Issue 43 / August 2022
The Banyan Tree
Take 5: Q&A with Alexandra Hospital’s
Mr Xu Weiming
Mr Xu Weiming. Head of Relate, Integrate, Connect and Engage (RICE) Community Care, Alexandra Hospital
Q: What are your views on pursuing lifelong learning in healthcare?
Mr Xu: In the era of COVID-19, we can see that there’s so much that we actually know so little about; everything is continually changing. This really goes to show how important it is for healthcare professionals to be able to keep in touch with what’s happening so that we can continually improve ourselves.
Q: What are the challenges faced by healthcare professionals in continuing education?
Mr Xu: I think one of the biggest challenges faced today by healthcare professionals is that there’s really a vast amount of knowledge and information that’s being created. It is important for us when we are looking at continuing education and learning, to be able to find courses that are really relevant and current, so that we are better able to pick up what’s most useful for us within the short amount of time that we have.
“The knowledge that I gained through continuing education helped improve my knowledge and confidence in speaking with patients and people that I meet on the topic of healthcare.”
Q: What was a recent CET course that you took with NUS Medicine?
Mr Xu: My last CET course with NUS Medicine was the Basic Health Literacy Workshop. The course offered very relevant information related to what many of us were curious about, such as demystifying complementary alternative medicine, and better understanding its benefits and risks. I enjoyed my learning experience with NUS Medicine because the course content is comprehensive and very relevant to the current interests and narratives of health and healthcare in Singapore.
Q: How has this CET course supported your career development?
Mr Xu: The courses at NUS Medicine supported my professional development by providing me with the latest and most current information, including the trends and needs of people and patients today, as well as the areas of interest for healthcare professionals.
Q: What motivates and drives you to pursue continuing education in healthcare?
Mr Xu: The knowledge that I gained through continuing education helped improve my knowledge and confidence in speaking with patients and people that I meet on the topic of healthcare. For instance, it has helped me to be able to impart important, basic knowledge about taking care of themselves to the elderly.
Click here to view an excerpt of the interview with Mr Xu Weiming.
