Singapore Ms Law Hwa Lin, TTSH
| In the Spotlight March 2010: Ms Law Hwa Lin, TTSH
What others have said: “Pre-reg trainer & coordinates pre-registration program in TTSH” “Her dedication to HIV patients is highly admirable” Area of practice: Infectious Disease (HIV/AIDS) Years of experience in this area: 6 Interview Questions A. What would your advice be for the younger pharmacists? Esp when faced with challenges? For the young pharmacists, it is important to think about what you really want to achieve in your career and work towards it even in the face of obstacles. Thus, passion and perseverance are very important; do not give up even though if you are faced with obstacles/challenges. Treat every challenge as a chance to learn and that’s how you earn your experience and grow. B. What helped / motivated you to be where you are today? Having a strong belief that tomorrow will be a better day and the support that I have from my friends. Those who planted obstacles along my path actually motivated me to get to where I am now too! C. Who would you say is your role model, whom inspired you to excel in the pharmacy field that you chose? This is a tough question. I should say that it was not a single role model who inspired me but more of situations created by the ones who gave me challenged me. These situations pushed me to excel. That is the never-say-die side of me. D. What is the most memorable moment in your pharmacy career? I tried to make every day in my career a memorable moment. However, I think that what stood out most is the period of my HMDP attachment at Sydney where I got the opportunity to see how pharmacists can play an important role in the management of HIV/AIDS. That was when I was truly inspired. E. Describe your career progression path. Pharmacist ——- HMDP at Sydney (2003/4) ———– Involved in the management of HIV/AIDS patients till current (running drug adherence clinic at CDC) —- Masters in Clinical Pharmacy (2008) —— BCPS (2009) ———– Principal Pharmacist (Clinical) I was initially trained as a TPN pharmacist and worked in the aseptic laboratory. However, since I the time when I did my pre-registration training, I knew the true calling for me lies in Infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS, as I feel that this is a group of people that most will rather not help but in actual fact need the most support. I was given the opportunity when I applied for the HMDP award and got it!! The attachment at Sydney was truly an eye-opener. It opened my horizon so much; I started seeing how much I can do for these patients. When I came back, I planned and started the drug adherence clinic at CDC. The patient population is mostly HIV patients started on antiretroviral therapy. However, as this was done on top of my usual role as an inpatient pharmacist in main TTSH (CDC is not located within TTSH itself), I always felt that my care to the HIV patients was often compromised due to the time constraints. Hungry for more knowledge, I took up Masters in Clinical Pharmacy. After I completed my Masters, like everyone who aspires to be a good clinical pharmacist, I went for the Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy (BCPS). Currently, as a Principal Pharmacist (Clinical), I am working as a full-time pharmacist at CDC where I truly ensure continuity of care by following my patients?progress closely. Besides contributing clinically, I am involved in training of the young ones (pre-registration pharmacists) at TTSH as I strongly believe that it is important to mould the minds of the young and prepare them for the future that lies ahead. |