DR RON NG
Discover how Dr Ron Ng went from Outram Secondary School to NUS Medical School — one of the first polytechnic graduates to do so — and what drove him to become a doctor.
Graduate of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (One of the first two to be accepted from a polytechnic)
A Big Dream Sowed in Outram
Outramian, Dr Ron Ng, Class of 2003, was one of the first students in Singapore to be accepted into our local medical school, the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, directly from the polytechnic. Together with another polytechnic graduate, Ron made headlines in the local media when he gained admission into the medical school after attaining his diploma in 2007 in Biomedical Laboratory Technology at Nanyang Polytechnic.
Now a medical officer at the Singapore General Hospital, Dr Ng is grateful for the careful nurturing he experienced in Outram which he believes made an impact on his development into the man he is now. He recalls, “Outram was the starting point of where I am today. My teachers saw the potential in me and nurtured me to assume leadership positions and gave me opportunities to organise and participate in events that definitely enriched my experience and time in school.”
Dr Ng was inspired to be a doctor when he was in Secondary 3. He was surrounded by classmates who dared to dream big and spurred by their guts, he asked himself what he really wanted to do with his life. He realised that what he wanted was to be in the bio-medical field in a job that would provide human interaction, allow him to move around the workplace and not be deskbound, and one that would put him in a position to render help to others. Many other jobs fulfilled the criteria, for e.g. paramedics and nurses. But to Dr Ng, what is unique about being a doctor is that you are the leader - you lead the team and you show the way to how a patient can recover in the best possible way.
Dr Ng, is grateful that Outram is a school that is responsive to student needs. The school opened up a Pure Biology class for his batch when eligible students qualified to study the subject. In addition, Dr Ng adds, with a supportive and dedicated teaching staff, Outram has proved to more than just another neighbourhood school. Outram is one which can turn stones, like him, into gems.
Asked what he wants Outramians to remember to spur them to achieve success, he says, “Be daring to dream! And indeed Labor Omnia Vincit! If you dare to dream and work hard for what you believe in, success is not far away!”