of 24-hour-on, 24-hour-off shifts was unforgiving, but the experience was definitely unparalleled. Under the supervision of the residents, I was given the responsibility to assess and evaluate surgical patients, perform procedures like suturing of lacerations, investigations like FAST scans, and assist in central line and IA line insertions, scrub in for surgeries for patients the team admitted, and present at handover rounds every morning. The variety of cases was titillating (including air transfers from neighboring states), the opportunity to learn alongside other final year students from Harvard stimulating, and the willingness of the residents to teach and mentor me is something that I will be forever grateful for.

Perhaps the most remarkable experience during this elective was the privilege to learn from world-renowned visiting experts who lectured in the famed Ether Dome, a National Historic Landmark where the first public demonstration of anesthesia by sulfuric ether was performed in 1846. Sitting in a theatre steeped with such history, amongst scores of leading healthcare professionals in the country and listening to pearls of wisdom, was awe-inspiring and humbling all at once. As time flew by, besides gleaning clinical insights from evaluating patients and didactic teachings, I also developed a better understanding of the intricacies of the American healthcare system in terms of healthcare financing and delivery of care.

The demanding clinical schedule notwithstanding, I had an amazing time exploring Boston on the weekdays and indulging in short weekend getaways with friends. Before the clerkship commenced, I crossed over to Cambridge to visit Harvard University, lost myself among the myriad exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts, embarked on the Boston Freedom Trail on a snowy day, savored the amazing lobster rolls and clam chowder at Quincy Market, and explored the Boston Common, Trinity Church, Chinatown, and Boston Public Library. My first free weekend was spent in Michigan attending the Hash Bash, driving for five hours to Niagara Falls, Ontario to see the famed Falls, and cruising through the derelict streets of Detroit. This was followed by a day trip to Portland, Maine to enjoy fresh lobsters and see the picturesque lighthouses and forts which it boasts. No trip to the States is complete without stopping by Washington D.C., where we visited the myriad monuments and memorials on the National Mall, and explored the many Smithsonian Museums. On free evenings between shifts, I went for concerts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, tried out delectable seafood and Italian cuisine in Boston’s North End, and watched the Boston Marathon 2015. My trip concluded with a four-day sojourn in New York City, where the bustling street life, musicals, fine dining, cherry blossom festivals, concerts at Carnegie Hall, a visit to the Statue of Liberty, and speed shopping at the outlet malls formed a memorable part of my stay in America.

All in all, this was a life-changing journey which broadened my worldview and changed my perspectives on many issues, including healthcare and beyond. Venturing out of one’s comfort zone and daring to take a plunge into the unknown (albeit with an open mind) is probably the first step to rediscovering oneself, and rediscovering one’s place in this world. I would unhesitatingly encourage fellow medical students to embark on similar journeys during the electives period, and perhaps emerge a little wiser, a tad more polished in clinical skills and knowledge, and hopefully more ready to serve as a doctor in the complex society we live in today.

Our three-person team at our work stations in the Emergency Department of the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. From left: Junior resident Yanik Bababekov, M.D., senior resident Zhi Ven Fong, M.D., and Zan Ng.