MOH Nurses Merit Awards 2021

 

Ms Anna Goh Phu Xua

Senior Assistant Nurse, Ward

My love and passion for Nursing, and chance to care for the sick has been my motivation to give my best. "Do it with your Heart" is a motto that inspires me to achieve more. In my nursing career of more than 15 years, I remember a patient who fell and sustained a spinal cord injury. He was bedridden for months and had tubes all over to support his recovery. Nursing that patient was challenging initially as he was restless, agitated and confused.

Each day, I did my best to reorientate him and greet him with a smile. Six months later, he was well enough for step-down care and eventually could breathe and walk independently. Looking back, he was very grateful to the medical team and nurses for helping him on the road to recovery."

- Ms Anna Goh Phu Xua

 

Ms Carrie Lee Shu Ying

Nurse Clinician, Ward

Since young, I have been able to empathise with others and understand how they feel... I believe the primary motivation for a career in nursing is the desire to care for others. Time flies and it has been 18 years in nursing. Whenever I discharge my patients, I advise them and their loved ones on how to take care of themselves/patients. Seeing their appreciation motivates me to deliver my best, to provide good clinical care and clear, useful post-discharge advice to them.

My family has always been understanding of my work requirements. When I was deployed to NCID, they knew this was an important task to undertake and supported my work, despite the uncertainty of the risk of COVID-19 infection. Due to the nature of my shift work, my family works around my hours and take care of my children when I am not around, giving me a peace of mind at work."

- Ms Carrie Lee Shu Ying

 

Ms Faith Lee Sook Mun

Senior Staff Nurse, Clinical Instructors

In my career of 12 years, I have progressed from an assistant nurse, to senior staff nurse and today, am also a clinical instructor. The greatest joy comes from sharing my experience with my students and helping them reach their potential. Their eagerness to learn and seeing them progress to become full-fledged nurses motivates me to stay updated with my skills and knowledge so that I can help them achieve more during clinical attachment.

Nursing is a demanding job. To manage, my advice would be to meet up with friends often, especially nursing friends because nobody understands you as much as they do. I would like to see future nurses be more empowered and given more autonomy in patient management."

- Ms Faith Lee Sook Mun

 

Ms Fazlina Binte Surani

Nurse Clinician, Renal Centre

I chose renal nursing for its unique opportunity to help educate and journey with patients in managing chronic kidney disease and to build a long-lasting bond with patients and their family. Seeing improvement in my patient’s health gives me inner peace. I consider these blessings. One fond memory in my career was when I had to convince a patient with an infected foot to consent for amputation. At the time, patient and his family were in low spirits. Some months later, I was overjoyed when he returned to the clinic and thanked me for giving him hope and being able to play with his grandson. After 17 years of nursing service, I empathise how chronic sickness can cause emotional burdens and nurses can offer advice to alleviate these. Nursing is a rewarding profession, giving care that saves lives, and helps patients achieve improved quality of life."

- Ms Fazlina Binte Surani

 

Mr Glass George Frederick Jr

Nurse Researcher, Nursing Service

2021 marks my ninth year as a nurse, five years of which I have spent being a nurse researcher. My hope for the future of nursing is this- empowering and running alongside our patients towards effective self-care.

A pivotal moment in my career was when I received an elderly patient bundled up in soiled blankets. As I removed his blankets and clothing, I realised he had a stoma bag for faecal waste but was not taught on how to empty it properly, because it was assumed to be done by a caregiver. Once I cleaned him up, he quickly learnt the skills as I walked through the steps with him. I spoke to him in his mother tongue, and he felt at ease to ask important questions.

This encounter reminds me to dedicate my career towards helping patients and their caregivers thrive, both in the hospital and home. In my research, I endeavour to apply the insights gained that can lead to better care that we deliver to our patients and their caregivers."

- Mr Glass George Frederick Jr

 

Mr James Tan Wan Kun

Assistant Nurse Clinician, Nursing Service

Nursing is more than a job; it is a calling. The scope of a nurse spans from core nursing skills to soft skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking. If there’s one word that I can use to describe a nurse, it would be the word ‘dynamic’. In our current landscape of patient care, a nurse needs to have the flexibility to think through and solve problems, adapt to the needs of the patient, yet offer professional input to shape personalised care. I have been a nurse for a decade and as I grow my career, I would like to see nurses spearhead technology advancement in healthcare. Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of patient care has always been key to why we leverage on technology. Given the resilience in nurses, we are well poised to embrace and drive the frontier of technological advancement in healthcare."

- Mr James Tan Wan Kun

 

APN Lian Xia

Senior Nurse Clinician, Nurse Clinicians

I have been a nurse since 1989. I trained to become an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) so that I could share my expertise knowledge with my younger generation of nurses. I believe a successful APN should possess expertise in the specialty he/she was trained, the ability to apply critical thinking, judgement and decisions for complex issues and acquire advanced clinical competencies for extended practices I recall a patient who came for a routine check-up. After consultation, I realised that she was not her usual self. I also noticed that her gait was not steady, so I decided to send her to the Emergency Department for further investigation. Later on, I learned that the patient was admitted for urgent care due to low blood oxygen levels. This incident made me realise that as APNs, we should continue to brush up on our knowledge and skills to pick up life-threatening signs and symptoms and provide the best care to our patients."

