• Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen joins SingHealth nurses at Nurses’ Day Celebrations to launch the book
• Celebrations include a special preview of National Day nursing vintage parade
Singapore, 30 July 2015 – This year not only marks Singapore’s Golden Jubilee but also 130 years of Nursing in Singapore. To mark the occasion, Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen joined more than 3,000 nurses at the SingHealth Nurses’ Day celebrations at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre to launch “Nursing the Heart”, a book written and produced by the nurses from across the organisation’s healthcare institutions.
In line with this year’s theme – 130 Years of Caring for the Nation – over 60 pioneer generation nurses were invited to be part of the celebrations. The celebrations also included a special preview of the SingHealth nursing contingent, dressed in uniforms from the past, who will participate in the vintage parade segment at this year’s National Day Parade at the Padang.
Nursing the Heart
Contributed by 100 nurses, “Nursing the Heart” is a compilation of 95 inspiring true stories and five poems, which outline memorable, personal experiences at work.
It chronicles the challenges overcome by different generations of nurses reflected by significant events in Singapore’s history, from the Spyros disaster in 1978 to the SARS outbreak in 2003. The book goes behind the scenes as nurses share honest, heartwarming and emotional encounters with their patients and the camaraderie they share within the fraternity.
“As we celebrate 130 years of Nursing, we are reminded that the profession’s progress is built on the strong foundation laid by generations of nurses before us. The book serves to recognise their dedication and contributions. It also tells of the joys of nursing and the invaluable life lessons that nurses learn from their patients as they nurse them back to health or when they guide them through life’s final journey. By sharing these stories, we hope that members of the public will have a deeper appreciation of the work that nurses do and young people will be inspired to join the profession,” said Dr Tracy Carol Ayre, SingHealth Group Chief Nurse and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Chief Nurse.
Nursing through the Ages
The nursing profession has progressed by leaps and bounds since it began in 1885 when a group of nuns from a local French Convent arrived in Singapore to care for the sick at the then General Hospital at Sepoy Lines.
Since then, the scope and practice of nursing has expanded beyond bedside care through continuous education and training. In 2001, three nursing career tracks – Clinical, Education and Management – were introduced to allow nurses to advance and take on greater roles and responsibilities. At SingHealth, additional career tracks include research and nursing informatics.
Each year, SingHealth nurses conduct over 60 research and quality improvement projects and publish more than 10 papers in local and international journals. The results of many of these projects have been applied in the wards to improve patient care and safety.
Nursing education and training first took root at SGH in 1924 and progressed greatly when Nursing Diploma, Degree and Masters Programmes were offered locally. To-date, close to 40% of registered nurses at SingHealth hold a degree, Master or PhD qualification. The number of SingHealth nurses holding a Master or PhD qualification has also grown significantly, increasing by 40% to 164 in the past year from 2013 to 2014.
In tandem with the advancement of nursing education, the introduction of nursing specialisation from the 1960s has enabled nurses to become highly skilled professionals who make protocol-based diagnoses, deliver specialised nursing treatments and institute first responder interventions. In addition, experienced senior nurses such as Advanced Practice Nurses run nurse-led clinics. At SingHealth, nurse-led clinics in hospitals, national specialty centres and polyclinics offer patients more personalised care.
Nursing at its Best
Every year, awards and scholarships are presented to top nurses across SingHealth’s institutions to mark the Nurses’ Day celebrations.
This year, 43 nurses received awards to recognise their outstanding work performance and contributions. Twenty nurses were also presented scholarships which will enable them to pursue higher education and receive specialised training to deliver better care for patients. Please see Annex A for full list of award and scholarship recipients.
