Joining the Ranks – Dr. Shanaz

Hello there,

Dr. Shanaz Stephen here, the newest addition to the KPF family (officially). As many of you would have noticed, I’ve actually been in KPF my whole life.

I’ve just recently graduated from my DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) course from MAHSA University and now am patiently waiting for Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia to place me to serve the government for the compulsory 1 year as a dental officer.

So, as I’ve been granted these few months of not being able to practice dentistry, I’ve joined the KPF team as a General Manager. Coming from a family of a purely medical background and nothing else, there was a lot for me to learn as I took up the managerial position in a dental clinic.

But enough about that, this post is actually about the adventures I’ll be pursuing in the state of my choice when serving the government for that 1 year, while still being GM of KPF of course. And the state I’ll be choosing: Sarawak.

Plenty have asked, why Sarawak? Why not KL? Don’t you like the city? Wouldn’t you want to be close to your family?

The answer was simple, I love travelling and this posting gives me the perfect opportunity to not only travel in my own country, but also explore parts of Borneo I’ve never been able to. I feel the only true way you can call yourself Malaysian, and to have deep rooted national pride, is to know your own country and understand the different states, areas, cultures and people this beautiful country we live in.

After all, I’m kind of a trekking and hiking junkie. What better place to be at if not Sarawak. Plus it allows me to also do some rock climbing, which I’m pretty fond of.

As you can see, the rocks are a sweet formation of limestone and have been exposed to rock climbers for a good number years, increasing their strength to their foundation. Thus, less chance of easily loose rocks and less chance of injuries :p

Of course, it wouldn’t be just a year long holiday for me. I’d still report as part of the New Dental Office Programme (NDOP) during my 1 year government posting. Learning the ropes as a dental officer under supervision of my seniors and my future Yang Menjaga (YM). As much as I’m excited for the travelling, mountains, rivers, and such; I’m just as excited to be exposed to the Oral Surgery Department in hopefully (crossed fingers), Sarawak General Hospital, and giving oral health talks and doing check ups for kids in the local nearby schools.

Nonetheless, it would be an experience I can’t wait to go through. I hope I learn plenty from my future posting and will able to apply all that I’ve learnt when I joined KPF once again as not just a GM but as an associate dentist. So for the meantime, I’m absorbing as much as I can, observing from the dentists in KPF, learning the business ropes, tightening up the screws (literally :p), utilising and managing our social media platforms and heeding all advice from my greatest mentor, friend and mother, Dr. Fauziah.

Feel free to email me at shanaz@story.drfauziah.com regarding anything at all, or if you have suggestions or complaints about our services or even tips on how to survive in Borneo.