MSWs like Andy Sim (right) provide counselling and psycho-education to patients with chronic or end-stage renal disease and their family members to help them cope with the disease.
This senior medical social worker has a keen interest in palliative and end-of-life care
Supporting kidney patients through tough times and touching their lives is what gives Mr Andy Sim, Senior Medical Social Worker (MSW), Medical Social Services, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a sense of satisfaction. “When I am able to round the sharp edges off very bad news and give patients the ability to cope, that is what drives me,” Mr Sim, 35, said.
Having a warm personality, an ability to understand and appreciate other people’s circumstances, and a liking for working with people, the affable bachelor joined SGH as an MSW for the Department of Renal Medicine about eight years ago.
“We provide counselling and psycho-education to patients with chronic or end-stage renal disease and their family members to help them cope with the disease. Before patients are discharged, especially the elderly or those requiring rehabilitation care, we also provide discharge care arrangements,” Mr Sim said. He facilitates patients’ applications for financial assistance to pay for their hospitalisation bills and recommends community resources to help reintegrate them into the community.
When he realised that his interest lay in palliative and end-of-life care, he took courses on grief and bereavement and end-of-life care. “I am also a certified thanatologist – someone who deals with end-of-life education and counselling,” said Mr Sim.
So intent was he on furthering his interest that he headed to New York University on an SGH scholarship to pursue a Master of Social Work degree, specialising in palliative and end-of-life care. He returned home last September. For his degree, he had to complete 1,200 hours of clinical work. “I was placed for a year in a palliative and oncology setting and had the chance to work with patients and doctors on advance care discussions and planning,” Mr Sim said.
Learning about advance care processes in the US has come in handy as Mr Sim’s department is participating in an SGH pilot project to formalise advance care planning.
“At least 40 per cent of my time is spent on advance care because I am not only doing the facilitation, but I am also the coordinator for developing the curriculum and training of advocates at SGH,” said Mr Sim. The facilitator engages the patient and his family in completing the discussions and documents to formalise their care plan. The advocate is someone who initiates and introduces advance care planning to the patient.
Mr Sim’s job puts him in a position where he constantly experiences the pain and suffering of those who sometimes have little hope of recovery, but support from friends, family and colleagues helps him take things in stride. He also runs regularly to de-stress. During his US sojourn, the avid runner completed nine half-marathons and one full marathon.
This story was first published in Singapore Health, Jul-Aug 2014 issue.