01 Nov 2009
Shifting mindsets
It has been nearly 34 years since Professor Ng Han Seong was first tasked to guide newcomers at Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) Medical Unit III, where he started his career as a Medical Officer.
Today, the 60-year-old continues to relish teaching and inspiring Singapore’s new generation of doctors. In July this year, he was awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award.
Mentoring allows Prof Ng, who is also Chairman of the Medical Board at SGH, to constantly refresh his medical knowledge and skills, as he frequently conducts presentations and grand ward rounds (in which senior doctors attend and give feedback). Interacting with students from different backgrounds and specialities means he can look forward to new and often interesting perspectives.
“Technology has resulted in rapid advances in medicine, so it’s important for doctors to unlearn and re-learn consistently.
This is especially so if the issues taught are no longer applicable or emphasis has changed with the times,” he shared.
Lessons from the young
“I may possess good judgement and experience, but it does not mean I know more than my students. They become my checks and balances, [and they are not] afraid to challenge me. That way, we come up with new and different ideas,” said Prof Ng.
His mentees were the ones who gave him an early insight into work-life balance.
Used to working long hours (including weekends) and accepting duties without question, Prof Ng was shocked when a young doctor tried to bargain with him over Sunday duties.
“I think it became a matter of interpreting the situation with a different mindset. I adjusted to the new generation of doctors and accepted the fact that they do things differently, and that it was up to me to close the gap between work and values,” he said.
Winning formula
Moving into an administrative position was prompted by a desire for more time for mentoring, teaching and his own interests.
While many of Prof Ng’s mentees have followed him into administration, there are also many clinicians who work long hours and are reluctant to take up leadership positions in administration.
Although administration work allows Prof Ng to enjoy a better work-life balance, it also means he has to give up some clinical and research work. The crux, then, is to decide to “give up something, and how much to give up to gain something new”.
It takes more than clinical training and knowledge to be a good administrator. “You must be firm, fair, honest and proactive, with the courage to take calculated risks and have foresight. You must also have good interpersonal skills to motivate others. These are attributes that you either have or you don’t – which makes the process more complicated,” he said.
“Prof Ng is an outstanding clinician, a passionate teacher and a dedicated researcher. He explains medicine in a wellorganised and compartmentalised fashion, so the toughest topic becomes easy to understand. I’m also inspired by his enthusiasm for research. Even when he was very busy with clinical work or when there was very little seed money, he still produced exemplary research in Hepatitis B and Helicobacter pylori. I still consult him whenever possible because I trust his judgement.”
“I first worked with Prof Ng in 1986 when I was his Medical Officer. He is a mentor who cares about his mentees, and he trusts and respects them.”
Dr Daphne Khoo, Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Endocrinology, SGH, & Director, Clinical Governance & Quality Management, SingHealth
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