Singapore General Hospital enrolled nurse Seh Wooi Loon is one of 33 trainees from the inaugural batch of the ITE Work-Study Diploma in Nursing programme. ST PHOTO GAVIN FOO
The TL;DR: Mr Seh Wooi Loon was inspired to become a nurse after a chance encounter while visiting his grandmother in hospital. He is one of 33 trainees from the inaugural batch of the newly launched ITE Work-Study Diploma in Nursing programme, which would let him qualify as a registered nurse.
SINGAPORE – After secondary school, Mr Seh Wooi Loon struggled to decide on which course to pursue at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
A chance encounter while visiting his grandmother, who was in hospital for abdominal pain, set him down the path of nursing.
“I remember my grandma complimenting the nurses a lot,” the 25-year-old recalled.
While he felt “very helpless” when his grandmother was in pain, seeing the nurses at the hospital being able to comfort her made him want to be able to do that for others.
Armed with a Nitec in nursing that he earned from ITE in 2017, Mr Seh is now an enrolled nurse at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), where he ensures patient comfort and safety by sterilising the operating theatre and instruments and assisting registered nurses during operations.
Soon, he will split his time between classes on campus and on-the-job training at SGH under the new ITE Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) in Nursing programme. When he graduates from the three-year course, he can become a registered nurse.
Mr Seh, who joined SGH in 2021, was offered the opportunity to pursue the course by his nursing manager in July 2024 after he expressed interest in upgrading his skills and taking on more responsibility.
He hopes the training will allow him to gain more experience and provide his patients with better care. “The most important part of being a nurse is being able to put the patients first,” he said.
He is also delighted to be able to upgrade his skills in an environment that he is comfortable and familiar with. Another plus is that the school is near his home.
“ITE is like my second home,” he said. “I’m looking forward to meeting familiar faces, but I’m also excited to make new friends.”
However, he also understands the rigours of this opportunity.
“This isn’t like my Nitec days. I’ll be studying and working at the same time, so my time management must be better,” said Mr Seh, who was a medic during his national service.
He had extended his service by nine months during the Covid-19 pandemic to assist relief efforts at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where he was responsible for temperature taking and Covid-19 swab tests.
“It felt very risky, and I was afraid of bringing Covid-19 back to my family,” he recalled. “But I felt like I needed to help others.”
Asked about what he was looking forward to most about going back to school, Mr Seh quipped: “Probably the canteen. I’m really craving the Western food there.”
ITE’s Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) in Nursing
“We now have a full range of pathways to become a nurse and upgrade further,” Mr Ong said at the launch event.
“No matter the starting point of a person’s learning journey, it is possible to enter the nursing profession.”
The first batch of trainees from the three healthcare clusters start on-campus training on Oct 7.
The diploma programme comprises approximately 30 per cent on-campus training at ITE, and 70 per cent on-the-job training conducted at the trainees’ respective home hospitals. This includes 32 weeks of clinical speciality postings mandated by the Singapore Nursing Board.
Course fees are fully covered by the trainees’ hospitals or employers. The trainees will also continue to receive a monthly salary from their employers for the duration of the programme.
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