We all know all too well, that the nursing profession has got to be one of the most noble of professions that exists. The sacrifices that nurses make on a daily basis, whether it’s their time or their resources, is to be reckoned with, surely. What exactly does it take to be a nurse, especially during this time of a worldwide pandemic? In conjunction with International Nurses Day 2021, which falls on the 12th of May, BabyTalk chatted with three outstanding individuals who are in the nursing profession, and here’s what they had to share with us all!
A Male In A Female’s Domain
Lim Kim Fuu, 34.
Nurse Manager, Columbia Asia Hospital, Puchong
Predominantly occupied by females, it’s quite safe to say that male nurses are quite a rarity among our society. Hailing from Kuching, Sarawak, 34-year old father of one, Lim Kim Fuu has been in the nursing scene for the past decade and is still very much in love with his job, which he carries out with full dedication. Nursing, apparently, wasn’t his first choice of career. “After my STPM, I looked for opportunities to further my studies. Although nursing wasn’t my first choice, I came across an application for a scholarship to pursue studies in Bachelor of Nursing in International Medical University (IMU). I tried my luck, applied for it and I got accepted. I took this as fate, enrolled myself into a nursing programme and that is how it all started,” he related his experience with BabyTalk.
Being an emergency nurse, Lim finds that there is a certain joy to be felt when he gets to help people, especially when they’re in pain. “ It’s always a wonder to see how medicine works. A patient can be in pain one minute, and in the next moment, he or she could be smiling happily and in relief,” he shared. “Nursing also teaches me about how precious life is when you can see the beginning of life as well as the end of life at the same time.”
It’s not always an easy job, though, especially being a male in a predominantly female occupation, as Lim pointed out. “The most challenging part being a male nurse is handling female patients, and this is largely due to gender discrimination and cultural barriers in Malaysia. Most female patients would prefer a female nurse to handle them. As a Manager, another challenge I usually encounter is to manage my staff of various age groups and different levels of education, where they all need to be treated professionally,” he shared.
There is a widespread belief that people end up being a nurse when or if they fail to qualify as a doctor, but Lim is adamant that it’s the other way around.”Being a nurse is more challenging than you think. You need to learn about what doctors know such as anatomy, biomedical, drugs, etc. Nursing is not an easy task, for there has to be passion and determination for one to thrive in this occupation,” he explained.
Lim hopes that one day nurses will be at par with doctors and work hand in hand with them instead or just taking orders. “Nurses are with the patient 24/7 and are an advocate to the patient, educator to them, and the list goes on. Therefore, I hope that nurses can be involved in part of the treatment plan of the patient instead of just carrying out doctors’ orders.” he stated with conviction.
A Physical and Mental Challenge
Nurul Farhana Binti Zainal Abidin, 32.
Infection Control Charge Nurse, Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre
Born in her grandmother’s house in Sungai Besar, Selangor, 32-year old wife and mother of two, Nurul Farhana Binti Zainal Abidin has been serving as a nurse in Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre (SKSMC) in Klang for the past 11 years. She began her career at SKSMC as a Staff Nurse in the Emergency Department from January 2011 until 2017 before being transferred to the Infection Control Unit in 2017. Last year, Nurul Farhana got promoted to Charge Nurse in the Infection Control Unit.
As a child, Nurul Farhana was always inspired by her father to become a nurse. “To him, nurses are like angels, always noble and kind, always empathetic to all, especially the needy, always doing good things and helping others. Besides that, there are only a few nurses in my family, and they too have motivated me to embark on this journey.
Nurul Farhana shared that she loved her job partly because she derives utmost satisfaction while helping patients who need treatments. It also makes her day when patients thank her for her help. Nurul Farhana also loves learning new things and the adventurous environments that her job sometimes provides. This was especially during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, when she had many new experiences and challenges, including developing SOP’s to manage patients, visitors and healthcare workers in the hospital. “I love working in SKSMC, especially with my Nursing Management team because it is a wonderful team with great teamwork. We always support each other, and the hospital provides opportunities for us to further our studies.”
When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in early 2020, the entire SKSMC management team and Infection Control Unit set up the Policy of Management for Covid-19 in SKSMC based on MOH Guidelines. “SKSMC’s Management Team had to set up an ad hoc meeting to discuss how to manage the infectious disease effectively and vigilantly according to MOH Guidelines.The Infection Control Team had to educate all staff on proper procedures for donning and doffing PPE during the pandemic, Nurul Farhana said. “We had to set up the Policy on Management of patients, visitors and healthcare workers during the pandemic together with the management team, as well as set up policies on the new norm based on MOH Guidelines together with the management team (virtual training, 3W 3C poster). All HOD’s needed to audit the staff, patients and visitors to ensure all MOH SOP’s are adhered to.”
