Sharon Yip

Apsley ’14
Interim Foundation Doctor

Tell us a bit about yourself

I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I joined Apsley in 2012 when I first came to the UK, went onto study medicine at St Peter’s College at Oxford and completed my clinical studies at University College London.

What inspired you to work in medicine?

About the time I entered Wellington I read many of Oliver Sacks’s case histories and I became fascinated with neuroscience. That eventually led me to medicine as I was interested in carrying out research and directly caring for patients.

What is your speciality and how is the present Covid-19 pandemic affecting your normal working routine?

I’m currently working in the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Free Hospital. COVID-19 has completely changed my last year in medical school; just a few months ago I would’ve thought that by this time of the year I’d be off travelling around South Asia on my medical elective. I graduated a few months early in a Zoom “virtual graduation” after our final exams, so that some of our year can start work as interim foundation doctors.

What advice would you give to students/young OWs who would like to join the medical profession?

I would suggest that any budding medic should read proactively on the latest research in whichever topics catch your eye, and maintain an interest in humanities subjects as well. The best doctors I know are well-rounded and well-connected.

What is it like working within health care at the moment?

At the Royal Free the PPE provision is thankfully adequate, although it changes every week depending on what our managers can find. This ICU is still functioning at a far stretched capacity than normal – where at a normal time there would be 30 odd beds, there were at least 66 patients in ICU at the peak of the epidemic. I have since gained immense respect for the work that ICU nurses do.

What are your career highlights?

I hope to fill this space as I get further in my career, but for now here are some fun anecdotes from work this month:

– Me asking for help around the wards: “Are you a doctor or a diver?” The surge volunteers do all sorts, including divers, play specialists, kindergarten teachers…

– On my scrub trousers falling down as there were only XXL left: “thank goodness I have PPE on.”

What advice would you give to students/young OWs who would like to join the medical profession?

I would suggest that any budding medic should read proactively on the latest research in whichever topics catch your eye, and maintain an interest in humanities subjects as well. The best doctors I know are well-rounded and well-connected.

Do you have a fond memory from your time at Wellington that you would like to share or perhaps a particular teacher that really stood out?

I remember as a student I had a lot of spare energy and no idea how to channel it productively. My biology teacher, Mr Goves, was a fantastic teacher who noticed this and frequently recommended extra reading for me. He also encouraged me to apply to Oxford and gifted me his pharmacology flashcards with full confidence that I would do well. He was also passionate about teaching students with special education needs and that was quite inspiring.

If anyone would like to contact Sharon then you can find her on Twitter at @DrYipYip

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