When football is your life, being benched for an entire season is one of the worst things that can happen to you.

But that was exactly what happened to Mr Milton Yeong nine years ago when a severe ankle ligament injury forced him to take a two-month break from his professional football club, the Lion City Sailors – then known as Home United.

“I was so excited to play, to help the team out as best as I could,” said Mr Yeong of his 14-year-old self. “But being sidelined so suddenly, I felt so helpless, especially for not being able to play from the start of the season.”

But the injury later turned out to have far-reaching effects – though not in the way he expected. As a member of the team, Mr Yeong was able to receive regular treatment from the club’s physiotherapist.

Aside from treatments, the physiotherapist also prescribed him a training regime to maintain flexibility and keep his cardio levels up.

Without physiotherapy, the injury could have had much longer-lasting effects, including reoccurrences further down the line – but his physiotherapist’s efforts ensured that Mr Yeong was back on the pitch in a matter of weeks.

“He was really selfless,” recalled Mr Yeong. “As the only one who was injured at the time, my physiotherapist had to travel all the way to the club just for me, but he didn’t mind it at all.”

It was this selflessness that Mr Yeong couldn’t stop thinking about, even as he returned to the pitch, and ultimately why he was determined to help athletes like himself.

So when a senior told him about Republic Polytechnic’s (RP) Diploma in Sport & Exercise Science (DSES) at the School of Sports, Health and Leisure, he jumped at the chance to apply.

He said: “I looked at the curriculum, and a lot of the modules were very similar to what was being offered in physiotherapy courses at a university level, like injury management and prevention, anatomy and physiology and kinesiology. I thought it would be useful to prepare me for further education.”

On top of that, he was attracted to RP’s Problem-based Learning (PBL) approach. “In the DSES course, I would get to apply what I learnt in class to real-life problems rather than just memorise the content,” he said. 

With his heart set on the DSES, Mr Yeong opted to apply for the course through the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE). 

The Polytechnic EAE is a scheme that allows secondary school students to apply for and be accepted to polytechnics prior to the release of their O-Level results.

Preparing students to solve real-world problems

Being accepted into the DSES via the EAE scheme has turned out to be one of the best things to happen to Mr Yeong. 

Of particular note were the smaller class sizes, which he felt were much more conducive to learning. “At another school, you might have maybe 300 students to one lecturer, and the lecturer just talked to you while you took notes.

“My classes were much smaller, which was much more engaging.” 

Smaller classes also meant that Mr Yeong quickly grew more familiar with his classmates, which made the presentation-heavy coursework that much easier to deal with. 

During the lessons, students collaborate in groups and have the opportunity to present on a variety of assigned topics, ranging from injury protocol to treatment regimes. 

These learning and teaching activities encourage cooperation and teamwork between students, strengthening their relationships with one another – particularly useful in the small and tightly-knit physiotherapist community. 

Mr Yeong admitted that when he first started classes at RP, he used to have stage fright when giving presentations. “But the daily presentations have helped me to build my confidence,” he said.

Now in his second year in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physiotherapy at the Singapore Institute of Technology and a recipient of the MOH Holdings Healthcare Merit Award, Mr Yeong highly recommends the EAE option for anyone who has a clear idea of their passions and future careers.  

On top of that, Mr Yeong and his polytechnic classmates had the opportunity to apply what they had learnt in class through an internship.

In Mr Yeong’s case, he spent 20 weeks at a physiotherapy clinic and consultancy, where he treated all manner of patients from professional performers from the Singapore Dance Theatre to elderly patients in a nursing home. 

It was there that he developed a true appreciation for RP’s PBL approach, as he recognised that he had acquired the necessary skills to effectively handle the diverse challenges encountered in his workplace. 

For instance, one of his patients presented with a hamstring injury, which was not getting better despite a prolonged period of rest.

In-class practice had helped Mr Yeong correctly deduce – supported by his advising physiotherapist – that the correct course of action for that specific injury was to perform light stretches to maintain mobility and regain range of motion whilst appropriately loading the muscle with isometric exercises.

The patient’s recovery significantly improved after the treatment. 

“If I had just learnt the content through a lecture or a textbook, I wouldn’t have known how to apply it in a real-life scenario,” said Mr Yeong. “But because of my experience with PBL, I knew exactly what to do.”

Reflecting on his experience, he advised prospective students interested in applying for the DSES and other courses offered under the EAE to spend time working on their EAE write up and putting together a portfolio. Apart from exam results and achievements, Mr Yeong also included testimonials from teachers and coaches in the portfolio. 

“There will be  many other applicants vying for the same spot, so you have to make sure that your write-up is well put together and can stand out. It is also a good idea to do your research and be well-prepared for the EAE interview. 

“You only have one chance, so make sure you’re prepared.”

Learn all about Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) by signing up for the EAE Talk by Ms Jeanne Liew, Republic Polytechnic’s Principal & Chief Executive Officer, on Friday, June 9. RP’s experienced lecturers will also be present at the event to address your concerns and help you secure your dream course. Sign up now at https://form.gov.sg/64337c223e8d6600111bf042

Alternatively, find out more about EAE at https://www.rp.edu.sg/eae