By:
Isabel Goh Ern Zi (Sr1ScB)
Tan Yi Khai (Sr1ScD – Photography)
Save one life, you’re a hero. Save 100 lives, you’re a nurse. Nurses are deemed as one of the most important and holiest people, not only in the medical field alone but also as part of a bigger community, with most of them serving the nation their entire lives. In conjunction with Kuen Cheng Career Week 2019, the Counselling Department organized a day event for Sr2 and Sr3 students who will be stepping into the society soon and opting for a career. This year, we have the honour of having invited Clinical Nurse as well as a Nurse Educator, Ms Sau Ai Leng, over to our school to give a talk to our students. She described in detail how she became nurse and talked about alternate career path after when one has obtained a degree in nursing.
Career talks provide information on various occupations within an industry. They introduce students to the nature and scope of work and educate them on skills required to perform certain job functions. Throughout the week, students have experienced various events, talks and much more.
“The poor man is not he who is without a cent, but he who is without a dream.” Ms Sau first gave our students something to ponder upon, and that is, what is a dream and what does it mean to have one. She pointed out that along the journey to becoming a nurse, one must have courage and the initiative to take actions, all fuelled by the hopes and passion of a dream. Yes, those who dream, might not all have practical actions but having one alongside with having other qualities is the key and basis to have any successful career at all.
A nurse, first and foremost, is someone who cares about people. Irrespective of the salary or the benefits given, a nurse must always have the desire to help people from the bottom of their hearts without any sided intentions. By fulfilling those simple criteria, a nurse is given the chance to make a difference in all the lives that cross his or her path, help a dying person’s day turn better or even relieve the bed-ridden patient from tiredness and depression.
Nurses nowadays are given the freedom to work in many different locations and situations due to the shortage of nurses in the country. In hospitals, schools, the military and even on cruise ships, nurses have a diverse working environment as risks of injuries can happen anytime and anywhere. In general, these locations can be categorised into community work, disaster struck regions, clinical work and science and technology field. Ms Sau also added that Malaysian nurses with a license are also recognised as a professional and legal medical personnel in other commonwealth countries, providing those in the field more choices in terms of working location.
Ms Sau continued to elaborate on steps to being a fully qualified nurse. After obtaining a SPM degree with 5 credits, respectively, in Malay, English, Maths, and two sciences, students can apply for Diploma in Nursing. SUEC and SPM certificate holders are also qualified to apply directly for a Degree in Nursing. For those who do not obtain these certifications, clinical experience can be gained along studying for a degree after graduating with a diploma, and to start their specialization later. Specialization further divided into a few subcategories, which being clinical nurse specialists, nurse education, nursing administration and others.
Clinical nurses are those who work in a hospital essentially and can choose to further specialise in a specific field in medicine, such as paediatrics or obstetrics & gynaecology. As for nurse educators, they are those who oversee training and produce new batches of professional nurses to serve the community as well as give talks. Managing the nursing staff, scheduling shifts, training, managing medical records, maintaining proper inventory of supplies, these are all part of the job scope of a nurse administrator. Nurses can also opt to work independent of the hospital by becoming an air steward or stewardess, dabbling in business such as confinement centres or nurseries. A background in medicine is always highly looked upon in other careers as it will come in handy if any emergencies
occur.
Ms Sau ended her informative talk by sharing some personal stories of hers from her 27 years of experience working as a nurse as well as those from her colleagues. Through this special event, our students were able to understand this unique profession deeper and closer. Students were left with the hope that they will choose what they love and love what they have chosen, no matter how challenging and difficult the job is.
*Those who are interested to know more may contact Ms Sau Ai Leng at 03-7491 1362 or though her email: saual@sunway.com.my
