Doctor and a part-time playwright

Meet Dr Tay Woo Chiao, 36

A Senior resident in dermatology at the National Skin Centre, Singapore. He joined public healthcare in 2011.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a doctor??

As physicians we can be too wrapped up in finding a clinical resolution that we can neglect or even appear insensitive to the other issues in a patient's life.?

Why did you choose dermatology??

I chose dermatology because it’s a great mix of various subspecialties. All dermatologists have a background in medicine, surgery, and pathology, and can sub-specialise further if desired. Venereology, hair and nails are lesser-known areas of dermatology. It’s also very satisfying when you can pick up ‘indicators’ on the skin and diagnose an underlying systemic condition for a patient.

What is your most memorable moment as a junior doctor??

As a HO, my proudest moments were from the positive responses I received from specialist referrals. One registrar even took a photo of my referral and shared it with his juniors, referring to it as a ‘gold standard blue letter’. As I advance, other rewarding moments include when seniors entrust me with tasks beyond my level of training. It’s fulfilling when they can leave me to complete it with supervision but without them having to step in. Achieving clinical growth is very good soul food.

What do you wish you knew in medical school that you know now?

That I don’t really have control of my own time. Much of the work that physicians do involves life and death scenarios, and this can create a sense of moral and ethical responsibility to go that extra mile for their patients, even if it comes at their own expense. On a lighter note, I have learnt to respect superstition. I have not eaten any baos (Chinese meat buns) since 2011. As a man of science, of course I do not believe eating baos can cause bad luck during an on-call duty. However, I do know that if call turns out to be a bad one, the one who ate the bao would be dubbed sway kia (Hokkien for youngster who has bad luck). I would rather avoid that!

What are some of your hobbies??

For a long time, my two main hobbies have been speaking Japanese and appreciating tea, although the latter has taken a bit of a toll on both my wallet and my time. I’m quite fluent in Japanese, and I actually won the National Japanese Speech Contest in 2017. Before the pandemic, I would often take my Japanese friends on eating tours to the local hawker centres and tze char stalls. I was proud to introduce them to the affordable and delicious Singaporean food, not just the stuff designed for tourists.

I have some experience playwriting; I did some work for smaller theatre organisations and entered playwriting competitions in both English and Chinese.

What profession, other than yours, would you like to attempt and why?

Chemistry teacher. A playwright. Or both.?

I think playwriting is a great way for me to express myself and my creativity. I love being able to create characters with different backgrounds and personalities, and imagine the interactions between them. It’s especially satisfying when I can capture the emotions of the characters and make them come alive on stage. I also love being able to tell stories in a unique way, taking my audience on a journey of discovery as they watch the relationships between the characters unfold.??