Pharm2916
Nov 7, 2017
Scholarship / Chevening_Leadership experience gained from emergent events is often the most precious. [6]
Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.
(minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)
Leadership experience gained from emergent events is often the most precious. So far, my ability to respond in a crisis was honed during a major tragic event that occurred in Taiwan.
In June 2015, more than 500 people were injured when a fire ripped through a crowded party at an amusement park outside of Taipei, Taiwan's capital. At that time, I was a pharmacist at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. A few hours after the incident, many injured patients were sent to the hospital's emergency room. During the first weekend of the incident, some patients were transferred to the plastic surgery department, whilst I was a pharmacist at the inpatient pharmacy. Since I was the senior pharmacist on duty, the surge of patients and workload did not allow us to do business in line with the usual code of practice and work allocation. Therefore, I offered my advice to my colleagues on how to allocate our increased workload and maximise our limited resources. For example, at the time, the amount of albumin used exploded tenfold due to the increased need, which also demonstrates the increased volume of work. As a result, I urgently made emergency calls to pharmacists who lived nearby to work overtime. The following day, I also worked with another colleague to brief our supervisor about our workload over the weekend, and our supervisor also adjusted the manpower needed accordingly. After this, I was given the opportunity to be the substitute for the deputy supervisor thanks to my performance at work. I learnt from the incident that leaders must be decisive and have the relevant experience.
Now, I am working as the Pharmacist-in-charge of Leli Pharmacy in New Taipei City. Mainly, I led a group of pharmacists by delegating responsibilities in the pharmacy as well as creating a positive work atmosphere. Through prioritising ordering supplies, medications and equipment needed in the pharmacy, I have improved our working efficiency by 10%. In addition, I trained four new pharmacy employees on all of our department's procedures. Having the opportunity to be introduced to a variety of working styles as well as having a positive impact on my patients and colleagues, my love for pharmacy has deepened.
In addition, during my undergraduate studies at Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), I won an internship at the University of Southern California (USC). I was selected to be the group leader and to present our results for designing a new diabetes drug, Sitagliptin. Also, in 2008, when I was a high school senior, I presented our group's process for designing experiment procedures to professors at the Taiwan International Science Fair. I gained the experience of leading a group and presenting our findings, and we won the Honourable Mention Award.
Most of the time, leadership comes down to the accumulation of experiences. We need to influence others with our own passion, and learn how to communicate with others, including medical personnel or the general public. In this way, we can change society for the better. (498 words)
LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE QUESTION
Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.
(minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)
Leadership experience gained from emergent events is often the most precious. So far, my ability to respond in a crisis was honed during a major tragic event that occurred in Taiwan.
In June 2015, more than 500 people were injured when a fire ripped through a crowded party at an amusement park outside of Taipei, Taiwan's capital. At that time, I was a pharmacist at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. A few hours after the incident, many injured patients were sent to the hospital's emergency room. During the first weekend of the incident, some patients were transferred to the plastic surgery department, whilst I was a pharmacist at the inpatient pharmacy. Since I was the senior pharmacist on duty, the surge of patients and workload did not allow us to do business in line with the usual code of practice and work allocation. Therefore, I offered my advice to my colleagues on how to allocate our increased workload and maximise our limited resources. For example, at the time, the amount of albumin used exploded tenfold due to the increased need, which also demonstrates the increased volume of work. As a result, I urgently made emergency calls to pharmacists who lived nearby to work overtime. The following day, I also worked with another colleague to brief our supervisor about our workload over the weekend, and our supervisor also adjusted the manpower needed accordingly. After this, I was given the opportunity to be the substitute for the deputy supervisor thanks to my performance at work. I learnt from the incident that leaders must be decisive and have the relevant experience.
Now, I am working as the Pharmacist-in-charge of Leli Pharmacy in New Taipei City. Mainly, I led a group of pharmacists by delegating responsibilities in the pharmacy as well as creating a positive work atmosphere. Through prioritising ordering supplies, medications and equipment needed in the pharmacy, I have improved our working efficiency by 10%. In addition, I trained four new pharmacy employees on all of our department's procedures. Having the opportunity to be introduced to a variety of working styles as well as having a positive impact on my patients and colleagues, my love for pharmacy has deepened.
In addition, during my undergraduate studies at Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU), I won an internship at the University of Southern California (USC). I was selected to be the group leader and to present our results for designing a new diabetes drug, Sitagliptin. Also, in 2008, when I was a high school senior, I presented our group's process for designing experiment procedures to professors at the Taiwan International Science Fair. I gained the experience of leading a group and presenting our findings, and we won the Honourable Mention Award.
Most of the time, leadership comes down to the accumulation of experiences. We need to influence others with our own passion, and learn how to communicate with others, including medical personnel or the general public. In this way, we can change society for the better. (498 words)