Howard Liu

Name: Howard Liu

Career stage: Student

Location: Gold Coast

Position:

Which University are you currently attending?

I am currently attending Griffith University.

What areas of medicine have you enjoyed most so far in your studies?

The highlights have been clinical education and patient interaction.

What factors are important to you in your choice of career/specialty?

Interest, lifestyle, enjoyable field to practice in, wide range of presenting disorders.

What specialty have you short listed and why?

Orthopaedic surgery
I'm good with my hands (not my feet however!), I work frequently with Orthopods and I feel they do a great job with improving patient's functioning, and I like performing musculoskeletal assessments!

Neurology
I currently work in age care and neuro rehabilitation and it's really interesting! You'd be surprised how elderly patients present so differently to younger patients with the same condition. It's a challenging area, but very rewarding when you see a stroke patient undergoing your management plan, and after 6-7 months, they start walking with progressively greater function!

General Practice
You can be asked to see any possible case, from any field of medicine, and best of all, you basically try to diagnose them. I love solving puzzles, and as a GP I believe problem solving takes basically the whole consultation. You're involved with the continual process of managing the patient's condition, so you get to know the patient (and their family) really well. Plus it has the flexibility to get your family and lifestyle set up.

What do you do outside of medicine to relax?

Watch movies/TV, listen to music, hang out with friends, dining out, and most importantly, sleep!