SINGAPORE – In early 2023, when visiting consultants at the cardiac and endocrine specialist clinics in the Student Health Centre at the Health Promotion Board (HPB) switched from using printed case notes to a paperless system, principal enrolled nurse Siti Nur Ain Mohamad Ismail worked diligently to ensure a smooth transition.
As the key person helping the consultants make the switch, the 37-year-old constantly sought feedback from the specialists on whether the processes for the digital system worked well and what needed to be refined.
Little did she know then that, on Nov 21, she would receive the top prize in the Tan Chin Tuan Nursing Awards, the highest accolade dedicated to enrolled nurses in Singapore.
“I am very grateful because it feels that my hard work has been recognised,” she said.
Ms Siti has been a nurse for 17 years, including 12 years in HPB.
One of her challenges at work is informing parents that their children have an inherited condition of colour blindness. Being a mother of two teenagers herself, she knows that parents may find such a diagnosis difficult to accept. She would thus take the time to talk to them about it before offering advice.
In total, 12 nurses from the public and private sectors received the awards at a ceremony held on Nov 21 at the Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation in Jalan Tan Tock Seng. Ms Jane Ittogi, spouse of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and patron of the Singapore Nurses Association, was the guest of honour.
Enrolled nurses typically support registered nurses and are responsible for providing bedside care and monitoring a patient’s condition.
The first runner-up was Ms Sheetha Sinnathamby, a 55-year-old principal enrolled nurse based in the screening room of the National Cancer Centre.
Married with two adult children, Ms Sheetha was a kindergarten teacher who entered nursing by first becoming a patient care assistant in 1999. She then took up nursing courses and discovered that nursing was her calling.
A medical problem led her to switch roles from helping registered nurses with administering chemotherapy to one at the screening room, where she screens patients coming in for treatments.
“I have my medical problems, but for our cancer patients, their problems are bigger. They are emotionally drained and overwhelmed. You need to understand what they are going through,” she said.
Medical oncologist Kennedy Ng said in a citation that Ms Sheetha’s experience and knowledge have allowed her to perform beyond her clinical grade.
“I recall there was a patient who was acutely unwell at the screening station. She dropped everything and ensured the patient was stabilised,” he wrote.
Ms Ang Poo Yong, 55, a principal enrolled nurse from Changi General Hospital, who is based in the isolation wards, was the second runner-up.
She has witnessed changes over her 35 years in nursing, but the work never fails to bring her satisfaction each time she sees patients recover and return home.
“Previously, patients would listen to you, whatever you said. But not the patients today. They will say no,” she said. “You have to be patient and find a compromise so that you can get them to take their medications.”
The remaining nine winners won the merit awards.
Ms Samantha Ong, the president of the Singapore Nurses Association, said at the award ceremony that the Tan Chin Tuan Nursing Award celebrates not just the successes of enrolled nurses but also their passion and perseverance in going above and beyond in their respective areas.
The award is sponsored by the D. S. Lee Foundation and the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation.
In 2024, the champion received a cash prize of $3,500, the first runner-up $3,000, and the second runner-up $2,500. They also received a gold medallion each.
In addition, the champion received a challenge trophy, which will be kept in her institution for a year.
The nine merit winners each received $800 and a certificate of merit.
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