From working as a male nurse to his current position as Head of Medical Affairs and Quality at a hospital in Brunei, Azif Zahirin Md Amin’s career leap is inspiring and worthy of the limelight.

In 2018, he was selected to represent Private Healthcare Productivity Nexus (PHPN) Malaysia to visit various organisations in Japan, including the Toyota Manufacturing Company. Since then, he continues to serve the country as PHPN’s industry productivity specialist and virtual advisory services advisor.

This Johorean enrolled in the Master of Quality Management (MQM) in 2016. A truly dedicated learner, Azif passed with distinction by obtaining an almost perfect CGPA of 3.94 when he graduated in 2019.

“If people tend to avoid problems, I like to understand them and work to solve them.”

“I had no solid academic background in quality and risk management when I started my career. I practised through observation, on-the-job training, and with continuous support from my mentor, Huey Dze. Plus, the MQM modules were easy to understand. It helped me to apply theoretical and practical knowledge systematically.”

As someone who holds an important leadership role at the hospital, Azif has to ensure he can consistently make the right decisions as his job is all about implementing healthcare quality and patient safety best practices, continuous quality improvement initiatives, promoting quality management system, and beyond.

“Even though I am no longer a male nurse, the job has inculcated passion in my current role. While I no longer provide bedside nursing care like before, I can still help patients by promoting adherence to standards of the quality management system. This is the reason why I love what I do.”

Azif is also a problem-solver, which suits his role well in the workplace. “If people tend to avoid problems, I like to understand them and work to solve them. I enjoy problem-solving activities, especially brainstorming. I also love to try out new ideas and theories, which means breaking the rules at times,” Azif shares.

Other than his love and commitment for the job, this family-oriented man truly enjoys spending time with his wife and seven children. “I rarely hang out with friends. My wife and kids are my best friends. I spend most of my time with them.”

In fact, one of the reasons he relocated to Brunei is to give his children a less hectic environment to grow up. So far, it seems he made the right decision as they have been enjoying their time there for the past eight months.

Other than taking care of his family’s well-being and creating memories with them, this young father has plans for himself too. “God-willing, I am also working on my plan to pursue a PhD.”