Zan Ng Zhe Yan (Phase V medical student)
The CDAU was launched in 2006 to provide an avenue for civilians to volunteer with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Comprising six vocations including EMS, firefighting and rescue, and public education, CDAU officers complement the SCDF workforce by performing frontline duties alongside regular officers while donning the SCDF uniform. During my ambulance attachment as part of the Phase IV Emergency Medicine rotation, I immediately fell in love with the nature of frontline duties performed by the SCDF first-responders. The paramedic and medic whom I was attached to introduced me to CDAU and strongly encouraged me to volunteer with EMS and develop my interest for pre-hospital care further. I did just that, sans hesitation. In order to qualify as an auxiliary paramedic, I underwent a six-week training course alongside 28 others from all walks of life, picking up skills in pre-hospital care, which is not taught in medical school. Equipped with these skills and a passion to serve, I jumped right into volunteering at the fire station that I was deployed to for the required minimum of 16 hours per month.
Looking back, my journey in the CDAU has been challenging but fulfilling. Pre-hospital care is extremely different from hospital care which I have been trained by the medical school to provide, and I was initially excited at the chance to translate my passion in emergency care into a meaningful volunteering endeavour. Meaningful it was indeed, and I learnt more than what I could give. I witnessed firsthand how the maxim of “to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always” was exemplified by the paramedics in each case we attended to, and how small gestures make a huge difference in alleviating the suffering of patients. I got a rare glimpse into the myriad home environments of patients and gained a better understanding of what may precipitate their presentations – something I can only picture in my head while taking histories from patients in the ward. I also had the invaluable opportunity to make clinical assessments of undifferentiated patients at their most acute presentation, oftentimes without the luxury of access to past medical records.
However, it has not been an easy task juggling my CDAU duties with the rigors of the final year curriculum, for there is always the perennial problem of insufficient time. It was always a struggle to attend each training session after finishing a grueling day of Student Internship Program (SIP) in General Surgery, and to slot in half to full shifts between lectures on the weekends. During such trying moments when the struggle between studying for my MBBS and volunteering for CDAU shifts is made real, I try to strategise shifts right after lectures, and to maximise the lull time during shifts by bringing study materials to the fire station and discussing cases with my paramedic. Moreover, treating each patient encounter as a learning experience motivated me to think through differentials and revise the pre-hospital and hospital managements of each condition. Most importantly, keeping my reasons for joining the CDAU front and centre in my mind helped spur me on.
At the recently concluded Home Team Festival 2015, a biennale public showcase of the Home Team’s capabilities, I had the pleasure of meeting up with COL (Dr) Ng Yih Yng, Chief Medical Officer of the SCDF and Emergency Medicine consultant at the Singapore General Hospital. When asked what he would like to share with NUS Medicine students, he had the following to say, “As medical students, volunteering on SCDF ambulances can be a very fulfilling experience because it allows you to walk an additional mile in the footsteps of the patient. Medical emergencies can happen to anyone, at any time; it is a humbling and rewarding experience to enter someone’s home and be able to comfort and help them.” He also added that since most of the clinical training in medical school is ward-based with patients who are already in stable condition, “responding to actual incidents where patients are in their greatest need allows you to appreciate experientially what patients are talking about”. Moreover, the volunteer’s journey can extend beyond medical school, where “as doctors, you can work with us in your professional capacity to help teach paramedics or even develop new clinical protocols to improve patients’ lives.” As such, I would unreservedly encourage fellow medical students to consider volunteering with the CDAU, and seize a precious opportunity to serve the society, save lives, embark on a learning journey and improve one’s clinical skills and acumen all at once.
It is an immense privilege to be able to help others in their greatest times of need, and also a humbling experience when patients completely put their trust in us as first responders to render the best care possible. Each call has been a diagnostic challenge and learning opportunity thus far, and I really enjoyed learning from the paramedics, and teaching the paramedic trainees and medics I was on shift with. I believe that my experiences in the CDAU will shape me to become a better doctor, and hope that my medical training allows me to positively contribute to the pre-hospital care of the patients that I attend to. All in all, I am thankful for this opportunity, and look forward to serving society both as a doctor and as a volunteer with the CDAU in the many years to come.
- Emergencies are unprejudiced to age, race, religion and social status; they can strike anyone, anywhere, at the least expected moment. We should cherish every day with our loved ones, for the vicissitudes of life may make any moment anyone’s last.
- Healthcare professionals of today operate in a world where cameras and other recording devices are ubiquitous, and every move recorded may become medicolegal material. Instead of decrying this, we need to learn to adapt to operating in a world where this is a sine qua non, and deliver the best care we can.
- Regardless of a patient’s appearance or how poorly they treat you, try to look beyond that as you are seeing them at their worst, and aim to treat every patient as if they are your family member.
- Be a good listener; never brush aside a patient’s complaints as insignificant.
- Never stop asking yourself, “What else could this be?” Strive to be the best you can be, and review each patient encounter to evaluate if you could have provided care in a better manner.
For individuals who are interested to volunteer with the CDAU, do visit this website for more information: http://www.hometeamvolunteers.gov.sg/htvms/web/civildefenceauxiliaryunit-auxiliaryemergencyambulanceservices
CPL (V) Seah Pei Zhen (left), an NUS Medicine Phase I student who also volunteers at CDAU
CDAU (EMS) volunteers from the batch of 2015, the largest batch of volunteers to graduate from the course to date
Zan and COL (Dr) Ng Yih Yng, Chief Medical Officer of the Singapore Civil Defence Force