Alumni Voices | Francesca’s hands-on health-care experience

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Each year, Shanghai’s Jiahui International Hospital runs a highly sought-after Health Scholar Program for pupils interested in a career in healthcare. The programme gives pupils a unique opportunity to get a firsthand look into the healthcare space. As part of the two-week programme, scholars shadow healthcare professionals, gain practical experience, participate in various workshops and get career advice from some of Jiahui’s top physicians.2022 leaver Francesca took part in the Jiahui Health Scholar Program last year to gain more hands-on experience beyond the Wellington classroom. She is currently pursuing a double major in medicine and biomedical engineering at Humanitas University in collaboration with Politecnico di Milano in Italy.  Here she discusses the impact that Jiahui’s Health Scholar Program had on her career path, insights into studies and advice for anyone considering a career in the healthcare space.
01What made you want to take part in Jiahui’s Health Scholar Program?

I have always loved understanding how things work. As a child, ‘why’ was probably the word that I used the most. In fact, for my 12th birthday, my parents gave me a book called Il Libro dei Perchè (The Book of Whys).

As I grew up, my curiosity was channeled into how our body works, and ultimately, I developed an interest in healthcare. However, despite this, I still was not sure exactly what I wanted to do. So, when I came across the Jiahui Health Scholar Program, I thought it was a great opportunity to learn exactly what happens in a hospital.

In the end, the programme proved to be exactly what I needed to give me the final push in applying to medical universities. 

02What was your favourite part of the programme?

The part I enjoyed most was the lunches with the doctors. They enabled me to not only understand what their job entailed but also how they got there, valuable insights about their careers, and what life is like outside of the hospital. It was in these lunch sessions that I started getting interested in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, a path I am still considering today!

03You are currently pursuing a double degree in medicine and biomedical engineering. What made you decide to follow this path?

I initially heard about my degree four years ago, and although I was initially amazed by the course, it sounded impossible to do, so I did not think about it much. However, as my applications to universities started to get more serious, I realised that the course was what I wanted to do. The combination of two disciplines struck me as a brilliant combination for the future.

This course prepares the doctors of the future and opens doors for careers that we have not even heard of yet. Being some of the first people to graduate with these degrees will place us in an amazing position.

04What do these degrees entail and what do you enjoy about them?

During the course, we spend a portion of our time having engineering lectures and the other portion having medical lectures. Although the degrees are separate, our professors take care to incorporate insights from both sides. We also have various transdisciplinary workshops which integrate the two disciplines. Additionally, earlier this year, we had an amazing opportunity to use the Da Vinci robot simulator.

These are all things that excite me. I love learning about how technology can be implemented in the medical field to make the doctor’s life easier as well as maximise the efficiency and accuracy of the patient’s care.

05Do you have a certain career goal in mind?

I am not sure about which path I will take in the future, as there are too many exciting options out there! Currently, my two main options are either practising medicine in the field of OB-GYN or being involved in the biomedical engineering industry — in product development, for example. 

I still have five more years, so hopefully, I will get a clearer idea in the meantime! But for the moment, I feel that I am in the right place and that I will be able to make the right decision.

06What advice would you give to someone thinking about pursuing studies or a career in healthcare?

Explore all your options. There are many degrees in healthcare that do not necessarily have to be medicine and surgery. Understand what it is that truly interests you in the field and how you would apply it in the future.

For now, I would say the best thing to do would be to gain experience and insight in the medical field to understand if it suits you. In the end, your drive and determination will get you to exactly where you want to be. You just have to be sure of what it is that interests you!

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