Upsurge
Tam Wai Jia is an incredibly accomplished individual.
She is a medical doctor, an author, a painter, a humanitarian philanthropist, and has even made it to the Forbes 30 under 30 list.
But what if she had done none of that? That essentially was what went through her head when she went for an ultrasound at a hospital (in the US).
Her visit to the hospital was immediately punctuated by administrative issues. Namely, whether she needed one form or two forms.
“As I stood my ground, the lady across the counter became increasingly annoyed, saying once again, ‘You need to have the other forms.’”
‘No, I’m only here for the ultrasound to see my baby,’ I said. ‘So I’ve only got one form.’
As her voice got louder, and her tone, more irritated, I explained myself, ‘I don’t want the blood tests, I’ve chosen not to do them.’
She frowned, rolled her eyes and then tsk-tsked at me. In one moment, I felt thoroughly uneducated.
“By this time, a belligerent, matronly lady who looked like her supervisor had trudged up to me, her sleeves rolled up and her arms folded.
As she towered over me, a little Asian mom in her shorts and lululemons stained with my toddler’s yoghurt handprints, with little Sarah-Faith trailing behind me, a loud, dragon-like bellow echoed through the waiting hall, ‘Look lady, you gotta have ALL the forms okay? You understand me?'”
“’Yes, I do understand,’ I said quietly, a little intimidated and embarrassed, with pressure behind my eyes.
With my face flushed, I half-whispered to the hulking supervisor nurse, ‘I’m a medical doctor. I understand these tests and their implications very well. But that’s exactly why I only want the ultrasound, and not the blood tests.'”
‘Immediately, both sets of eyes fell onto the desk. Within a second, the air, fraught with tension, had dissolved into a furious typing and scribbling. ‘You’re next.'”
‘No, I’m only here for the ultrasound to see my baby,’ I said. ‘So I’ve only got one form.’
As her voice got louder, and her tone, more irritated, I explained myself, ‘I don’t want the blood tests, I’ve chosen not to do them.’
She frowned, rolled her eyes and then tsk-tsked at me. In one moment, I felt thoroughly uneducated.
“By this time, a belligerent, matronly lady who looked like her supervisor had trudged up to me, her sleeves rolled up and her arms folded.
As she towered over me, a little Asian mom in her shorts and lululemons stained with my toddler’s yoghurt handprints, with little Sarah-Faith trailing behind me, a loud, dragon-like bellow echoed through the waiting hall, ‘Look lady, you gotta have ALL the forms okay? You understand me?'”
“’Yes, I do understand,’ I said quietly, a little intimidated and embarrassed, with pressure behind my eyes.
With my face flushed, I half-whispered to the hulking supervisor nurse, ‘I’m a medical doctor. I understand these tests and their implications very well. But that’s exactly why I only want the ultrasound, and not the blood tests.'”
‘Immediately, both sets of eyes fell onto the desk. Within a second, the air, fraught with tension, had dissolved into a furious typing and scribbling. ‘You’re next.'”
Full Article :
https://mothership.sg/2018/12/tam-wai-jia-success-singapore/
