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In Career 5 Mins Read

6 Reasons to Harness the Power of Lifelong Learning

The job market nowadays is faster-paced and more competitive than ever. With the different ways and the speed at which technology evolves, entire industries can transform in the blink of an eye. If you want to be able to keep up, then you need to invest more in yourself. Specifically, you need to make sure that your skills and knowledge are up to par with the latest trends, standards, and requirements of your industry.

One way to do this is to pursue lifelong learning. After all, learning doesn’t just happen within the classroom, and it certainly doesn’t stop after you finish school. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to pick up new skills and hone what you already know. For example, if you live in Singapore, you can enrol in SkillsFuture credit courses in a variety of fields that include engineering, business, infocomm technology, and even culinary arts. You can also take up new hobbies, learn a new language, or get certified in first aid.

Apart from keeping up with the times, there are many more reasons to embrace lifelong learning. Here are just a few:

Future-Proofing Your Career

As mentioned earlier, industries evolve at a breakneck pace nowadays. The best practices today may not necessarily be the best practices tomorrow; the same can be said about in-demand skills. If you aren’t consistently working towards improving and increasing your competencies, you’ll definitely be left behind by your peers.

Through lifelong learning, you’ll be able to future-proof your career. Besides making you a valuable asset to your organisation, your commitment to continuous self-development also shows your employer that you are someone who’s worth keeping around.

Broadening Your Job Options

After working for years in a specific field, there may come a time when you feel like it’s time for a change. However, hopping from one role to another might not be as simple as you think it is. For one, there are plenty of qualified individuals vying for limited positions; this can make it difficult for you to stand out.

If you enrol in training programmes to learn new skills, especially industry-specific and transferable ones, it will be easier for you to transition into a new job. You’ll also have an easier time exploring opportunities in other industries, should you want a completely new career.

Expanding Your Professional Network

When you invest your time in lifelong learning, you’ll get to know more people outside of your usual circle of coworkers and industry colleagues. From your instructors to your fellow learners, you can expand your professional network considerably through continuing education. This will be quite valuable for your social life, as well as your future job prospects.

Getting to know other people can also help you in cultivating new ideas and encountering fresh perspectives. Both of these can further broaden your horizons, not just in terms of your career but also life in general.

Acquiring and Developing Soft Skills

Most jobs require highly specific skills, such as operating heavy machinery or writing a computer programme. However, if you want to truly advance in your chosen career, you also need to develop a variety of soft skills like the following:

  • Critical thinking
  • Creativity
  • Time management
  • Problem solving
  • Creativity
  • Conflict management
  • Leadership
  • Communication

Through lifelong learning, you can acquire and develop plenty of soft skills. These can then help you build character, as well as help you achieve your professional goals. What’s even better is that all of these soft skills are also transferable. As such, if ever you want to change career paths sometime in the future, your transition will be much smoother.

Keeping Your Brain Healthy

While the human brain isn’t actually a muscle, it still requires exercise to keep it in good shape. You can do this through many different ways, including solving puzzles or reading more books. If you want to hit two proverbial birds with one stone, however, you can enrol in a certification training course or any other lifelong learning programme you prefer.

By doing so, not only will you be able to improve your memory and strengthen your cognitive function, but you will also be able to boost your career prospects.

Feeling More Confident, Fulfilled, and Motivated

Last but certainly not least, lifelong learning can help you feel better about yourself. First, mastering new skills and learning new things boosts your self-confidence and sense of self-worth. When you know you can do your job well and exceed expectations, you’ll feel more confident and become a better, more efficient worker.

What’s more, lifelong learning can increase your sense of self-fulfilment and satisfaction. When you finish a course and are able to apply what you’ve learned at work, you feel proud about what you’ve accomplished. This feeling can then spill over to other aspects of your life, helping you feel even happier with your life progress.

As the saying goes, it’s never too late to learn. No matter how old you are or how far along you are in your career journey, there’s always room for growth. Consider all of the above benefits and you might just be convinced to start harnessing the power of lifelong learning today.

