CHRISTY LEUNG
The lives of medical doctors are hectic, having to juggle between the ward and clinic duties. Typically, junior doctors work for long hours, take naps and head back to work, leaving little time for entertainment. Nicole Phoebe Tanner is, however, no ordinary doctor — she is a paediatrician by day and a stand-up comedian at night. This may come as a surprise to many, considering paediatricians are among the five specialties with the longest working hours, according to a survey by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority. What is paediatrics?
Paediatricians are doctors who take care of children and adolescents’ health. Contrary to adults, children are in general less outspoken — instead of voicing out specific somatic complaints, they tend to express discomfort by crying, throwing tantrums, or even self-isolating. Infants and children admitted as alleged child abuse victims are in particular difficult to engage. Moreover, it is not an easy task to explain medical conditions to children with limited vocabulary, even more so when the pathophysiology involves cytokines and receptors. Amidst the above mentioned obstacles, how does Tanner communicate and build solid relationships with this patient group? The Journal of Young Investigators was honoured to interview Tanner and find out the answer.
From Tanner’s perspective, effective communication with children firstly involves jumping out of the “white coat” image of doctors. In the wards, Tanner is not only a doctor who corrects children’s electrolyte disturbances or dehydration, but also a big sister who jokes along with sick children. It is essential for children to realise that doctors do not only approach them for physical examination or blood-taking, but also treat them as friends. While this is a soft skill that can be easily acquired, the technique of describing medical conditions to the paediatric population requires even more practice.
Stemming from a passion for public health and medical education, Tanner joined the Fame Lab competition when she was in her third year of medical school. Participants were given five minutes to communicate scientific knowledge in the most effective and entertaining way. Unconventionally, Tanner spoke about colon cancer to break the taboos of “poo” and “cancer” . Despite colon cancer being mainly an adult medical condition, it was crucial that Tanner taught the audience it is not embarrassing to monitor our stools and call for help when there are signs and symptoms. Eventually, Tanner won the Hong Kong local competition, was named a runner-up in the international competition and was invited to perform in a conference and children’s science workshop. These accolades served as recognition for her effort in promoting health and disease prevention. Building on previous achievements, Tanner creates comedic music videos for lay audiences nowadays, aiming to promote health in a casual way.
Fortunately for Tanner, performing in front of an audience has been a hobby that she feels comfortable and confident with, be it acting in musicals, singing, or emceeing. Despite taking a break from these opportunities during stressful years of medical school, the adrenaline rush, flexibility in commitment, and equal extent of joy from performing attracted Tanner to take up stand-up comedy as a hobby after medical school graduation. When asked about managing her triple roles as a paediatrician, stand-up comedian, and video creator, a strong message Tanner conveyed was that “when you love doing something, it does not feel like work” — if we pick the hobbies we truly enjoy, they can co-exist with work. With adequate time management, there is surely a chance of success.
In Hong Kong, paediatrics is not only known for its long working hours, but also for its competitiveness and rigorous standards. A characteristic of paediatrics is that parents are hugely involved in the decision-making process. It is common for anxious parents to file medical complaints out of concern for their children, especially if treatment decisions and medical procedures are not sufficiently explained. As a result, it is very much required for paediatricians to read up on cases even past working hours, catching up on current protocols and clinical practice overseas. Having gained research experience from the Global Physician-Leadership Stream (GPS) programme during medical school, Tanner found literature review as a doctor more manageable. This may have helped her free up more spare time to pursue her pastimes.
Lastly, Tanner sheds light on choosing specialties for aspiring doctors. While medical students may have a particular specialty in mind right from the start of medical school, it is not too late to decide only after attaching various specialties in clinical years. It is of utmost importance that students figure out which patient group makes them most passionate, drives them, and fuels their ambition to help. “I always enjoyed the thrill of surgery, but I realised I wanted to do Paediatrics in my 5th year of medical school when I picked up my first baby [where] she was admitted for neglect.” Tanner recalled. “Visiting her often and caring for her deeply made me realise where my heart was.”
Overall, Tanner’s journey from medical school to paediatric residency and the juggle of triple roles are uplifting stories, demonstrating that doctors can live fruitful lives and that there is no fixed “perfect specialty”. Her love for children is unwavering. Still, in her late twenties, Tanner has a long, exciting career in medicine and performing arts ahead. Her projects are still expanding, with her newest one about writing and illustrating a children’s book. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for this exceptionally entertaining and energised paediatrician.