At the Singapore Pharmacy Council Pharmacist’s Pledge Affirmation Ceremony held on 4th May 2018, we celebrated our newly registered pharmacists in joining our profession. On this occasion, we also recognized two deserving pharmacists who have outstandingly nurtured and mentored pre-registration pharmacists. The two recipients of the Excellent Preceptor Award of the year 2018 are Mr Lim Zong Neng Anson and Mr Lee Weng Chee. In this issue, we bring to you a brief interview with our two awardess.
Excellent Preceptor Award of the year 2018 - Mr Lee Weng Chee
Education
Mr Lee graduated from University of Singapore with Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) in 1975. He further pursued his education and received a Diploma in Marketing Management from Singapore Institute of Management in 1985. He started his career in sales and business development before joining Watsons in 2004 as one of its pioneer pharmacists.
Career
In his own words… “It has been a good 14 years.”
Mr Lee has achieved many firsts, including setting up our poisons warehouse and implementing the telepharmacy service for Watsons. He also initiated the Orientation & Training program for new pharmacists and set up the Social and Welfare Committee to foster stronger bonds within the pharmacy team. As a pharmacist, he is well known for his customer service and has received the Gold Excellent Service Award by Singapore Retail Association for the past 5 years.
Father Figure
With many years of experience as a community pharmacist, Mr Lee still remains humble and is open to learning from everyone who crosses his path. He is generous in sharing his knowledge and treats everyone he meets equally. This has earned Mr Lee the adoration of his colleagues and customers. He is an excellent listener and a father figure among the pharmacists - the person you would go to if you had a bad day. With his calm and confident demeanour, his kind advice and encouraging words are endless.
Mentor and Peer
“Mr Lee teaches us what other preceptors don’t.”
It is not uncommon to hear this from his preceptees. Having been a preceptor for almost 10 years, he has mentored over 70 pre-registration pharmacists, interns and students.
Mr Lee takes time to bond with his preceptees. On their first day, he makes it a point to have a 1 to 1 chat over a meal. Despite his seniority, he shows them that they are on the same level and easily gains their respect. He empowers them and with time, he builds their confidence.
With his great patience and ability to connect, he is usually called upon to mentor the more challenging preceptees. He embraces this challenge and finds it a noble cause to champion them. With Mr Lee’s influence and leadership, they are able to discover their spark and grow with their interest in the pharmacy profession.
Mr Lee is a true example that age is just a number. He has the looks of a 50 year old, the lifestyle of a 30 year old and the upbeat heart of a teenager.
His positive attitude is exemplary and it resonates with his purpose in life, which in his own words,
“Planting a seed of Hope in the new Interns;
And water them with Words of Encouragement…
See them bloom into an excellent breed of Dedicated Pharmacists with Passion. “
Words from the Excellent Preceptor
- Why did you choose to become a preceptor?
Actually, I did not become a Preceptor, by choice! A friendly neighbourhood pharmacist had gone on annual leave and parked her Preceptee with me at Bedok Central. The Intern found my unusual practice of “complementary medicine”, “alternative medicine” and “to heal & to build” approach quite fascinating! He asked to station with me for a few more days, if better for the whole week. After that episode, I was co-opted to be a Preceptor with the good report and recommendations from the preceptee.
- What do you think are some qualities a good preceptor should possess?
Here are some ‘must have’s to be a good and happy preceptor. They are to include but not exclusively:
- give & share unselfishly
- empty out all your experiences
- listen patiently with an open mind
- Provide timely feedback
- Do NOT be ANGRY with the preceptee
- How do you feel about winning this award?
I was shocked initially, but once I overcame the initial astonishment, I was humbled! I felt reassured that my personal efforts were valued, well sacrificed, and appreciated.
- What advice do you have for new preceptors?
There are 3 ways I have benefited from being a preceptor and I am sure the same goes for any preceptor:
- through sharing and coaching, you will master and sharpen your knowledge and skills on the target topic you have taught
- experience an unusual joy when you polish a stone (preceptee) into a sparkling gem (after 12 weeks rotation)
- inspire and motivate continuous self-development to become a better coach/mentor.
- What advice do you have for pharmacy students?
They will enjoy and grow if they:
- listen – Listen – and LISTEN to the customer & patient
- come with an accommodating attitude because the customer/patient does not care how much you know(head knowledge) until they know how much you care for them (with your heart – empathy).
- learn by apprenticeship - practise well, until perfect
- share/coach other staff & team mates!
Excellent Preceptor Award of the year 2018 - Mr Lim Zong Neng Anson
Background
Anson graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy)(Hons) in 2011 and has received a Master in Health Administration from Flinder’s University in 2017. He joined Watsons in 2012, and has since taken part in numerous public talk shows and outreach programmes such as the Ezyhealth forum at Marina Bay Sands. He has also appeared live in morning talk shows on Channel News Asia and Channel 5.
PSS Volunteer
Anson is actively involved in the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore (PSS), being a council member in 2013, chairperson for Pharmacy Week committee in 2013, taken charge of Public Education and Young Pharmacist Chapter and has contributed to the Community Chapter and Pre-Registration Pharmacist Training committee. Anson also excels in customer service and his dedication to patient care won him the Service Superstar Award by Singapore Retail Association in 2016.
Pharmacy Advocate
In Watsons, Anson is the advisor for the Media Team and coaches other pharmacists on public speaking and effective communication. He was also the second-in-charge of the Pharmacy Awareness team to support various public health education initiatives. He is now the cluster pharmacy manager overseeing the pharmacy team and dispensaries in the east and central Watsons stores.
Mentor and Coach
Since joining Watsons, Anson has been dedicated to the nurturing of pre-registration pharmacists, National University of Singapore (NUS) Pre-Employment Clinical Training (PECT) and Service Oriented Undergraduate Learning (SOUL) students, as well as polytechnic students. While spending the days going through clinical and operational knowledge with the young students and pharmacists-to-be, Anson strives to improve the quality of the training programme to ensure that competency standards stay relevant to the changing needs of the healthcare landscape. His preceptees benefit not only clinically, but also from his lessons in people management and conflict resolution.
What Others Say
‘I admire Anson for his perseverance, tenacity and ambition. He is an up and coming leader in the profession, a big brother to the preceptees and younger pharmacists and an inspiration and champion to pharmacy practice.’
Ms Mariam Alkhatib, Pharmacy Practice Manager, Watsons
Words from the Excellent Preceptor
- Why did you choose to become a preceptor?
I have benefitted under the caring guidance of previous preceptors so I wish to pay it forward to mentor the next generation of pharmacists.
- What do you think are some qualities a good preceptor should possess?
A good preceptor needs to keep abreast of practice and clinical knowledge while possessing good interpersonal skills such as leadership, effective communication and so on.
- How do you feel about winning this award?
I am extremely honoured as I think there are many seniors who are also deserving of the award. The award would not be possible with the excellent support system in place in Watsons for preceptors from the management as well as understanding colleagues to facilitate a good training environment and system.
- What advice do you have for new preceptors?
Please be extra patient with your interns and students. They would need more time to get accustomed to the pharmacy practice and working world. Do communicate with them in a two way fashion in order to help them to learn better.
- What advice do you have for pharmacy students?
Be open-minded and embrace challenges that come along the way during your trainee journey. What you learnt today will serve you well in the future.
