Leveraging her technical expertise and empathy, this SIT scholar wants to make a difference in healthcare
Donning the scrubs of a radiation therapist is a childhood aspiration fulfilled for Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) Scholarship recipient Tan Lele.
When she was 13 years old, Lele spent a lot of time in the hospital visiting her grandmother, who was warded for a few months and underwent treatment for various health issues, including cancer.
During one of those sessions, she looked around at the busy healthcare staff as they darted about. For a brief moment, she thought that maybe she, too, could one day work in a hospital.
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In hindsight, that may have been the seed planted to start her journey to a career in healthcare. Lele went on to study the sciences through secondary school and junior college. When it was time to choose a university course, she knew she wanted to pursue a degree related to healthcare.
Now 23, Lele works at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) where she is with the division of radiation oncology, which comprises radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists (who calculate radiation doses) and nurses.
“I treat cancer patients by accurately administering a prescribed dose of radiation to eliminate cancer cells. For patient safety and to ensure that the treatment works, I have to be very precise and zap only the malignant cells so I don’t damage the normal, healthy cells nearby,” she explains.
The work demands precision and accuracy, starting with making sure all machines and equipment are working perfectly, properly positioning patients for treatment and administering the right dosage of radiation for each patient.
Lele may only be in her third month at NCCS currently, but she is already familiar with the job scope, facilities and workflows, thanks to her undergraduate studies at SIT, which involved an applied learning pedagogy combining academic knowledge and practical skills.
The four-year direct honours degree programme at SIT is the only bachelor of science radiation therapy programme offered by an autonomous university in Singapore.
Alongside academic modules such as anatomy and physiology, cancer pathology and radiation therapy physics, the programme also required Lele to complete around 1,000 hours of clinical placements. Over four years, she completed five stints at NCCS, National University Hospital and Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
As an SIT scholar, Lele also contributed to raising awareness about cancer treatments.
“I had ambassadorial duties, like speaking to students at junior colleges and polytechnics about radiation therapy and SIT, as well as engaging with prospective students during the SIT Open House,” she says.
She also regularly explains the career opportunities for radiation therapists beyond their clinical job scope, as they can take on roles in other areas such as research, education and management.
“The profession of radiation therapist resonated with me because it offered the opportunity to combine my love for science with my desire to support those battling serious illnesses,” says Lele. “I want to play a part in cancer treatment.”
While the hard skills of the scientific and technical aspects of her work are demanding, Lele finds the soft skills to be equally challenging.
“As radiation therapists, we also provide emotional comfort to patients throughout their treatment journey,” she says.
Currently treating breast cancer patients, Lele sees an average of 20 patients back-to-back each day.
“There are some patients who are really optimistic and quite jovial so it’s not as depressing as everyone thinks,” Lele says.
But there are other instances that are seared in her memory. She recalls one patient who told her to “just let me go to sleep forever”.
“What I said to her was that she was very brave for coming to treatment and that she was already doing her best – so I will try my best, together with her,” says Lele.
She knows the value of empathy in her line of work, a quality she has actively cultivated throughout her journey. Her final thesis – which examined how students of allied health professions could benefit from a humanities-based workshop designed to cultivate empathy – earned her the Singapore Society of Radiographers Book Prize in Honours Thesis for Radiation Therapy.
Just as how her 13-year-old self was there for her own grandmother undergoing cancer treatment, Lele is determined to be a pillar of support for her patients.
“I would like to be involved in advancing the field of radiation therapy, as this will lead to improved patient outcomes and help patients who are battling cancer,” she says.
“Being able to help them achieve their treatment goals – whether that means curing the disease, controlling it or providing symptom relief – is the most rewarding experience any healthcare worker can have.”
