Passion to care for others

                      Ms Liew Lee Fong (left) and  Ms Sally Ang (right)

Why did you choose your career in the healthcare sector?

Lee Fong: I remember vividly the day that I wanted to be a nurse. When I was a teenager, my mother suffered from uterine fibroids, a benign smooth muscle tumour of the uterus. She was bleeding profusely, but I was young and lacked the knowledge to help her with the pain. I felt helpless. My family rushed her to the hospital for treatment and we prayed for the best.

At that moment, I was determined to become a nurse.

Sally: I have a passion for caring for people and I believe what I do can make a difference in people's lives.

The healthcare sector is constantly evolving, and working with other professionals lets me learn new things every day.

Looking at the bigger picture, healthcare is one of the fastest growing industries in Singapore and Asia. There is a great need for healthcare professionals in the region. My hope is that one day we can deliver affordable healthcare services to every needy patient. I also hope that Singapore can develop into a healthcare hub in Asia, or even the world.

What do you think of your job at BVH?

Lee Fong: Nursing is a profession where you learn how to love those in need. Being a nurse is a calling to those who wish to improve health and the wellbeing of others.

At BVH, I started out as a part-time nurse in August 2005 under the chronic sick unit attending to basic wound care. It was a steep learning curve for me but the skills that I gained are invaluable.

Even now, I enjoy developing deep connections with the patients and their family members. Seeing patients recover and able to go home motivates me. Being able to care for them gives me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction because I've always loved to care for others, especially the less privileged. To gain their trust and treat them as part of my family is truly an indescribable experience.

Of course, none of the above will be possible without my colleagues. Nursing requires teamwork. At BVH, we are a closely-knit community and work well as a team. Our relationships are vital for us to accomplish our tasks. We cast aside our differences in order to meet our goals in caring for our patients. After all, there is a saying that two heads are better than one.

I am now a full-time nurse expanding from my previous unit to rehabilitative and palliative wards. I like working in a community setting. The environment is very much different from restructured hospitals. Having said that, both hospitals work together to provide healthcare services seamlessly.

At the end of the day, nursing goes beyond providing medical care. We need to understand that it is also about offering hope and encouraging patients in their journey to recovery.

Sally: I came from restructured hospitals, so a community hospital is a change for me. BVH is like a big happy family. There is a sense of belonging and I enjoy the working environment here. We have very strong team work and our colleagues are always willing to help each other out.

I also find a deep connection with our patients here. Most of them are elderly and they usually stay with us for quite some time. In a way, they need care more than the patients from acute hospitals. Whenever I dispense medicines or do bed counselling for our patients, I try my best to comfort them as well. They show a lot of respect for me and my colleagues, and I am happy to see that our patients are happy with their stay at BVH.