| 02 Aug 2005
Aug 2, 2005
Alumni to rope in former nurses as mentors (Straits Times, Pg 5)
 A NEW association of former and retired nurses in Singapore is being set up by public health-care group SingHealth.
The Nursing Alumni is meant to foster camaraderie among former nurses and to provide an avenue through which they can serve as mentors to younger nurses.
Social gatherings and community projects are some of the ways being considered to bring them together.
Membership is open to all former nurses from public and private health-care institutions.
The alumni also marks the 120th year of nursing in Singapore, which began when 11 French nuns arrived to care for the sick at the old Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
It was launched yesterday at SingHealth's annual Nurses' Day party at SGH by Ms Roselin Liew, former chief nursing officer with the Ministry of Health.
At the event, 10 nurses were presented with the SingHealth-Lee Foundation Excellence in Nursing Awards. Each received a trophy, a collar pin and $2,000.
Another 13 received the Alice Lee Institute of Advanced Nursing Scholarships to pursue bachelor's and master's degrees as well as doctorates in nursing.
On Sunday, the other public health-care cluster, the National Healthcare Group (NHG), also celebrated Nurses' Day with songs, dances and games at the Singapore Expo.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan presented the Hamidah Honour Prize to Nanyang Polytechnic's top three NHG-sponsored nursing graduates. The $300 book prize is in memory of nurse Hamidah Ismail, who died of Sars in 2003.
A cheque for $30,000, raised by the NHG nurses, was presented to the Yellow Ribbon Fund, for programmes to help kids of former prisoners.
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