By Karen Teng

Unl ike her peers, Ms Goh Kunshan did not grow up with a clear idea of what her dream career would be. The eldest daughter of a businessman had always thought she would follow in her father's footsteps.

B ut after her A levels, she looked at her options and became interested in health care, in particular, occupational therapy. She attended recruitment talks organised by a public hospital.

Ms Goh says: "What attracted me to occupational therapy was the component of creative media involved. I liked the idea of learning practical skills to help people directly."

She signed up with the Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) to study occupational therapy (OT), a decision that did not go down well with her parents. She says: "Although the course is clearly meant for A-level holders and NYP was the only place to receive an OT education locally, people's expectations were that the university should be the place to go to for success in Singapore."

But Ms Goh refused to succumb to pressures and stuck to her choice. "I pursued my gut feelings stubbornly and my ambitious individuality led to where I am today."

The 26-year-old has since made her parents very proud of her achievements. In her final year at NYP, Ms Goh decided to further her studies overseas and got her wish without burdening her family financially.

"I applied for the Ministry of Health's Health Science scholarship. It is a prestigious scholarship meant for bright A-level students. I did not hold high hopes but was encouraged to apply because, by then, I had a clear interest in the profession and what I wanted to be."

Ms Goh bagged the scholarship, which covered her 18-month studies at the LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia, for a degree in occupational therapy. Upon returning to Singapore, she started serving her six-year bond under the National Healthcare Group.

As an occupational therapist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Rehabilitation Centre, her days are spent attending to people of various ages, including children with autism and learning disabilities.

Ms Goh explains: "The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in activities of everyday life or what we refer to as 'occupations'. These may include self-care tasks, work productivity and leisure participation."

She cites as an example a person who has suffered a stroke. His rehabilitation programme will be managed by a multi-disciplinary team comprising doctors, physiotherapists, a speech therapist, occupational therapists, a social worker and a psychologist.

She says: "Our goals are to help the individual regain functions of his upper limbs and to be able to participate in daily activities such as feeding, grooming and bathing. The aim is to help him return home and to his community, and able to function at an optimised level of independence."

For such patients, Ms Goh uses physical exercise and therapy as tools to help them increase their mobility or physical strength so that they can enhance their capabilities. She adds: "I also help to improve their cognitive and comprehension skills, coordination, reasoning abilities or basic motor functions so that they can lead more productive, independent lives."

Her sense of fulfilment comes from being able to make a difference to her patients' lives. "I enjoy learning what is meaningful to them, and sharing in the accomplishment of their goals especially when they see how occupational engagement can transform their quality of daily life and allow them to participate or integrate into society."

Two years on the job, Ms Goh is clear on her career advancement. "With more experience, I hope to be more involved in research validating the effectiveness of occupational therapy as treatment. I also believe strongly in educating the next generations of occupational therapists as I enjoy interacting with them and sharing my experiences."

She is glad that her family is supportive of her passion for occupational therapy. "I have to thank my parents for respecting my decision and choice in pursuing what I wanted to do, rather than forcing me to do something I have totally no interest in."

For youngsters eyeing a career like hers, Ms Goh says they must have strong people skills and a desire to contribute. She adds: "You also need to have a certain level of persistence, patience, frustration tolerance and creativity to solve problems with the client and facilitate progress toward success."

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 24 Jan, 2009.