Meet Brandon Tan Zhiming. Brandon works as a SAT 2 trainee at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear hospital. He is an elected member of Trainee Committee. Brandon’s clinical interests include regional anaesthesia and pain medicine.
What does the Association Trainee Committee mean to you?
The Association Trainee Committee serves to represent and lobby for all issues trainee related. In addition to that, Trainee Committee acts as a source of support, guidance and community for all trainees, much as the Association does for all practitioners of anaesthesiology on the daily.
What has most surprised you since joining the trainee committee?
How fun and welcoming everybody is.
What would you like to achieve in your time on the trainee committee?
I hope to be a voice for trainees in the Republic of Ireland as my predecessors have been and also encourage more engagement from trainees here with the Association.
Why did you decide to become an anaesthetist/doctor?
As a medical student in my pre-clinical years, I enjoyed studying physiology and pharmacology. Later on, I enjoyed my rotations in anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine. In my intern year, I preferred managing acute problems on the ward to chronic disease and ward rounds. As such, I thought of exploring anaesthesiology.
What do you like most about your job?
I enjoy how unpredictable the job can be and how you have to be ready to spring into action at any time. I like that looking after patients in the peri-operative period often means caring for them when they are at their sickest and most nervous. Though it is a heavy responsibility, and one usually made with no other choice, having such trust bestowed unto you by another human being is a privilege.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to write in my free time. I also enjoy street photography, playing the guitar and playing tennis. In my secondary school and university days I was a water polo player, playing in the local leagues and international competitions, I hope to get back to it some day.