01 Jan 2011
Fate, said Dr Loh Lih Ming, Consultant, Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), had a role to play in her career as an endocrinologist.
“I have run into endocrinologists throughout my career. My current boss was my second-year medical school tutor. I have known her longer than I have known my husband,” said Dr Loh.
But her success as a practitioner probably has more to do with her own beliefs rather than fate. Dr Loh was conferred the SGH CEO Service Quality Award last year, a prestigious award that recognises an SGH doctor for outstanding service.
Dr Loh believes that with the medical industry, “a lot of lifelong learning” is involved. Besides medical knowledge, doctors should “have a love for people” and be passionate about their job, she said.
Her job goes beyond providing medical consultation services to her patients.
Being a “friend and confidante” to her patients, Dr Loh often lends a listening ear when they want to share their personal problems with her.
To communicate effectively with her patients, she often uses diagrams to illustrate their medical conditions and explains the rationale behind having to take their medication.
The most gratifying aspect of her job comes from her interaction with her patients and the ability to gain their trust. “As a doctor, you need to make a connection at the first visit. Interaction is important because it establishes a relationship with your patient.
“A patient learns to trust you and understands that you know enough about their condition. Building on that interaction, you can get to know patients very well,” said Dr Loh.
She specialises in conditions of the adrenal and pituitary glands, and works closely with neurosurgeons and urologists on surgery relating to these organs.
The adrenal glands are located at the top of each kidney and produce hormones that help the body control sugar, burn protein and fat.
The pituitary gland is a pea-sized organ at the base of the brain that secretes hormones responsible for many important functions throughout the body.
“The endocrine system is a very finely tuned and well-orchestrated system that involves a lot of interaction between hormones. What I find interesting is the fact that there is a lot of thinking and detective work involved.
That always intrigues me,” said Dr Loh.
“When the neurosurgeons pick up on a tumour case and need to operate on it, I will do the initial work, ensuring the patient doesn’t suffer from hormonal imbalances, which can increase the risks for the patient during surgery,” she said.
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Dept of Endocrinology
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