Back in the day, all nursing training was conducted at the School of Nursing, just across from Singapore General Hospital. Selection was done by a panel comprising representatives from the Public Civil Service, the Ministry of Health, and the School of Nursing itself.
The traditional path started with Pupil Assistant Nurse (PAN) Training—three years’ experience as an Enrolled Nurse before you were eligible for Student Nurse Training. Only those who passed with credit or distinction could shorten their ward experience to one year before progressing. And if you met that standard, entry was automatic—no interview needed.But everything changed in 1981.
Faced with an acute nursing shortage, the Ministry opened the Student Nurse Training to new school leavers. If you met the grades, you could skip the PAN stage altogether.Then in 1992, the Ministry established the School of Health Sciences at NYP—a joint program with the University of Sydney, bringing in Australian lecturers as part of the push to raise nursing education standards.
That was where we were headed for Vasanthi. You should have seen the smile on her face when they handed her the student pass. Now, she was officially a student of Nanyang Polytechnic.
“Where shall we go now, Aunty?”
“Tomorrow, we meet at National University Hospital for your interview. It’s not over, Vasanthi. This is just the beginning. Are you ready?”She gripped the student pass like it was gold.
“I am!”
National University Hospital opened to the public on 24 June 1985. It was one of Singapore’s first restructured hospitals, the only university hospital on the island, and sat right next to the National University of Singapore’s medical faculty at Kent Ridge.
Vasanthi met me at the public canteen after her interview, looking crushed. “What happened?” I asked.“The interviewer told me I’m too fat to be a nurse. That I should lose weight.”
“Nonsense! There are plenty of nurses here bigger than you. Did you see the student nurses in the staff canteen? Some are twice your size. That is not the issue at all. What else did she say?”
“She said my results weren’t impressive… that she doesn’t think I’ll get through the course.”I stared at her, stunned. Cruel didn’t even begin to cover it. I remembered my own first time at NUH. The hospital had just opened, and they were desperate for nurses.
Most of their staff then were on secondment from SGH, TTSH, and TPH while they tried to hire their own.We’d been invited to an open house. During the Q&A session, the HR Director proudly declared that NUH would be the first hospital to offer a four-figure salary to newly graduated registered nurses—though the offer was still “pending committee approval.”
I raised my hand.“If the salary scale isn’t approved yet, why are you offering it to us now?”
He replied confidently "Oh, I’m sure it will be approved.”
“How so? What happens if we sign now, and later you tell us, ‘Sorry ladies, the committee didn’t approve’? Why present us with something that isn’t confirmed?”
The CEO fixed his gaze on me.“ Alright. Here’s my deal—if you sign with us now, I personally guarantee you will get the salary I’m offering.” I can never resist a challenge. I signed right there and then.
“Who was the interviewer?” I asked Vasanthi. She told me the name. “Hmm. She’s not Singaporean. A nurse educator, yes, but a foreigner. Never mind. I’ll remember her name… we’ll see about that. Don’t feel sad. We still have Tan Tock Seng.”
We walked out together, disappointed no, done with NUH. “Your appointment with TTSH is tomorrow. We’ll go back to my place. We need a rehearsal. I want to run through all the possible questions they might ask and hear how you’ll answer them.”
I sat across from her.“Alright, first question: Why nursing? Why do you want to be a nurse?” She froze, staring at me with a blank look.
“...Because no other faculty wants to take me in? Because there’s nowhere else I can go?”
“Well, that’s the truth, right, Aunty?”
“Of course that’s the truth. But here’s the thing, Vasanthi they don’t want to hear that truth. Tell them another truth.”
“Another truth?”
She frowned. “I’m sorry, Aunty… but I can’t think of any other.”
“Where were you about a month ago?”
“In KL, at my mother’s elder sister’s place.”
“Good. Why were you there?”
“She was ill… breast cancer.”
“Good. Now tell me what did you see while you were there?”
“All the relatives were there ”
“Okay, yes, but I’m not interested in them. I want to know about your dying aunty. Describe her condition to me.”
She paused, thinking.“She looked really sick… weak and pale. When I touched her hand, it was cold and sometimes sweaty.”
“Good. That’s called the cachexia look. That’s what cancer does it sucks the life from the body, until even the cells are starved.”
“Tell me how you felt seeing her like that.”
“Sad… depressing…”
“That’s all? I know there’s more. Tell me.”
“She was in so much pain, Aunty. Even with painkillers, I could see it in her face.”
“Excellent. And what else? Your feelings—when you saw her like that?”
“As I stood there looking at her… I just wished I could do more for her. I felt so helpless.”
I raised my hand.“ Stop. Bingo. That’s your truth.”
2005 — Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH)
Public Canteen, 1200hrs
I’d been waiting for Vasanthi for quite some time. The interview had run longer than expected.While I waited, I started mapping out the next strategy just in case. If TTSH rejected her, we still had Mount Elizabeth and Mount Alvernia.
Both private hospitals, both offering sponsorships for student nurse training. Better them than nothing.Fifteen minutes later, she walked in. I could tell instantly from the smile on her face.
“They accepted me, Aunty. They’ll take over the sponsorship from you. But… will you be my guarantor?”
“Definitely. Who else would?”
“So what did they ask you?”
“Exactly what you listed, Aunty! How did you know they were going to ask those questions?”
“Instinct.”
She beamed.
“I have never been so happy, Aunty. This is the most wonderful moment in my life… all this time I’ve faced nothing but rejection…”
“Indeed. Rejection can be a blocking factor. Now, my young lady, we’ve got a lot to do. Starting next week, twice a week in the evenings, you’ll come to my house. We’ll start with Anatomy and Physiology.”
“Anatomy and Physiology?”
“Yes. A&P for short. You must know your A&P at your fingertips.”
“What is A&P?”
“It’s your body learning and understanding how it works. Before you can save others, you first need to save yourself. Before you understand how other people function, you must understand your own body. Remember the saying, ‘Courtesy begins at home’? Your body is your home. That’s where you begin"