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ANNEX A: LIST OF AWARDS & RECIPIENTS
Chief Nurse Award
- SGH - Ms Lee Teng Teng Nurse Clinician II / Ward 68
- SGH - Ms Koh Shu Wen Esther Senior Staff Nurse II / Ward 76
- SGH - Mr Ang Eng Ann Principal Enrolled Nurse / Ward 55B
- KKH - Tan Que Choo Nurse Manager I / Day Surgery
- KKH - Tong Yee Seong Senior Staff Nurse II / Delivery Suite
- KKH - Musliya Bte Muslim Principal Enrolled Nurse / Ward 66
- NHCS - Norashikin Bte Sarip Senior Staff Nurse / PACU
- SHP - Chew Lian Hoi Senior Staff Nurse I / Geylang Polyclinic
Director of Nursing Award
- NCCS - Tan Yung Ying Senior Staff Nurse / DPM
- NDCS - Ms Ramah Prabah d/o Ramasamy Senior Enrolled Nurse / GAOT
- NNI - Zhou Lifeng Senior Staff Nurse I / NSD
- SNEC - Lee Tze Xing Senior Staff Nurse I / OPD
SGH CEO Best Clinical Nurse Award
- SGH - Goh Ming Jin Andy (Winner) Senior Staff Nurse / Ward 68
- SGH - Syed Faizal Bin Syed Mohsen (1st runner up) Senior Staff Nurse / Ward 76
- SGH - Er Boon Hui (2nd runner up) Senior Staff Nurse (Specialty Nursing)
Rosalind Chelliah Gold Medal Award for Paediatric Nursing
- KKH - Tan Geok Mui Senior Staff Nurse / Ward 65
SingHealth Nursing Awards
Category: Nursing Leader
- SGH - Cheah Le Le Senior Nurse Educator / SingHealth Alice Lee IAN
- KKH - Rena Hooi Yoke Yin Senior Nurse Clinician / Special Care Nursery
- NCCS - See Teck Hong Diana Senior Nurse Clinician / Nurse Clinician Services
Category: Enrolled Nurse
- SGH - Nor Diana Binte Rosli Senior Enrolled Nurse I / Department of Internal Medicine
- SGH -Nge Tze Pin Principal Enrolled Nurse / Ward 47A - Colorectal
- KKH - Alijah Binte Abdul Mohmin Senior Enrolled Nurse I / MOT
- SNEC - Tan Siok Kian Senior Enrolled Nurse / Outpatient
Category: Registered Nurse
- SGH - Heng Lili, Joline Senior Staff Nurse I / Department of Internal Medicine
- SGH - Sim Wee Sern, Glen Senior Staff Nurse I (Resident Nurse) / Emergency Medicine
- SGH - Seng Gek Siang Senior Staff Nurse I (Patient Navigator) / Emergency Medicine
- KKH - Chia Su-Lyn, Samantha Senior Staff Nurse I / Delivery Suite
- KKH - Yang Jinling Senior Staff Nurse I / Ward 66
- KKH - Poh Pei Fen Senior Staff Nurse I / CICU
- KKH - Tan Pei Ling, Eunice Senior Staff Nurse I / Major OT
- NCCS - Melanie Tan Mei Ling Assistant Nurse Clinician / Nurse Clinician Services
Category: Best Newcomer - Registered Nurse
- SGH - Tay Hui Lin Staff Nurse I / Department of Neurosurgery
- SGH - Siti Nurdiana Binte Muhamad Ghazali Staff Nurse I / Internal Medicine
- SGH - Wang Zengyan Staff Nurse I / Respiratory Medicine
- NHCS - Hii Yaa Wen Staff Nurse I / Cardiothoracic Surgery ICU
Category: Best Newcomer - Enrolled Nurse
- SGH - Lachmi Kumari D/O Daykumaru Singh Enrolled Nurse I / BVH (Rehabilitation Medicine)
Category: Student Nurse
- NYP - Tan Xue Li, SGH
- NYP - Charlynne Geraldene Nerva, KKH
- NP - Prema Soria Vairamoorthy, SGH
- NP - Yieo Xiang Yi, SGH
- NUS - Ng Liwen Dionne, SGH
- ITE - Adi Sofian Bin Rosli, SGH
- ITE - Ananthi D/O Rajoo Padmanabhan, SGH
Scholarships
SingHealth-Alice Lee Institute of Advanced Nursing – Lee Foundation Scholarship Awards
- SGH - Nanthakumahrie D/O Gunasegaran Nurse Clinician I / Ward 73 DIM / AMW
- SGH - Fernandez Leni Guanzon Nurse Clinician II (Resident Nurse) / Ward 47A - Colorectal
- SGH - Chan May Si Senior Staff Nurse II / Ward 47A - Colorectal
- SGH - Tang Ean Wah Senior Staff Nurse I / Ward 66
- SGH - Ng Yee May Jamie Staff Nurse I / Ward 78 Med / Surg / Pte
- SGH - Sri Sukarti Binte Mostafa Bin Abdollah Nurse Clinician II / Ward 54D
- SGH - Vanessa Chiong Kai Qing Staff Nurse I / Ward 58
- SGH - Loh Sheau Lan Senior Staff Nurse I / Specialty Care Nursing - Vascular
- SGH - Tan Wei Xian Senior Staff Nurse I (Spec'lty Care) / Nurse Clinician (Specialty Care) Svcs
- SGH - Chan Kwee Lay Nurse Clinician I / Nurse Clinician (Specialty Care) Svcs
- SGH - Loy Su Yuan, Lynna Staff Nurse I / Ward 74 - Neurology
- SGH - Teo Zhao Yu, Jacqueline Senior Staff Nurse I / Ward 78
- SGH - Chong Hui Ru Senior Staff Nurse II / Ward 76
- KKH - Herni Lutfiah Binte Hussein Senior Staff Nurse I / Department of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery
- NCCS - Looi Woan Tyng Senior Staff Nurse / Nurse Clinician Services
- NCCS - Juwita Nordiana Binte Mohd Nor Senior Staff Nurse / Specialist Oncology Clinic C
- NCCS - Seettha Devi D/O Wasudevan Senior Staff Nurse / Division of Surgical Oncology
- NHCS - Wong Pui Kuan Senior Staff Nurse (Clinical) / Ward 56 CTS/CVM
SingHealth-Alice Lee Institute of Advanced Nursing Scholarship Awards
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