Francis Khaw
Therapy Assistant
"If you treat every patient like a loved one, everything else will follow"
I’m Francis, a Therapy Assistant at St Luke’s Hospital. My healthcare journey began unexpectedly six years ago after a major life transition. After over 30 years of working in multinational corporations, I found myself retrenched and at a crossroads.
What truly inspired my path into healthcare was my daughter’s knee injury. While accompanying her to rehabilitation during my period of unemployment, a therapist suggested I consider healthcare as a career. I remember looking at the therapy assistants, thinking how fulfilling their work seemed. With encouragement from my late wife, who saw it as a meaningful way to give back to society, I took the plunge into a completely new field.
Working with patients for rehabilitation has taught me that healing is about more than just physical recovery. It’s about determination, patience, and bringing joy to the journey. I’ve witnessed stroke patients who arrived unable to walk, to being able to leave our care on their own two feet after weeks of dedicated therapy. These transformations remind me daily of the power of rehabilitation.
One particularly meaningful aspect of my work extends beyond the hospital walls to active ageing centres, where I lead exercise sessions for seniors. Overtime, I’ve built friendships with many participants, who often share endearing stories of their experiences and loved ones.
My care philosophy is simple: treat every patient as if they were your own family member. This approach transforms the work from a job to a calling. Patients are incredibly perceptive – they can sense when you truly care, and that genuine connection inspires them to participate more fully in their rehabilitation journey.
What keeps me going? Six years on, I still look forward to coming to work every day. The relationships I’ve built with colleagues across the hospital and the visible impact of our work on patients’ lives fills me with purpose. It was a 180-degree shift from working in operations to healthcare, but it’s become my source of happiness and fulfillment – a second chance that turned into a calling.
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