Nurul Farhana wishes that the pandemic will be over soon and expressed her relief that the vaccine is currently being rolled out. SKSMC, by the way, is one of the vaccine centres in Klang. Together with the team, she is helping to manage the vaccination days for over 300 private healthcare frontliners from hospitals nearby, including their own as well as other staff members of SKSMC. She also encourages all Malaysians to register for the Covid-19 Vaccination as it is a way to prevent further transmission of the virus. ‘Lindung diri, lindung semua’, as she put it.
She advised all those who wish to become nurses to be prepared to be tough and adventurous both mentally and physically. “You must always have a good heart and be brave in voicing out brilliant new ideas to make our patients more comfortable,” she concluded.
What are your hopes for the future as a nurse? I hope to become a wonderful leader while being kind and generous to all my colleagues. I hope I can voice out brilliant ideas related to nursing in the future, InsyaAllah.
A Thirst For Learning New Things
Nur Afiqah binti Zairizal, 29.
Nurse, Pantai Hospital Klang.
It’s been almost seven and a half years since Kuala Lumpur-born Nur Afiqah binti Zairizal began her career as a nurse. The 29-year old mother of two wanted to get into nursing after joining PBSM in high school. She happened to take up a course on basic first aid and found it super interesting. “I was curious about a nurse job and the more I learned about what nurses did, the more I found myself excited by the prospect of helping people in medical situations. I wanted to expand this skill and I felt that nursing was a good fit for me,” she told Babytalk in a recent interview. Nur Afiqah was right about her decision when she realized how rewarding it was to be able to make people who are sick and uncomfortable feel better, even just a little. “Plus, the nursing profession is constantly evolving where there are numerous career paths available within the profession,” she stated, affirmatively.
Nur Afiqah admitted to being in love with this profession as it is one that never stops giving. She also loves that she can learn new things every day and is able to provide care for patients who are in need. “I love the endless amount of learning and science that the healthcare field offers. I chose the emergency department in my nursing career as I prefer challenges and it provides a platform for me to use my critical thinking when the need arises. I am so proud to be a part of a team that could be ready to save someone’s life within minutes,” she shared enthusiastically.
One has to be ready though, as Nur Afiqah explained, for a high degree of mental, emotional and physical exhaustion by end of the shift especially when the shift is havoc! “Lack of respect and verbal abuse from patients, management and sometimes even the physicians, may lead to mental and emotional disturbance,” she revealed to all. “Another challenge would be time management. Balancing time between preparing patient charts/paperworks and providing patient care need to be balanced. Sometimes, when we’re not careful enough, we may end up spending more time on paperwork and less on patient care. Besides that, losing a patient under our care is another really hard part of being a nurse. I’ve always struggled to keep myself from crying during those situations, but at the same time, I also have to always show empathy by giving family members time and space to grieve.”
As the year 2020 was defined by the Coronavirus pandemic and has affected all healthcare providers fighting on the frontlines to safeguard the lives of everyone affected, it naturally had a big impact on Nur Afiqah and her colleagues at work, where they needed to be extra careful in triaging patients and detecting suspected cases with the infections. “We had to be well equipped with essential knowledge and skills in managing the crisis involving clinical treatment, isolation and decontamination. I always practiced proper hand hygiene and wearing full PPE to prevent myself and spreading the infections. However, it is truly heartbreaking being isolated due to handling Covid cases and to be kept apart from my family. It made me nervous and anxious every time I went to work as there was a high possibility of getting infected and spreading the infection to my family,” she stated solemnly.
To Nur Afiqah, the most rewarding thing about being a nurse is making a difference in the lives of others. In nursing, according to her, you have to always remember to have empathy and to give the best care possible. “Always ask for feedback for self-improvement. Be receptive and grateful when others offer advice or suggestions. When a situation escalates, it’s also really important to remain as calm as possible, so you can be helpful and make right decisions. You will take part in codes and encounter emergencies, so be steady and be ready to do whatever you’re asked. Last but not least, never stop learning to continue your personal and professional growth,” she advised all those who are hoping to become nurses, as she wished them good luck.
“I have been able to meet different types of people who I am sure I’ll never run into in my everyday life. I feel that my nursing profession has made me a better person and I can see the world in a completely different way. The shift patterns, the lack of social life and the exhaustion has at times been a nightmare, but things fall into place naturally. I really adore learning and have completed my Advance Diploma in Emergency Care and I would love to continue and pursue a Bachelor of Nursing and will never stop learning. Lastly, I really hope that nurses will be more appreciated, and our salaries will be fairly increased, as nursing is inherently a very demanding profession entailing long working hours and overnight schedules,” she deduced.
