Profile
Dr So Young Kim
Dr So Young Kim is a Rehabilitation Medicine Specialist based in Auckland, focused on brain injury recovery and advocating for expanded rehab services in Aotearoa New Zealand.
29 July 2025
RACP — Kia ora, Dr Kim and welcome to RACP Specialists Week. Thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule to chat with us today. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Dr So Young Kim — Sure, I was born in South Korea then moved to Christchurch and went to high School there. After High School I moved to Sydney and studied Health Sciences at the University of New South Wales and also started my Rehab Medicine training in Sydney. I ended up moving to Auckland to finish my specialist training and now work as a specialist here.
"One of my good friends from school had a passion for medicine, and he persuaded me to consider it as a career. The whole process was quite challenging initially, as I was isolated away from my family, but I built up my interest year by year."
What got you interested in medicine, and more specifically in Rehab Medicine?
When I was at High School I wasn’t really sure about what I wanted to be, but medicine was one of the options, so I applied to a few of the universities in Sydney, as I was keen to move to Australia at that time. I got accepted into UNSW, so I decided to stay and give it a go. Actually, one of my good friends from school had a passion for medicine, and he persuaded me to consider medicine as a career. The whole process was quite challenging initially, as I was isolated away from my family, but I built up my interest in medicine year by year as I went through my medical degree.
At the time of my training, I didn’t feel that Rehab Medicine was that well known, but during an internship and residency in Sydney, which is like a House Officer in NZ, I was doing an Orthopaedic run and had a few patients moving to a rehab ward. I ended up gaining an interest from that experience and also had some of my friends tell me that they thought that Rehab Medicine would suit me, and my lifestyle, so I decided to specialize in that area.
What is it about the lifestyle of Rehab Medicine that suits you?
Well, I wasn’t really interested in being a surgeon, or necessarily doing long hours, and had been considering Medicine of GP Training, but wanted to be in an acute area and spend more time with patients, so Rehab Medicine really ticked those boxes for me.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I work in a brain injury rehab facility, called ABI Rehab in Auckland which has in-patient as well as residential services, so I primarily work in the intensive care unit. On a typical day I get my 7-year-old organised in the morning, so it is a pretty hectic start to the day. But then at work I have a team of colleagues, junior trainees, and a house officer and we see patients, do clinics, attend lots of meetings and I get a lot of paperwork done. Typically, I work an 8-hour day but also take turns doing on-call work as well. I do have some flexibility to work from home, given that I have a 7-year old, so that really helps. So yes, the rehab medicine work does fit my work-life balance.
"Rehab Medicine is not that well known or recognised in NZ, and we only have a small number of physicians and rehab units across the country — but there is a real need for more rehab specialists and services."
What are challenges facing Rehab Medicine in NZ?
I guess that Rehab Medicine is not that well known, or recognised in NZ, and we only have a small number of Physicians and rehab units across the country. Whereas in Australia Rehab Medicine is well known and they have a much broader scope of medicine that they deliver. In NZ it is pretty much limited to TBI, spinal and stroke, but there is a real need to have more rehab specialists and services across the country.
Do you have much to do with AI or other tech applications?
Not personally so much, but some of my colleagues and registrars are trialing certain applications. I am using certain systems to assist with clinical letters and other things, but that is pretty much the extent of it. I am comfortable with where we are, but certainly think it is something we need to look into in the future.
What do you do to get away from medicine, or to maintain a work-life balance?
I believe you have to make your workplace enjoyable, as you spend a lot of time there. I work hard to build positive relationships with my colleagues, like to have team lunches etc. I do enjoy coming to work. I also love spending time with my son and enjoy socialising with friends and family. My son is really into basketball, and I actually coach his school basketball team, which is interesting and a lot of fun and very rewarding.
Do you think the principles of your rehab work influences your thoughts on work-life balance?
I think so, because you see patients improving every day, which is the nature of TBI and rehab work, so it provides a lot of positive elements to your daily life.
You have worked in both Australia and NZ, what are the big differences you see?
The big thing I notice is that in Australia it is so competitive with more expectations, right across the board from training through to practicing medicine. It is harder to get into the specialist training, and in my opinion, not as friendly as NZ.
What gets you excited in your day-to-day work?
Definitely looking at the progress of patients. Recently I had a patient who had a serious car accident and was in a coma. I was able to see his progress through rehab to the point where he retrained as a personal trainer and then went on to compete in bodybuilding competitions. Those success stories are so rewarding.