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Patients come first

NURSING student Koh Yiwen, 21, puts aside her pride when she is dealing with demanding and irate patients who treat her like a maid.

She says a positive and optimistic attitude on such occasions helps her to give the patients what they need.

Their needs are the first priority for nurses, she adds.

Handling difficult patients is a challenge for Ms Koh, who is in the first batch of National University of Singapore's (NUS) nursing students.

A third year undergraduate, she is a recipient of a scholarship offered by the National Healthcare Group and Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The scholarship reduces the financial burden of her university education on her parents.

It may also open up more career opportunities when she starts working full-time with Tan Tock Seng Hospital after graduating from NUS.

Ms Koh plans to spend another year in the university and graduate with an honours degree in nursing next year.

It has been tough but personally rewarding for her to go through the training to learn how to be a good nurse.

She says: "Nursing is more difficult than I expected. It is not just about academic pursuits."

Your social interaction skills and other qualities, such as patience, are also being put to the test."

"Despite the difficulties, nursing is worthwhile to pursue if you want a stable career that is interesting and dynamic."

"You will have close interactions with patients and gain personal satisfaction from helping them to recover."

"Nursing also makes you a stronger and kinder person at the end of the day."

Ms Koh, who was a frequent visitor to an orthodontist to check her braces, had wanted to be a dentist before she got the nursing scholarship.

She changed her mind because she felt it would be interesting and challenging to be a nurse serving patients with different medical conditions.

She says: "I am not squeamish when I see blood. Nursing needs people from all backgrounds, and I am adding on to the varied repertoire of nurses."

"I have learnt how to care for different types of patients in all age groups and manage their difficulties and problems to the best of my abilities."

"I have also learnt how to work with people from all walks of life."

This is important, as nursing serves to bring together the expertise of all the different health-care professionals to provide holistic care."

"I have also learnt patience and the discipline required in nursing."

The lessons she picked up have highlighted the importance for a nurse to be a patient and disciplined player in a team working cohesively together.

Empathy, she stresses, is a vital personal quality for a nurse.

She says: "It is often easy to pigeonhole patients according to their diagnosis and medical conditions."

"But patients often have psychosocial problems that go far beyond their medical diagnosis."

"Empathy will help us to provide better care for these patients and their problems."

A strong personality, she notes, will help a nurse to tackle tough and demanding situations in her career.

Ms Koh says she is a more empathetic and stronger person now than when she was in the first year in NUS.

She explains: "I develop these qualities from clinical attachments where I try to think from the perspective of the patient."

"I feel that the satisfaction and joy of nursing are derived from helping patients to recover with our nursing care."