Nurse clinicians provide direct care to patients and their families with opportunities to develop their clinical knowledge and skills across a diverse range of sub-specialities and disciplines in Nursing. Besides providing specialised care, nurse clinicians play a fundamental role in advancing patient care through evidence-based practices, delivering holistic and comprehensive patient care to promote the health and recovery of patients. Scroll down to read the stories of our nurse clinicians!
Zhou Lin Fang
Senior Nurse Manager, Changi General Hospital
My Nursing Journey:
I have a passion in caring for elderly patients. Although there are challenges in taking care of them, such as language barriers and the unpredictable deteriorating medical condition, the nursing supervisors and senior nurses have always provided me with the necessary support and guidance throughout my nursing career, thereby allowing me to master the principles of providing holistic care to the elderly patients.
In 2005, I successfully obtained an Advanced in Diploma in Gerontology and was subsequently posted to a medical ward to spread my knowledge on geriatric care. I was also actively involved in projects to improve and uphold the standard of care for elderly patients before moving on to be in-charged of a dementia ward in 2015. i see myself as a change agent, and I am always ready to take on the next challenge to improve the quality of patient care.
In 2020, I was appointed as the Chairperson of the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) Committee. One of the NICHE initiatives is to bring the knowledge of holistic geriatric care to the main building wards, conducting trainings to nurses who work in non-geriatric departments. And as a result of COVID-19, the geriatric ward I was in had to be converted to deliver care to COVID-19 patients. Within a short span of time, we needed to vacate the ward by transferring and discharging all geriatric patients. To ensure a smooth and efficient patient care, we redesigned the nursing care workflow that helped to expedite the admission and discharge process.
I have been a nurse for 20 years with much different posting experience, but I enjoy working in the geriatric wards the most. There may be challenges but I hope to inspire many others to join this wonderful nursing profession, which has been extremely rewarding and fulfilling to me.
Adele Woon Pei Ning
Nurse Clinician, Advanced Practice Nurse InternNational Cancer Centre Singapore
Joining the nursing profession gifted me the privilege of journeying with patients and bearing witness of the resilience and strength of humankind.
In 2013, I started my nursing career in the Ambulatory Treatment Unit where oncology (cancer) patients receive outpatient chemotherapy treatment. Through the highly specialized settings, I had the opportunity to hone my clinical and critical-thinking skills, build confidence and be a team player.
To fulfil my dream of becoming a clinical nurse who practises at the top of her license, NCCS graciously offered me opportunities to undergo further training. I was able to deepen my knowledge for cancer care through an Advanced Diploma in Oncology Nursing in 2016 before pursuing a Master’s Degree in Nursing in preparation to becoming an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) in 2018. Further studies have helped me to better appreciate my patients’ cancer journey, and also broadened my horizons as I gleaned deeper insights into common disease conditions.
As I navigate through my role as a novice APN, I am committed to be a safe and competent nurse clinician who strives to care for my patients holistically and empathetically, addressing their fears and burdens while sharing their hopes and aspirations.
Through this vocation, I have grown in ways unimaginable. Patients have touched my life, more than what I could have ever done for them. I am inspired, humbled and my journey of growth in this nursing journey continues…
Ng Suan Gek
Advanced Practice Nurse, National Neuroscience Institute
I qualified as a registered nurse in 2000 and worked in the ward for 11 years before leaving nursing to try a different career. But my passion for patient care and patient interactions led me right back to clinical nursing.
When I rejoined the profession, I was given the opportunity to further my education and to become an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). This created a more diverse role for me with expanded scope of practice. I am trained to be versatile to assess and manage neurosurgical patients in the inpatient and outpatient settings independently. Recently, I underwent further training to join the acute stroke activation team, facilitating early treatment for patients with stroke. With the additional clinical knowledge and skills I have acquired as an APN, I am able to provide quality care to patients and mentor junior nurses as well.
Adversity comes with opportunity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I am glad that my APN skill sets were of a great help during my deployment to the Community Care Facility @ EXPO. Together with other APNs and senior nurses, we established the sickbay workflow and took turns to manage the patients.
Tan J-Lin
Staff Nurse, Sengkang Community Hospital
During my clinical attachments in acute hospitals, I noticed that a handful of patients were referred to community hospitals as they needed extended care to recover. This piqued my interest as to how community hospitals operate and play a role in helping these patients to get better before returning home again.
As a fresh graduate, I was fortunate to work at the SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) during Pre-Registration Consolidated Placement (PRCP), which was such an eye-opening experience. I am glad that I was able to contribute to SCH’s vision of ‘bridging care, building communities’ to help my patients recover well before returning back to the community.
Providing rehabilitation care for a patient
Koo Shu Xin
Staff Nurse, SingHealth Polyclinics – Bukit Merah
Nursing has always been my first choice as a career. When I was younger, an elderly showed me appreciation for lending her a helping hand. My passion to help others started since that special encounter. After my graduation from Nanyang Polytechnic in 2019, I worked in SingHealth Polyclinics-Bukit Merah where I was given many opportunities to learn a wide array of knowledge and skills, ranging from maternal and child health, to chronic disease prevention and education, etc. I realised that I truly enjoy helping patients to better understand their conditions and empowering them with the knowledge to manage their health and achieve better outcomes.
One of the most rewarding experiences in my nursing journey was when a ten-year-old boy thanked me for making his vaccinations experience in polyclinic less frightful. Till to-date, I’m still keeping the note that he has written with his scrawl handwriting as a reminder to myself- to always put our patients at the heart of all we do.
COVID-19 struck Singapore in 2020. In order to adapt to the fast-evolving pandemic, I learnt to be flexible, acquired new knowledge and skills such as nasopharyngeal swab procedure. I was also given the opportunity to perform duties at COVID-19 vaccination hub. Being a nurse on the frontline against the COVID- 19 pandemic may have its challenges, but I am grateful for the support and guidance from the nursing leaders.
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