Navigating Healthcare Innovation: My Insightful Internship Journey at MOHT

My journey into the world of healthcare transformation in Singapore began with an exciting and enriching internship experience at MOHT. I stumbled upon this research intern position at MOHT through my school's public health internship module. As it was my first research internship stint, I felt a bit nervous at the start, fearing that I wouldn't be up to the task. However, these feelings of apprehension were quickly assuaged as I met with my supervisor, Dr. Shilpa, fellow interns, and the rest of the Future Primary Care (FPC) team. Everyone was very warm and welcoming and I was pleasantly surprised by the department's open and supportive culture.

MOHT also provides a strong support system for interns. Dedicated staff run a Telegram group that interns can join and remain a part of even after our internship ends! The team often shares about various programmes and invites us to participate in them. During my internship, they even prepared a session on the healthcare landscape in Singapore just for the interns.

As my first research internship, almost every task was new to me. This was both intimidating and exciting because it meant that there was a lot of room for growth but it wouldn't be easy.

Throughout my internship, I was mainly tasked to support the evaluation of the scaling up of a local telehealth programme. From literature review that expanded my knowledge on telehealth care, to the various meetings that I could sit in on, there was plenty for me to learn. MOHT also holds regular sharing sessions covering a range of topics, such as AI in healthcare, which keeps us up to date about the changes to the healthcare landscape in Singapore. These experiences exposed me to the local healthcare landscape and MOHT's innovative efforts to develop and strengthen Singapore's healthcare system.

As with any internship, I did face some challenges along the way, some of which tested my ability to react quickly and flexibly. Being new to research, these mainly stemmed from unfamiliarity with the tasks and uncertainty of how I should approach them. However, my supervisor had been very supportive and having a fellow intern to face these obstacles with and overcome them together really helped. Through these challenges, I learnt that you stand more to gain from being brave in expressing your thoughts and proposing your solutions than being afraid of them being imperfect. Your supervisor and peers are more inclined to help you refine your ideas than simply pointing out flaws and dismissing them.

In all, my internship experience at MOHT was nothing short of fulfilling. The office culture was supportive and collaborative, fostering an environment where ideas were valued and creativity was encouraged. The mentorship I received was invaluable, as it helped me bridge the gap between theory and real-world application in healthcare research.

FPC team