In conjunction with the Nurses’ Day celebration, traditionally observed on 12 May, we visited Kwang Hua Private High School in Klang on 11 May 2024. The purpose of the visit was to promote awareness about nursing. The IMU team, comprising Nursing faculty and two students, gathered at IMU at 7 o’clock in the morning before proceeding to Kwang Hua Private High School. Upon arrival, with the event scheduled to begin at 9 am and the students yet to arrive, we utilized the time to set up our equipment.
The session was kicked off by Dr Lim Swee Geok, the Head of Nursing Division who delivered the opening remarks, introducing us and the purpose of our visit. Dr Chang Woan Ching then delved into the comprehensive nature of nursing, exploring its diverse career trajectories beyond bedside care. She emphasised on nursing’s multifaceted role in society and the broader world.
After Dr Chang’s in-depth description of what encompasses nursing, the next event on the programme was a panel discussion moderated by Ms Goh Lay Khim. She interviewed Ms Chow Suh Hing together with Bryan Choong Y-Ken and Wisdom Furaha Adram, who are Semester 4 students from NU 122.
The discussion was intended for us to talk about why we chose nursing and to give a brief description of our experiences so far. While these topics were the focus of the discussion, once we had each shared our thoughts and opinions, the floor was opened for students to ask questions. This interactive session encouraged student engagement through queries and discussions.
Following a brief interlude for refreshments graciously provided by the school, the highlight of the day unfolded: hands-on experience sessions. There were six skills stations that had been set up, and the students were divided into groups. The six nursing procedure stations were checking blood pressure, auscultation of lung sounds, bandaging a stump, preparing and administering medication through injection route, adult and infant resuscitation and wrapping a baby.
A specific time was assigned to each station to allow all the students to become familiar with the station they were on and then practice the procedure as they had been taught. There was a lot of buzz because of the excitement from the students as they performed the various procedures and I bet if you asked them, they would probably agree with me that this was the icing on the cake of the entire event.
The reciprocal satisfaction derived from these interactions was evident, with the team from IMU sharing their knowledge and expertise and the high school students receiving it and putting it to work. We all certainly had fun interacting with each other.
Feedback from the school’s teacher affirmed the event’s success, highlighting the students’ appreciation for learning and practicing essential nursing skills such as CPR and administering injections. Particularly noteworthy was the admiration expressed towards the positive attitude displayed by IMU’s nursing faculty, further cementing the impact of our initiative.
Around the world nurses are in urgent demand yet the number of new nurses has yet to meet this demand. Hence, I find this event important to both the students and the nursing profession as some students would not have considered a career in nursing due to lack of knowledge or personal preconceptions.
I also think that this event is quite useful to secondary students as they are at an important crossroads in their lives where they must choose their future career path, and any chance to expand their options or even spark interest in a particular field can be quite valuable in helping them make that decision.
For the nursing profession, events like this have the potential to inspire bright and gifted students to become future nurses who can elevate nursing and healthcare to even greater heights globally. Judging by the enthusiastic participation and the palpable curiosity among the students, I can confidently say that the event was a success. I sincerely hope this event has sparked and nurtured an interest in nursing as a future career for these students.
Written by
Bryan Choong Y-Ken (NU 122)
Wisdom Furaha Adram (NU 122)
Reviewed by
Dr Lim Swee Geok
Ms Lee Mei Ying
Photo credits: Ms Arul Selvi
