As a leader in the medical industry, SingHealth paves the road for aspiring healthcare professionals to serve and fulfill their dreams.
Care to Heal, Educate to Empower, and Innovate to Advance – these three tenets form the building blocks of Singapore Health Services’ (SingHealth) vision: Defining Tomorrow’s Medicine. They reflect SingHealth’s promise of providing high quality care for patients, nurturing a talented pool of healthcare professionals, and pursuing innovations that have the potential to transform the lives of its patients.
As Singapore’s largest group of healthcare institutions, SingHealth has a strong care network that transcends institutional boundaries, giving patients the right type of medical care when they need it. At its core are the staff that embody the organisation’s motto of putting patients at the centre of all they do.
Radiographer Ng Jiang Peng counts among the professionals who make up the SingHealth heartbeat. A recipient of the SingHealth Health Science Scholarship (HSS), the 28-year-old has been serving patients at Sengkang General Hospital for close to three years now. As a scholar, he has first-hand experience of SingHealth’s commitment to nurturing skilled and empathetic talent to carry the organisation and its intentions forward.
Ng Jiang Peng
SingHealth Health Science Scholarship
Radiographer (Sengkang General Hospital)
Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Radiography – SIT-TCD Joint Degree Programme
Growing New Talent
For Jiang Peng, the HSS allowed him to pursue his interest in Diagnostic Radiography. The role was interesting to him as it has a significant and direct impact on the patient’s diagnosis. Jiang Peng was also motivated to give back to society. “I want to help as many patients as I can to the best of my ability and impact their lives positively,” he shares.
Through this scholarship, he was able to further his studies and be exposed to various hospital systems around the world. Naming one such experience, Jiang Peng said, “I was offered the opportunity to travel to Dublin, Ireland, to witness and participate in the clinical work of their hospital setting. I was attached to various areas of the Radiology department where I learnt different imaging techniques and patient communication skills.”
The scholarship also gave Jiang Peng many options to develop himself closer to home. “I was given the opportunity to plan the roster for my department. This gave me a greater understanding of how the entire department functions as I became more mindful and aware of the daily operational needs and requirements of the hospital.”
“Through this scholarship, he was able to further his studies and be exposed to various hospital systems around the world.”Jiang Peng
Chances to grow at SingHealth are not restricted to the period of study. Jiang Peng elaborates, “With SingHealth, there are several paths that one can take. Juniors are given the opportunity to try many things before choosing their desired path. This can be in clinical, research or management, all of which require the skills and knowledge acquired from your time at SingHealth.”
The Heart To Serve
As a radiographer, Jiang Peng has encountered many patients who come for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or fluoroscopy scans. Sometimes, patients don’t fully know what these tests entail. While it can be difficult to simplify the technical aspects of these tests,
Jiang Peng always explains the procedure and reassures the patient with great care. “The extra time taken to explain the reason for these scans always helps to put them at ease,” Jiang Peng says. “Although the contact time we have with patients is limited, it is very fulfilling to see a patient who is afraid and unsure of what is going on, be assured and comforted that the scan is something they need.”
There’s a silent pride which Jiang Peng carries towards his role. Quite candidly, he shares,
To illustrate just how essential radiography is as part of the diagnosis process, Jiang Peng tells us about a recent case which left an impression on him. “In the emergency department, there was a patient whose finger was severed after an accident at work. In order to assess the level of damage and whether the finger was viable for attachment, we had to step in to take an x-ray of both the hand and the severed digit.” Thankfully, the x-ray showed that the patient’s finger could be reattached, and doctors proceeded to do so successfully.
The spirit of putting the patient first is also displayed in Jiang Peng’s plans for the future. The 28-year-old wants to improve his interpersonal skills so he can better communicate with patients, while sharpening his radiography technique and knowledge so that he can better fulfil his role in their healthcare journey.
For those looking to make a difference in healthcare and take up a scholarship with SingHealth, Jiang Peng has this advice. “As a radiographer, we come into contact with many people from all walks of life. We need to be open-minded and conscious of how a patient might react in different situations. We should have empathy and understand the difficulties that patients might face. The technical aspect of radiography should come second to the soft skills required to help patients.”
This article was first published in BrightSparks Magazine February 2019. Republished with permission from CareerBuilder Singapore.