Some years back, I was in the midst of re-assessing whether to continue my previous career or to pursue another that is closer to my interest and passion. I had never fancied a desk bound job or a job that requires me to spend long hours working in front of a computer. These obviously pointed to the fact that my previous profession was highly incoherent with my ideal working environment and interest. After taking some time to explore my interest in physiotherapy through some readings and the opportunities to observe the clinical work of a physiotherapist, I decided that this is the career that marries my belief in physical independence with my interest in musculoskeletal field.

Physiotherapy is a profession that provides me with opportunities to be hands-on with my patients and I always enjoy this aspect of the job. The interactions are often mutually beneficial. While there is much knowledge about our body system that we can pass on to our patients, we also learn a lot from them. Through our daily dealings with patients, we are constantly being reminded of how fortunate we are to be blessed with good health and be physically independent enough to do things that we desire. These experiences never fail to humble me and reiterate my belief that our minds are our only boundaries.

After I decided to pursue this new career aspiration, it was a decision between going for a degree course overseas or to take up this scholarship that permitted me to have the advantage of staying in Singapore while still able to experience a year of overseas’ education. NHG is a dynamic organisation and its continual review of how its services fits into our changing health care systems and clients’ needs will provide professionals like us with more opportunities to explore our interests in greater dimensions. Clearly, taking up the scholarship was therefore a sensible option that enabled me to pursue my passion in a conducive environment without straining my own finances. I am indeed grateful that NHG has given a second chance to people like me who still believe that there should be no age boundaries when it comes to pursuing your dream career!

Thus far, my experiences with NHG and my sponsored hospital’s human resource department had been great. They had provided me with all the support that I needed during the period when I was arranging all administrative matters for the overseas study. I believed it would be a nice working environment for me to pursue a career in my field of study.

On studying overseas, I think the main differences between that versus a local education are the challenges of adaptability and the ability to handle circumstances that you least expected of. There is no better way to experience both physical and emotional independence than to stay in a foreign country. Staying overseas helps to broaden my perspectives of how things are done in other cultures and expose me to how our profession functions and thrives in a different health care system and environment. In many ways, Australia is a good source of reference as the demographical trends and health care concerns and challenges are not far off from what Singapore may be facing in years to come.

From a personal perspective, staying in a foreign land has reminded me that while there may be events or things that may dishearten you from time to time, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that things will become better as long as we remain positive and hold on to our beliefs and our passions - a mentality that is perhaps important in all our endeavours. I enjoy DIY travelling, outdoors and adventurous sports like trekking and diving. These activities are important in training up my determination, keeping me physically and mentally healthy in preparation for an incessant professional growth for the years ahead.

Graduating with the basic degree is merely the beginning of my budding career. There are yet so much more clinical experiences that I would want to acquire over the years to sharpen my technical knowledge and clinical skills. Continual education and the ability to keep up with current evidence-based practices within the industry and the various areas of specialisation are essential for us to continue to provide the most effective and cost efficient services to our clients. Eventually, I would like to specialize in an area where I can find a good match be tween my interest and forte.

Compared to many countries, I find that physiotherapy is a service that is still not very much understood and tapped on by the public in Singapore. My goal is to increase the awareness of the varied services that we can offer to our clients in both the rehabilitative as well as preventive aspects of health care. Hopefully there are more aspiring students out there who have similar passions to join me in my humble effort of working towards this goal of bringing the profession to greater heights.

As a concluding note to students who are heading overseas for their studies, my advices would to be to get prepared for any special administrative procedures that the university may require. You may also want to consider having your medical needs taken care of since you will be alone in a foreign land. More importantly, venture with the attitude and willingness to adapt and make adjustments. With that, you will definitely survive well and enjoy your education and life overseas.