Step into the pharmacist’s world: Pathways to possibilities
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At the National University Health System (NUHS), pharmacists have the opportunity to refine their expertise across various settings and specialisations. While their roles are diverse, one common thread unites them: A steadfast commitment to delivering quality and comprehensive patient care through medication therapy.
Read on as five NUHS pharmacists reveal more about their impactful work.
A bridge between healthcare professionals and IT professionals
“I work closely with pharmacy staff on the ground to ensure that our IT systems meet the growing demands of patient care and pharmacy operations,” said Ms Tan Min Feng, Senior Pharmacist, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH). Her role is in pharmacy informatics, which focuses on designing and implementing IT systems to optimise medication safety.
“I like how IT systems behave in a predictable, logical manner, akin to chemical reactions and compounds,” added Ms Tan. “I get to continue practising pharmacy but in a different context.”
“I’m helping to design and build a national pharmacy IT system that will be used by all public healthcare institutions. Projects like this broaden the scope and influence of my role.”
– Ms Tan Min Feng
Medication safety pharmacists work quietly in the background, predicting risks of errors and designing processes to reduce them.
Designing processes to ensure medication safety
Similar to Ms Tan, Mr Woo Jia Xiang, Senior Clinical Pharmacist at the National University Health System Pharmacy (NUHSP), focuses on optimising systems. However, his approach differs: Rather than developing new systems, he provides valuable inputs to improve existing ones, with the aim of minimising medication errors.
Based at Pioneer Polyclinic, Mr Woo dedicates his time to reviewing error reports and devising pre-emptive measures to reduce the risks of errors when he’s not attending to patients with chronic conditions in the pharmacist-led clinic.
He added: “I serve as the Collaborative Prescribing Lead for Pharmacists at the National University Polyclinics (NUP). As Collaborative Prescribing Pharmacists, we are given the autonomy to function in an advanced clinical role, optimise medications for our patients and manage their chronic conditions.”
“I work with admin colleagues to decide on our drug formulary management as well as prescribing and dispensing system set-ups,” said Mr Woo. “I give inputs on what types of medicines to keep at our pharmacies, and how systems can be configured to facilitate the prescription, storage and dispensing of appropriate medications to our patients.”
Combatting a global challenge: Antimicrobial resistance
For Ms Peggy Tan, an Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme (ASP) Pharmacist at Alexandra Hospital (AH), her role focuses on optimising antimicrobial use to combat bacterial resistance.
“As an ASP pharmacist, I work closely with the informatics team on the use of clinical decision support systems, antimicrobial renal dosing panels and ASP order sets integrated into electronic health records,” explained Ms Tan. “With these tools, I help healthcare professionals identify inappropriate antimicrobial use, flag potential drug interactions, and streamline therapy recommendations.”
Her work involves a combination of clinical activities and system-wide initiatives. “I collaborate with healthcare teams, including doctors and microbiologists, to review patient cases and recommend appropriate antimicrobial therapies. I also monitor antimicrobial prescribing patterns, analyse data on resistance trends, and educate hospital staff on best practices for antimicrobial use.”
In 2023, AH achieved an impressive overall appropriateness of broad-spectrum antibiotic use exceeding 90 per cent.
“The most fulfilling part of being an ASP pharmacist is knowing that my work helps save lives while combatting the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance.”
– Ms Peggy Tan
Improving cardiac patient outcomes: Bench, bedside and beyond
A/Prof Doreen Tan, Senior Principal Clinical Pharmacist at the National University Heart Centre Singapore (NUHCS), is the pharmacist lead for the AMI-HOPE telehealth pilot programme (Acute Myocardial Infarction: Allied Health-Oriented, Patient-Centred, and Technology-Enabled). This programme enables cardiologists and pharmacists to remotely monitor the vital signs of recently discharged AMI patients, ensuring timely and personalised follow-up care.
And that’s not all she does. With nearly three decades of experience, this pharmacist specialising in cardiology expertly balances research, mentoring, teaching, clinical work, and representing Singapore at international societies and writing panels.
“I’ve never had a shortage of upskilling opportunities at NUHS,” said A/Prof Tan. “I’m grateful that our progressive organisation supports allied health and pharmacy roles in care delivery and embraces new ideas.
"As a cardiology specialist pharmacist seeing post-myocardial infarction patients immediately after discharge, I appreciate how NUHS is an all-encompassing health system which values the contribution of all healthcare staff.”
Aside from her research work, A/Prof Tan derives a great deal of satisfaction from teaching pharmacy students and seeing them excel in their training.
“I have many proud ‘mama’ moments when I successfully mentor my students and watch them soar,” she gushed.
Advocacy work is another passion.
A/Prof Tan co-authors guidelines and position papers together with doctors and nurses, drawing on published evidence and scientific research findings to make recommendations that support stakeholders and other healthcare professionals in formulating healthcare policies and evidence-based decisions.
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) pharmacists collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to monitor the safety and efficacy of therapeutic regimens for critically ill patients.
Improving treatment plans for patients in critical care
Within the ICU setting, critical care specialist pharmacists like Dr Caroline Tee, Senior Principal Clinical Pharmacist, Cardiothoracic ICU (CTICU), National University Hospital (NUH), participate in twice-daily ICU rounds. Alongside her is a diverse group of intensivists, surgeons, nurses, respiratory therapists and physiotherapists.
Dr Tee attends to critically ill patients who have undergone cardiac or thoracic surgeries. Those with serious heart and lung problems are placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) life support.
Her medication expertise is invaluable in this context as she advises clinicians and nurses on the optimal drug choices, dosing regimens and titration techniques. “The most fulfilling part of my job is knowing that I can help patients with complex conditions, who are often at their sickest and weakest when admitted to the ICU,” she said.
“The CTICU is one of the best environments to learn about drug behaviour and gain clinical experience, thanks to its dynamic nature,” said Dr Tee. “You administer a drug, and within minutes, you can witness the magnitude of its effect on your patient.”
Being granted clinical privileges is a perk, she added. “I have the autonomy to start, stop and modify drug regimens in the ICU, with clinicians’ support and agreement.”
“Apart from clinical work, I conduct interprofessional education and postgraduate pharmacy training. I also take part in ICU-related research and quality improvement initiatives.”
– Dr Caroline Tee
Indeed, being part of an integrated healthcare cluster like NUHS puts pharmacists in an enviable position. “NUHS spans all major clinical disciplines and comprises tertiary, acute and community hospitals,” said Dr Tee. “This provides broad-based opportunities for pharmacists to hone their craft in their respective areas of interest, and lead changes in cross-functional settings and multidisciplinary teams.
“With an organisational culture rooted in interprofessional collaboration and education, it is a great platform for us to work together in healthcare teams to achieve the best outcomes for our patients.”
Interested to join us as a pharmacist and be an integral part of the future of healthcare? Learn more about working in our institutions and the work we do here.
In consultation with A/Prof Doreen Tan, Senior Principal Clinical Pharmacist, NUHCS; Dr Caroline Tee, Senior Principal Clinical Pharmacist, CTICU, NUH; Mr Woo Jia Xiang, Senior Clinical Pharmacist, NUHSP; Ms Tan Min Feng, Senior Pharmacist, NTFGH; and Ms Peggy Tan, Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme Pharmacist, AH.