- APN Lian Xia

 

Ms Lim Voon Ping

Senior Nurse Clinician, Nurse Clinicians

I began my nursing career in 1992 and it has been a fulfilling 29 years. As a critical care nurse, it is amazing to see a patient survive and recover from a serious health ordeal. It is more rewarding when I can contribute to their survival and recovery.

Over the years, I encountered many experiences being on the frontline including caring for the first SARS patient during the 2003 outbreak. Another experience involved the teams at NCID working together to fight COVID-19 last year. A patient in my care came close to death several times, yet defied the odds. As a team we collaborated and nursed him back to health. He spent close to two months in ICU, before undergoing rehabilitation. I was overjoyed with his recovery.

I enjoy training new nurses. I love to see them thrive. The impact of peer learning is immeasurable. We continually learn together."

- Ms Lim Voon Ping

 

Ms Liu TingTing

Senior Staff Nurse, Clinic

Having been a registered nurse for the past 8 years, there have been countless heart-warming moments. During my stint at the Emergency Department, I participated in resuscitation on a few occasions. This gave me an unimaginable sense of purpose in life as I was deeply moved by being instrumental in the effort to save someone else’s life. Of course, there were also less pleasant incidents which happened along the way. I once cared for a patient with dementia and although her actions shocked me initially, I realised they were unintentional and chose to look after her with more patience, understanding and empathy instead. Nurses have to be ready to respond to unexpected patient emergencies and most importantly to show respect and compassion at all times. Nursing makes me a better person and I feel proud and privileged to be a nurse by profession."

- Ms Liu TingTing

 

Ms Ong Zh Hua

Assistant Nurse Clinician, Emergency Medicine

In 11 years of nursing experience, I have learned a lot and gone through many memorable experiences. The most significant incident that is forever etched in my memory is a paediatric resuscitation. That incident made me realize how fragile and unpredictable life can be.

As an Emergency Nurse, it is challenging and physically and emotionally draining when dealing with life and death in the emergency room. However, seeing patients saved from the brink of death is filled with immense satisfaction. Despite the ups and downs, I appreciate the lessons learned. I am very thankful to have supportive mentors and colleagues who believe in me and helped me grow and progress. The word ‘Nursing’ encapsulates a person who is strong enough to tolerate hard knocks yet compassionate enough to understand human beings."

- Ms Ong Zh Hua

 

Ms Sharlene Lee

Senior Staff Nurse, Ward

I am a geriatrics-trained nurse. I chose nursing as my career thanks to my close relationship with my grandfather. When he was diagnosed with diabetes, I read widely on the processes and management of diabetes to care for my grandfather. Aside from clinical skills and knowledge, there is a softer side to nursing too. I can still remember one of my patients who became extremely ill during my night shift with no family members at the bedside- I talked and held her hand, ensuring her that I will be with her until her family arrives. She looked at me with tears and nodded. Family members managed to say their last goodbyes before she eventually passed on peacefully. A few weeks later, they sent me a thank-you card and addressed me as one of their extended family. This spurs me to be a better nurse not just in knowledge but also the human touch."

- Ms Sharlene Lee

 

Ms Tan Yen Peng

Nurse Clinician, Continuing & Community Care (Community Health Team)

I am a nurse in the Community Health Team, which does home visits to patients’ homes shortly after a recent hospital admission. Each day motivates me to give my best and see my patients recover or stabilise so that they can take charge of their health independently. I do my best to find out what matters most to my patient or their family and build rapport with my elderly patients. Through getting to know my patients better, I often learn that the things that matter to them might be the reason why they either get re-admitted quite often to the hospital or are reluctant to seek medical treatment at the hospital. My nursing career over two decades has been fulfilling, from working in the hospital wards to now being a nurse in the community."

- Ms Tan Yen Peng

 

Ms Wang Qian

Nurse Clinician, Subacute Ward

Nursing roles have evolved and today, nurses contribute much to improving the quality of patient care. I am grateful for the golden training opportunities to gain knowledge and skills and apply it to evidence-based practice.

I remember a young patient who became paraplegic after a gunshot injury in the USA and returned to Singapore for treatment. I was a young staff nurse at that time and picked up his emotions and spent time providing encouragement and support. After he returned to society and regained his confidence, he wrote to me to express his gratefulness and shared his life story after returning to community.

Nursing makes an incredible difference by offering emotional support to patients in their most troubled times, alongside applying clinical skills to improve patient outcomes."

- Ms Wang Qian

 

Ms Wang Zhiye

Senior Nurse Clinician, Ward

Starting out as a junior nurse was also a steep learning curve. However, over time, with more training and guidance, my confidence in the job inched up and tasks became increasingly more manageable.

I got to know that nursing is more than what I had believed. I once cared for an elderly patient over 90 years old, who was admitted for heart issues. He appeared miserable and could not walk when I first saw him. After chatting with his helper, I assessed him and found out that he had urinary retention, so we immediately catheterised him. The next day, he looked so happy and could walk.

Undoubtedly, the work stress is high in healthcare, particularly in the face of a pandemic, but unwavering family support has helped me overcome the challenges. After a tough episode, seeing smiles on the patients and receiving words of gratitude is worth it."

- Ms Wang Zhiye