Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is a multidisciplinary and the second largest hospital in Singapore. My practicum site is Department of Clinical Epidemiology (DCE) in TTSH. DCE is responsible for disease surveillance, outbreak investigation / response and research.  Because of its excellence in infectious diseases research and extensive experience in handling of emerging infectious diseases, I chose TTSH as my practicum site. I participated to a research project for better understanding of the use of antibiotic in emergency setting and developed a summary to compare the situation of antimicrobial resistance and the strategies between Hong Kong and Singapore. Duties included literature review, sorting potential subjects, obtaining consent, filling questionnaire, delivery of specimens to National Public Health Laboratory, data entry, data analysis and report writing.

The most rewarding part of this practicum is the familiarization of the Singapore health system and the antimicrobial situation and policies in Singapore through extensive literature review, data analysis, oral presentation and discussion with Practicum Supervisor and colleagues. Not only consolidated my knowledge of epidemiology, I also acquired new skills in data analysis using various statistical tools such as STATA and EpiSheet.

TTSH provides various platforms for student to learn and explore. I have learnt a lot not restricted  from official practicum works but also from local context, weekly mass lecture, and the daily  interactions with other inters, which all better equipped me to practice public health in the future.