When Polly Lau Mo-yee decided to follow a doctorate degree programme, climbing the corporate ladder was not the first thing on her mind: a wish to help others and prove something to herself were the main spurs to her academic pursuit.
Ms Lau is manager at the Kowloon Central Cluster Physiotherapy Department at the Hospital Authority. She is also a member of the Hospital Authority Board and president of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association.
She is also one of the first batch of students studying for a doctor of health science degree at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The degree programme was launched in 2004, and Ms Lau expects to graduate next year.
'I am no longer young, and I have already achieved what I possibly can,' Ms Lau said. 'There is only a slim chance I'll get promoted further.'
She said her real reasons for further studies were to become a better person and provide patients better health management.
Unlike most PhD programmes, which are research-driven, this programme focuses on practice within the profession. Half of the credits are earned from taught subjects, while the balance credits come from the doctoral thesis.