Hi Everyone,

Last weekend, I was reading the newspaper which spoke of the goverment’s plan of preparing people who have been retrenched to participate in mid-career switch programmes . It brought memories of the time some three years ago when I had to make that personal choice of a mid-career switch from teaching to nursing. It was one of the toughest choices and decisions that I had to make  realising the limited finances that I would have to support myself  and the family. Additionally, I had to also make personal sacrifices to juggle family time and the demands of work at school. Nonetheless, I still took that plunge and have never regretted since. I also have to thank WDA (Workforce Development Agency), the lecturers at NYP ( Nanyang Polytechnic) and my superiors at NUH ( National University Hospital) for the opportunities and support given to me at every stage of my career. Today, each day, when I go to work, I know deep down that I am going to bring relieve to someone out there who could be a complete stranger. Personally, I do not think there could be any job out there that will bring me such immense satisfaction and pleasure. For those of you out there who could be at the cross-roads like me and do not know what you should do, well, my advice to you is that if you have done the necessary homework and think that you want to take the decision of a career switch, then go for it and never look back. Think positively and more importantly believe in yourself, “Sky will be The Limit”.

I am Shefaly.I will be sharing with you about myself and about nursing through this blog. Frankly, I am very nervous as well as afraid of keeping up with the demands of my studies and to blog each week.  Believing in ” Nothing is Impossible” I am giving it a try. I will do my best to update you with the latest happenings in nursing. Please provide me with your valuable feedback so that I can continue to update my blog better. Please do keep in touch - Shefaly

I used to wonder how one would manage time in a day and thus remained apprehensive in taking the path of having to work and pursuing my graduate studies. With the encouragement and support from my superiors and family, I went ahead to embark on this journey as well. I must say that it has again been another exciting and rewarding journey with new knowledge gained. I must confess that it has not been easy having to juggle the many demands of work and family, but, with the ability to prioritise and be disciplined in the way I managed my time, I have managed to do well in my graduate programme while at the same time working as well as spending time with my family. I have now even embarked on my postgraduate specialization and will be talking to you more about that in my future writings. Hence, my urge is then to all those working mothers, Go get what you want to achieve as the light beyond the tunnel is closer than you think.

Clinical Instructors are nurses who guide student nurses while they are having their clinical postings in the hospitals. I was privileged to be appointed as a Clinical Instructor early this year and since then my journey has been both exhilarating and highly enriching. I have met many students from diverse backgrounds who possess immense amounts of energy and are sure of what they want to achieve in their lives. I vividly remember of one student from Myanmar, who, had a limited command of English, but through her willingness to learn and passion for the nursing profession won the hearts of many patients. The drive in her aspired many of her peers including myself. This is but one of the many enriching moments and experiences I have had with my students in my journey as a Clinical Instructor. I am sure that there will be more and will be sharing with you in my future writings.