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In Career 3 Mins Read

4 Things All Physicians Should Consider Before Accepting A New Position

Regardless of whether you have been offered your first permanent role as a physician or are looking for career advancement, there are many things you will need to consider before accepting that all-important job offer. 

Moving to a new place of work or a new department can bring with it many challenges, so you must give it the consideration it deserves. 

Here are 4 things all physicians should consider before accepting a new position.

Reputation

One of the critical things to consider when accepting a new role is to ask yourself whether the ethos and reputation of the hospital or clinic is a good fit for you. If they have a terrible reputation for patient care or are well known for having high staff turnover, perhaps it might not be the right move. Do some research and make sure it feels right. If you will have a team of staff below you, ask to spend some time with them and gauge how well you think you might work together. 

Your gut instincts will be a reasonably failsafe indicator of whether it’s going to be a good move.

Career Goals

Will the new position take your career to the next step or are you sidestepping for no good reason? If there are no significant differences between the new role and your existing one, you need to ask yourself whether there is any point moving. 

If, on the other hand, the new position is going to be a good stepping stone to get to where you want to be in the longer term, then you are probably headed in the right direction. 

Contract 

If you have already decided to accept a job offer, you may have been presented with a very lengthy and detailed contract to sign. It’s a wise move to get someone with legal or contractual experience to look over it, particularly if you don’t understand some of the terminologies. 

According to Physicians Thrive, an advisory group for doctors and surgeons, physicians who don’t have their contracts reviewed put themselves in professional jeopardy. Make sure you understand all of the terms, caveats, and obligations before you sign, or you could regret it further down the line.

Family

If your new position involves relocating, it will have an impact on your whole family, so they must be all on board and agreeable. 

The job of a physician can be very demanding, and although the new role may attract a higher salary, you need to establish what other changes it will bring. 

You may already work unsociable hours, but if the new position dictates that your hours will increase further, is your partner okay with that? Will it affect their career or your current childcare set up? 

You will likely need to have some very detailed discussions with your family before accepting any new role. While it could bring lots of benefits, you need to be sure that it’s the right decision for all concerned. 

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In Career 7 Mins Read

If You Want a Career as a Doctor: 5 Things You Need to Know

If you ever heard the phrase “not all heroes wear capes,” then you should know that it refers to the selfless acts done by the likes of firefighters, police officers, and especially doctors. Whether a doctor is needed for checkups or to help someone recover from a terrible event, they are among some of the most influential people we interact within our daily lives.

Do you want a career as a doctor? If you’re going to become a medical professional, then there are things you need to know.

1. Know What Undergrad Classes to Take

No matter the role you’ll end up taking as a future doctor, it is crucial to take the right classes during undergrad. Here are the basic elements for any pre-medical education you could partake in:

  • One year of college Biology with laboratory. In Biology, you will learn about genetics, cells, and the framework of life, which are the building blocks of medical science and are crucial to succeed in the field.
  • One year of General (inorganic) Chemistry with laboratory: Provides you with a strong basis for understanding acid-base imbalances in the human body and how different medications work.
  • 24 semester hours of Biology and Chemistry
  • One year or 6-8 semester hours of Mathematics: You will want to take Calculus or Statistics. Math is vital for doctors because it will help you to determine the proper medicine dosage for patients as well as read lab results.
  • One year or eight semester hours of General Physics: You will be introduced to key medical concepts, such as laws of pressure and volume, which are essential for cardiology and understanding how forces operate in the body.

In addition to taking science and math courses, there are some classes that will help you start preparing early for the MCAT exam:

  • English: Helps you with your critical thinking, reading and writing skills
  • Biochemistry: There is an increased emphasis on this subject on the MCAT
  • Psychology and sociology: With the added section on the MCAT, you will need a better understanding of these two subjects
  • Medical anthropology or history: Learn about how medicine has changed over the years.

No matter what major you choose during undergrad, you will want to make sure you maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher. Medical school admissions are highly competitive, so the better you do as an undergrad student, the higher your chances of getting into the school of your choice.

