life. There is no dedicated module in the medical curriculum on how to take care of patients in their final days. We have to listen attentively to the needs of patients and their families, practise the basics and exercise our best possible judgment on a day-to-day basis,’ said Dr Sin, recalling how he helped a friend in the advanced stage of cancer convey to his family his genuine wish of having no further medical intervention. On another occasion, Dr Sin and his teammate rushed all the way from QMH to another hospital to help a young myocarditis patient suffering from cardiac arrest, who eventually recovered and is now planning to have a family. The patient also sent a video message to thank Dr Sin at the Hospital Authority Outstanding Staff Award. ‘Patients may eventually pass away, but their family are often grateful for our efforts to relieve pain and console in the most difficult hour. The entire process is very fulfilling,’ said Dr Sin, pointing at some of the thank-you cards sent by families of the deceased. ‘It is always a pleasure serving patients on the frontline.’ Sustaining Devotion Notwithstanding their heavy workload and hectic schedules, each of the department/unit heads featured in these pages has developed his own formula to sustain stamina and spirit. For Professor Rainer, music offers the best therapy. ‘I play the trumpet for personal enjoyment. There is something about music. When you focus on the music and playing, you forget everything else.’ As a devout Christian, Professor Rainer also spends ‘quite a lot of time’ to develop his relationship with God and with other people. ‘There are a lot of balancing effects to help face the pressure,’ he added. Sharing Professor Rainer’s view on the therapeutic effect of art, Professor Bae finds his haven in painting. He paints quite a few, and displays some of his paintings around his office. He finds the natural scenery outside his staff quarters ‘so impressive and fascinating that, I tell myself, if I don’t paint, that’s delinquent.’ He also likes painting something new and something weird, and experimenting different themes, ‘such as something abstract and behind human psychology.’ Driven by his curiosity and determination to excel, Professor Bae maintains a rigid routine and never stops learning. ‘Every day I walk back to work. After work I go exercise, have dinner, and study. Sometimes I go hiking and paint. I’m learning Cantonese. I’ve been taking classes so I can speak Korean, English, Japanese and Mandarin. Now you have YouTube and all those live streaming. It’s amazing to have all the resources. If you don’t learn, it’s your fault, not a resource problem. It is always exciting to learn something new.’ A disciplined marathon runner, Dr Sin sees ‘work-life balance’ differently though. ‘Medical doctors may come up with a different definition for “work-life balance”. We devote our full selves when working and enjoy what we do. We find joy, meaning and satisfaction in our work and that leads to a very fulfilling life,’ he said. On adhering to the lifetime commitment as a medical professional, Professor Rainer advised, ‘Don’t give up on your dreams. Twenty years ago, there was no sign that my dream of building a department of Emergency Medicine could be fulfilled in Hong Kong or more recently in Cardiff. And yet a door opened for me to come back to Hong Kong, to HKUMed, where my dream came true,’ Professor Rainer said. ‘Learn to be patient, to persevere, to cope with the hard times, and it will pay off.’ ↓As a medical practitioner, Dr Sin sees ‘work-life balance’ differently. 行醫多年，冼醫生對 「工作與生活平衡」另 有見解。 29 HKUMed News Winter 2022
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