Getting to know our doctors and their fellowships
Doctors go through years of training in order to be competent and qualified to meet your medical needs. Specialists go through fellowship training as part of their specialty training. It is sort of like an apprenticeship. But a very tough one! During fellowship, the doctor follows a specialist closely to train in a subspecialty. The doctor is called a fellow during their training. Our Urologists in Urohealth Medical Clinic are fellowship trained. Find out where they did their fellowship and more fun facts in this series where we get to know our doctors better.
In this interview, we hear from Dr Tricia Kuo about her fellowship experience in England!
Why did you choose to specialize in Urology?
I was very inspired by my seniors in the department of Urology at Singapore General Hospital in the way they treated their patients. I also discovered that Urology is also a field where things are always changing and advances are continuously made. It made for a fascinating specialty to specialize in.
Where was your fellowship?
Sheffield, a city in South Yorkshire, England.
What was your fellowship training in?
Female and functional urology, urodynamics and reconstructive urology at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. I also trained with colleagues in the Urogynaecology department and Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre.
What was most memorable about your fellowship?
It was the opportunity to travel easily to Europe and within the UK itself for courses, conferences, and other learning events. I participated in the Spinal Injuries Course at the Northern General Hospital and got the chance to try wheelchair basketball. It was a humbling and very memorable experience.
At the hospital where I was working at during that time, wearing a mask was actually optional in the OT! Things might be different now with Covid.
What did you do during your free time when you were on fellowship?
I drove to the Peak district national park on weekends as it was just outside the city. Sheffield is well-known as “Steel city” and “England’s largest village” to reflect the friendliness of the City’s inhabitants.
What was your most memorable case during fellowship?
A patient who had a severe urethral injury after falling off a horse. These cases are certainly rare in Singapore.
What was the biggest takeaway?
My mentors and seniors taught me many surgical pearls. One I would never forget passed down from Professor Richard Turner-Warwick and Professor Christopher Chapple, “There are no such things as brave surgeons, just brave patients”.
What did you miss most about Singapore while you were away?
My family, friends and of course the food.
Any go-to restaurants in the country of your fellowship to recommend?
Sunday roast at the pub and the fantastic indian curries in Sheffield.
If you could turn back time, would Urology be a specialty you would choose again?
For sure. In a way, the specialty and Urology community selects you as well.