2. Take the Time to do Extracurricular Activities, Volunteer Work and Internships

While doing well as an undergrad student is important, it is also essential that medical schools see that you are a well-rounded student. In addition to finding job opportunities related to the medical field, you should have experience with underserved populations. More and more medical schools are looking for passionate students who are compassionate about addressing the health care needs of diverse populations. This experience will allow you to talk first hand about your experience, what you gained from it, and how you can use this perspective as a future physician.

Volunteering is another experience future medical students should have. Look into volunteering at a hospital or clinic to gain exposure to working in a health care setting or Volunteer as an emergency medical technician. Consider working in crisis-affected communities with a medical corps group — volunteer at a summer camp counsellor working with children with disabilities. No matter where you volunteer, commit and stick with it. The length of time you volunteer somewhere will look more favourable versus only doing it for short stints.

As a future doctor, you will want to show medical schools that you have teaching and leadership experience. One of the most important roles a physician plays is being a teacher when they impart information to their patients. You can gain teaching experience through teaching swimming, a musical instrument to a child, or becoming a teaching assistant. To gain leadership experience, consider holding an office in the student government, in an on-campus club, or organisation. Look into mentoring at-risk youth or organise an event on-campus or in your local community.

Whether you volunteer, work in the medical field or take on a leadership role, it is vital that you show medical schools that you are willing and capable of working hard to accomplish any goal you set for yourself.

3. Spend Time Studying and Preparing for the MCAT

All prospective medical students must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). This computer-based standardised test was developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges and is administered fourteen times a year at the Prometric Testing Centers. The exam takes eight hours to complete and will test your physical and biological sciences as well as verbal reasoning. The four main sections of the exam include:

  • Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
  • Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
  • Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
  • Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

When preparing to take the MCAT, you will want to allow at least twelve weeks to study.

Make sure you register early through the AAMC website so you can secure your test date and location. Once you know your test date, set up a study schedule, and make sure you stick to it. Next, invest in suitable study materials that give you the option to take as many practice tests as you can. It’s best to simulate what the actual test will be like, so there are no surprises on your test day.

4. Take Time to Research Medical Schools

Before you narrow down what medical schools you want to apply to, make sure you take your time to research each school. Some things to consider when researching potential medical schools include:

  • What is the cost to attend? Is there access to financial aid?
  • What is the atmosphere of the school? Is it calm and collaborative? Or cut-throat and competitive?
  • What is student life like? Consider talking to current students or alumni.
  • What is the faculty to student ratio?
  • What is the teaching quality like? Ask current students for their perspective.

Think about visiting the medical schools you are considering applying to. This will give you a chance to talk with current students, alumni, professors, as well as the admissions office and ask them questions about the school, curriculum, and life outside of class. While you are at the school, tour the campus and the surrounding area to get a better idea of what it would be like to live there and attend school.

5. Know the Application and Interview Process

When you start the application process for medical school, you need to remember that schools admit students on a rolling basis. This means that spaces in the program are offered to qualified candidates until all spots are filled.

For your primary application, you will submit a single application through one of three centralised application services; AMCAS (for MD admissions), TMDSAS (for Texas Medical Schools), AACOMAS (for DO admissions). Your primary application will provide medical schools with the information that need for the initial screening process. The application will include:

  • Transcripts
  • MCAT scores
  • Information about your most meaningful experiences. This is where you would include extracurricular activities, research, volunteer work, clinical work, etc.
  • Personal statement
  • Letters of recommendation

Make sure to submit your application as early as possible. Applications that are submitted early in the cycle will be reviewed first, which will give you a better chance of acceptance.

There are two possible outcomes after you submit your primary application. First, it could be rejected, or second, the school will send you its secondary application. The secondary application usually includes a variety of essays you must write on assigned topics. 

Once your secondary medical school application is reviewed, you will either be rejected, invited to the campus for an interview, or your application will be put on hold until after the first round of interviews. If your application is placed on hold, it will be reviewed as other candidates accept or decline offers.

Final Thoughts

These five things will help you on your way to becoming a doctor. Start preparing during your undergrad career as you begin your journey to becoming a medical professional.

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