From Singapore, Janice was awarded the AIF Scholarship for 2013. The following is taken from her report back to the Scholarship Board six months after returning to Singapore.
‘It has been really busy getting back to work with the tons of workload piling up, but nevertheless it is a good opportunity to be able to play a part in the healthcare settings’.
Janice returned to her position as a Senior Staff Nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Completing her nursing degree has enabled her to better analyse patient’s clinical symptoms and provide interventions promptly, given her increased knowledge of bioscience and patient assessment. This has helped her a lot clinically, particularly as the hospital has recently implemented a system to give nurses more responsibility to make decisions as to what level of doctor to escalate patient problems, depending on the severity and urgency of the problem.
‘Overall, the experience of being able to study in Perth, Australia was really an eye opener. The culture of Nursing in Australia is very different from that currently operating in Singapore. The different units in my university course have taught me a lot. I hope I will be able to use all this knowledge in my clinical practice in the near future’.
‘Learning about the NGOs and Red Cross activities has inspired me to play a part in the community. However at this moment, I have yet to get some time out to actually participate and register myself as a Red Cross member. I hope that I will be able to get involved with the community soon to play my part to help those in need’.
‘I truly appreciate what the Scholarship has given to me – the opportunity to complete my degree overseas and to learn from the Australian culture. I will strive hard to be a better nurse providing the best care for the patients’.