Patrick
Ker literally fell into the vocation of occupational therapy by chance. He fractured his wrist during his national
service days with the Singapore Armed Forces, and had to undergo surgery, and
rehabilitation with an occupational therapist.
Not
knowing what occupational therapy was, Patrick wondered why he needed to see
one, thinking that that he doesn’t need a job since I’m still serving my
national service and should be receiving physiotherapy instead. During the
sessions, he was impressed with the patience and care rendered by the
occupational therapists in helping him regain the functions and strength of his
hand.
From the
sessions, Patrick began to understand more about occupational therapy and his
interest in it was ignited. He heard that Nanyang Polytechnic would be offering
an occupational therapy course from 1992, which is about the same time that he
would be completing his national service.
Patrick sent in his application to study occupational therapy and also
applied for a sponsorship with the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), one of the
institutions under the SingHealth Group.
And the rest was history.
Occupational
therapy training was composed of studies and clinical placements focusing on
the theories and practice. During the
fieldwork placements, Patrick gained experience in some of the main areas of
occupational therapy practice, such as physical rehabilitation, paediatrics and
mental health therapy. SGH also sponsored Patrick to pursue his occupational
therapy degree at the University of Sydney in 1996, after he graduated from
Nanyang Polytechnic in 1995.
Upon his
return from the University of Sydney, Patrick and a colleague started providing
ergonomic services at SGH, such as consultancy, for companies to educate them
on how to improve the work environment and ensure it is conducive for staff.
When work-related injuries were sustained, they also provided treatment and
advised them about how these injuries could be prevented.
One who
believes in continuous learning, Patrick pursued and obtained a Master’s Degree
programme at the University of New South Wales, Australia, in 2004.
Patrick
now focuses on ergonomics, providing training and consultancy to companies. He
conducts talks for employees to create awareness and also workshops to explain
common workplace ergonomics issues and how to tackle them.
There is a
shortage of occupational therapists in Singapore as there are only about 500
occupational therapists now. There is a need to train more to meet the demand
in different areas of practice such as physical rehabilitation, mental health,
paediatric, neuro-rehabilitation, geriatric rehabilitation, occupational health
and work rehabilitation. There are also community-based options available at
community hospitals, nursing homes and voluntary welfare organisations.
Sharing
the one of the three most important things that he has learnt and is still
cultivating, he says, “The first is patience. Occupational therapists have to
work with people from all walks of life, with all sorts of personalities.
Therapy can be a time-consuming process when working with people with physical,
mental or developmental disabilities. To be effective, you need to have patience
to remain encouraging and positive with patients who experience setbacks and
frustration, and not get discouraged when the process takes time.”
He added
that the second thing is adaptability. “Each person, situation and work
environment that occupational therapists encounter is different, which means
that they will need to adapt quickly to changes. Just as we adapt a patient’s
activities or living environment to fit their unique individual needs, we also
need to be able to provide clients with customised care that meets their
needs.”
“In order
to develop ways for patients to overcome a wide range of challenges,
occupational therapists need to be able to assess and come up with strategies
to help patients build their skills. This may include recommending, modifying
or even designing adaptive equipment and the environment to help clients
accomplish the necessary tasks. This requires a sense of creativity, the third
important thing that I have learnt.”
Admitting
that he did not know that the profession would suit him so well when he first
chose this path as a 21-year-old, Patrick says that he has found his 15 year
career as an occupational therapist rewarding. Occupational therapy has offered
him a fulfilling vocation that gave him the opportunity to make a difference in
the lives of patients and clients who are striving to overcome challenges to
live independent, meaningful lives.
