Patrick Ker, Senior Principal Occupational Therapist, Singapore General Hospital

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.