IN THE SPOTLIGHT: MS CHONG YI SAN | Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore

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Yi San graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Pharmacy (Hons.) from the National University of Singapore and is a registered pharmacist with the Singapore Pharmacy Council. She is currently Head of Pharmacy Practice at the Division of Pharmacy of TTSH, a 2000-bed multi-disciplinary tertiary hospital in Singapore and part of National Healthcare Group (NHG) cluster. As the Head of Pharmacy Practice, she oversees the smooth running and provision of pharmaceutical care services and healthcare products for patients in the inpatient, outpatient and retail settings.

Yi San has been involved in several improvement projects at department and organisation level to achieve operational excellence and patient-centric care. One of the key projects that she has led is the Outpatient Pharmacy Transformation Project. This project revamped the patient’s experience at the outpatient pharmacy by bringing part of the pharmacy process upstream to the clinic, and utilising automated pharmacy systems and robotics to achieve breakthrough speeds in filling prescriptions. The project has been accorded several awards since its inception, including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HiMSS) Elsevier Award in 2015 and the Asian Management Hospital Award in 2016.

Besides her current role, Yi San has previously served two years as Assistant Manager at the Chief Pharmacist’s Office, Manpower Standards & Development Division, Ministry of Health, Singapore. She assisted the Chief Pharmacist in healthcare policy matters, as well as projects such as review of the pre-registration pharmacist training framework and pharmacist career path during her tenure with the ministry.

Aside from pharmacy work, Yi San has special interest in the area of organisation development and is a trained facilitator for collective leadership.

We are glad to have Yi San to share what drives her passion in pharmacy in our interview with her!

1) Describe the most satisfying/fulfilling day in your life as a pharmacist.

There was a case from the early stages of my career that remained etched in my memory to this day. I was part of the team running the anticoagulation services at the neurology clinic. As a young pharmacist, I encountered a gentleman in his late 50s who had recently suffered from stroke. He had been referred to the anticoagulation clinic after being initiated on warfarin. On his first visit with us, he walked into the clinic with much effort as he developed paralysis on one side of his body post-stroke. In addition, he had speech impairment making communication a significant challenge during the clinic session. I could remember the tears in his eyes as he struggled to respond to my questions. I spent some time talking to him to help him understand his treatment plan. In addition, he also shared his perspectives with me, conveying how deeply the recent stroke had impacted his life. We built a rapport after that session and as he was very determined to recover, he worked closely with us on the treatment plans, and we were able to titrate him to the optimal dosing quickly. Several months later, during his last session with us before being discharged from the anticoagulation clinic, I could see remarkable improvement in his condition. As compared to the first day that he came into the clinic, he did not require any walking aids anymore, although he still walked with a gait. He was also able to communicate coherently and clearly. I congratulated him on his recovery, and he also expressed his appreciation for the role we played as a pharmacist in his recovery journey. I could see the joy on his face as he left the clinic for the last time. While there are many factors contributing to the recovery of a patient, what gives me joy is to know that I have played a part in making a difference for this one patient. While much of our pharmacy work currently is focused on transactional episodes with patients, which may come across as being very cold and emotionless, I feel that it is also important to be able to establish that long-term relationship with our patients/clients. This will help gain the trust and understanding required when we work together on the treatment plans. In addition, when we can move from a transactional to a relational model, we are also able to gain the job satisfaction that keeps us going as a profession. This is why I am excited about the upcoming plans to build long-term relationships with our residents under the Healthier SG initiative and what it can potentially change for our profession.

2) Who is your role model and inspired you to excel in the pharmacy field that you chose?

There is a saying “I can see further by standing on the shoulders of giants” and I think I have come a long way with the help and support of many teachers and mentors that I had the honour and fortune to meet in my life. There have been many role models who have inspired me along the way and molded me into the person I am, and I have learnt many different things from them. My first role model was my preceptor, Ms Christine Teng, she showed me the importance of standing shoulder to shoulder with other professionals. In a healthcare team, nobody should be subservient to another, and it is important that everyone’s opinions and views are heard. From her, I’ve learnt the importance of speaking up. My next role model came in the form of my former head of department, Ms Annie Chia. When I was given the opportunity to take over a managerial position on short notice, it was a period of a very steep learning curve and high stress for me. Annie gave me the strongest support then and was very generous in coaching and mentoring me for areas that I floundered in due to inexperience. From her, I’ve learnt the importance of supporting my team members, especially in times of need. Last but not least, my third role model is my current divisional head, Ms Lim Hong Yee. Whenever we meet with challenging situations at work, Hong Yee would always provide sound advice and spur us on with her never-say-die attitude. From her, I’ve learnt that there’s no problem too big to be solved. I’ve also learnt the importance of perseverance and resilience and finding new angles to a problem.

3) What would your best advice be for the younger pharmacists, especially when faced with challenges to motivate them and keep them going?

“Find your why” would be my advice to the younger pharmacists who have just entered the profession. While it sounds clichéd, I strongly believe that it is important to know what gives you meaning in life and fuels your passion as that is the fire that will keep you going, even when things get tough. For some, it is very clear to them what they are passionate about right from the start and that’s good. For others, this may not be clear from the start, and I would advise them to be open to try different roles that may come their way in order to find out what is meaningful to them. Do not be afraid if it takes time to find your why, be more afraid if you cannot find it.