In the spotlight is an initiative by PSS that features hospital pharmacists who excel in their area of practice and are role models for fellow pharmacists.

In June’s edition of in the spotlight, we are featuring Dr Soong Jie Lin, Principal Clinical Pharmacist at Singapore General Hospital (SGH).  She has 10 years of experience in Pharmacy and specialises in Critical Care.

Dr Soong completed her Doctor of Pharmacy from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014 and graduated as Valedictorian. In the same year, she obtained her Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) certification. She has since become a Preceptor to many pharmacy students, pre-registration pharmacists, as well as a PGY2 Critical Care resident in SGH.

Apart from this, she leads the inpatient medication reconciliation workgroup which seeks to improve on the quality of medication reconciliation in SGH. She is also actively involved in research and has published in several journals on topics such as Critical Care, Geriatrics, De-prescribing, and Smoking Cessation.

With her knowledge and passion for Pharmacy practice, Dr Soong has been invited in numerous presentations including Radio Interview on 938Live on Polypharmacy, Singapore Pharmacy Congress 2011 and 2016.

We are greatly honoured that she has taken the time to answer some of our questions and share what drives her passion for Pharmacy practice.

1. Describe the most satisfying/fulfilling day in your life as a pharmacist.
   
   It’s hard to pinpoint a particular day that is most fulfilling or satisfying, but what kept me going in this profession is the recognition and appreciation I receive from fellow healthcare professionals and patients about what I do – Even simple feedback such as “Thank you for joining us at ward rounds. We really appreciate your inputs” by the doctors can really make my day. I remember there was a time when the ward rounds started earlier than usual and when I came in after, the ICU consultant took the effort to update me on what I had missed out. I’m thankful to him for making me feel that I’m a significant part of the team.
   
    
2. What would your best advice be for the younger pharmacists, especially when faced with challenges to motivate them and keep them going?
   
   There are definitely challenges we will face in our careers. It is how we handle them that make a difference. In addition to lamenting about them with our friends, think about how the challenges can be resolved. Do not be afraid to raise these challenges and propose solutions to your seniors. Sometimes we may gain a different perspective after speaking to someone who is more experienced. 
   
    
3. Who would you say is your role model, whom inspired you to excel in the pharmacy field that you chose?
   
   The first person who inspired me to be a hospital pharmacist was Mr Peter Yap, my preceptor during my NUS Year 3 student attachment at SGH. I remember once I when shadowed him to the ICU, the ICU doctor came up to him and said he had been waiting for him to advise on vancomycin dosing. Peter took out his calculator, punched in some numbers and made a recommendation quickly. The doctor smiled and commented that he could always rely on Peter. This may be a small incident but I was really impressed as a student then. Subsequently, Peter also gave me a lot of advice during my career, such as whether to pursue my PharmD overseas, which I am really grateful for.
   
   The second person who is a role model to me is Dr Camilla Wong. She was the one who offered the opportunity for me to train in Critical Care and therefore made who I am now, a Critical Care pharmacist. She has a lot of insights about the future of the pharmacy profession, which always makes me think how else I can contribute to the profession after a conversation with her.