Just before that, I had interned at Faith Clinic Toa Payoh with Dr Jeremy Tan, an alumnus of NUS Medicine. Having also explored many other possibilities such as careers with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), I was at a crossroads when Dr Tan shared his experiences as a medical student and then a physician. He reminded me of the tough journey ahead, but at the same time, also enlightened me on how fulfilling it could be.
In learning to become doctors, we are taught to care. While clinical knowledge comes with the medical degree, it is compassion that makes a doctor a true healer.
That realisation came home powerfully to me when I was helped into my white coat. The fabric was light, but I knew it was an emblem of the heavy responsibilities that my classmates and I were going to learn to shoulder from that day on.
