Yap Hooi San, who has a previous degree prior to joining IMU Nursing programme, eloquently elaborated that working and engaging with the individual is an adventure as we are building a relationship with others and getting to know each other a little bit more day by day. Becoming a nurse is a way in which we can encounter all sorts of individuals and be ready to ease their pain or comfort their insecurities, from newborns to adolescents or the elderly.
It is also very rewarding to accompany patients on their journey from being sick till full recovery. In doing so, by studying nursing, we are always in the process of learning new knowledge. Discovering the human system is a fascinating process to me where a system can function multiple complicated functions at one time to maintain the health of an individual. Overall, nursing is a non-stop learning experience in all variety of environments.
Tang De Ning
Tang De Ning had different snippet for us. When asked why she decided to study nursing, she cheerfully replied: “Being a nurse is undoubtedly not an easy job. I made this decision when I was 16 years old, studying science stream for the first year in my high school. When I was 16, a TV show provided me with an insight and reflection towards the nursing career for the first time. It prompted me to start looking for more information about nurses and gradually I got attracted by the spirit of nurses and appreciate their sacrifices. For me, the main reason that I chose nursing as my first degree is because I hope that one day, I will not only provide professional care for the patients, but also make myself live in the story of their lives.
In my opinion, even though professional care is the most important, companionship for patients is the one thing that is impossible to ignore. Thus, I hope that during my future career, I can be a successful nurse, as well as a trustworthy friend for all the patients.”
Lim Qi Hui
“Why I choose Nursing?” Lim Qi Hui shared a glimpse of her long route before achieving her dream to join healthcare profession. She pondered and replied with her sweet smile:
“Healthcare has always been my dream since a young age. At first, I taught that it was an easy-peasy dream to pursue. But I was wrong. In my high school, students are streamed according to ability and only the best top 5% of students can enter the science stream. Unfortunately, I did not obtain good grades in science subjects in my Junior Three (Unified Examination Certificate – UEC), so at the end I got to study commerce stream instead. For those three years of my life studying commerce, I clearly knew that it really did not suit me. I cannot bear repeating the same job every day, I know that my personality and character are not suitable for office work, and my family runs a company, so, I know a lot about how tough running a company is like, although I know that there is no easy job in the world.”
With all my determination and strong will-power of not giving up my dream to become a healthcare professional, I worked very hard to study science subjects for SPM. That was because it has been years since I last studied these subjects and everything looks new to me. In fact, I enrolled in UEC and SPM in the same year.”
“UEC was held in October and SPM started on 5 November. Before the UEC, we got approximately one month of SWOT Vac (short for Study Without Teaching Vacation). So, I leveraged on that one month to prepare for both major examinations and attended tuition for my SPM science subjects after the UEC completed. Imagine that!”
“Thinking back now, I truly appreciate my determination back then. Actually, nursing is not my first choice, my first choice was chiropractic and physiotherapy, but I was not eligible to apply for those two programmes, so finally I decided to study nursing. I know that it will be tough for me as compared to others as I do not have a strong basis in Biology and Chemistry, but I will try hard to catch up with others.”
Liew Jie Nee
Liew Jie Nee, another Nursing student sees the shortage in nurses globally as an opportunity to start her career in Nursing. “I have always wanted to become a qualified nurse since I was 16. Nursing is quite an interesting and challenging profession but at the same time it fills me with satisfaction. Nurses have the greatest chance to interact with the patients and are considered to be the closest person to the patient during their ups and downs. I am always thrilled to work with them and help them deal with all kinds of difficulties.”
“In addition, nursing is a job with a high demand all over the world. It is a good chance to select the nursing field as my career, to fill up the shortage of nurses that has been an issue for years and thus decrease the rate of mortality of patients all over the world.”
Foo Wei Wen
Volunteer work shape one’s mind, as many will admit. Foo Wei Wen was delighted to express herself by saying, “As all of us know, nursing is one of the most challenging career options. I would have never thought that I would be interested in nursing one day. So, what inspired me to take up this challenging field called nursing?
“I volunteered a lot during my high school days in old folks’ home as well as in orphanages. I witnessed a lot of old folks and children being abandoned due to their immobility.From that moment onwards, I wanted to be a nurse so all of the old folks and orphans will have someone to lean on. Besides that, my natural curiosity has always paved a path for me to pick up new skills. ”
“Therefore, in order to provide the best care for my patients, I am required to gain more knowledge and explore more techniques to broaden my skill sets. Last but not least, I like dealing with people and sharing my positivity with others. This allows me to form a strong bond between us as we would share our thoughts and experiences. As a result, they will be satisfied with the care provided.”
“In short, I am confident in my decision for picking nursing as my career. I truly hope that I can continue growing for my professional life.”
Mah Yi Ling
Mah Yi Ling has a different insight to share with us. She tracked down her memory lane and shared, “My exposure to nursing started with my grandparents’ illness. It was one of the defining moments that led me to this career path. Recently, my maternal grandmother was diagnosed with heart failure. Now that I am older, I have a responsibility in taking care of her, which I was more than happy to do, to be trusted by the elders and have a part in it. The situation solidified my reason to be here, I realised that nurses give genuine and compassionate care to the patients and will not give up and abandon them whether it is their last moments of life, or just the beginning of it. I like that the nurses are always present at every stage of life. After the experience with my grandparents 4 years ago, I had the motivation to confront a lot of my flaws that could be fixed because I was determined that a good character development could essentially make me a better person.”
“I made the decision to overcome my fears by participating in volunteering activities and school events, where I have picked up teamwork and leadership skills, as well as gained self-confidence little by little, in a hope to grow as a brilliant nurse from then on.”
In conclusion, even though COVID-19 pandemic and online learning are here to stay, the new norm is needlessly prolonged, but it is only temporary. This too shall pass, soon.
Hearing all these awe-inspiring snippets from these young-angels-and-nurses-to-be, I could not help myself but to think of a quote by Ben Sweetland, a psychologist, “Success is a journey not a destination.” Indeed, with this so-called rough times caused by the pandemic, nevertheless, these young-angels-and-nurses-to-be remain hard as nails in their unbreakable willpower to fulfil their dreams!
Interviewed by Yee Bit-Lian
Edited by Dr Lim Swee Geok
