Nurses Day 2022: Switching to the Nursing career path with purpose

Ailing Mom Spurred Tourism Veteran To Switch To Nursing

It all started with a gentle nudge from within, a calling to serve others and make an impact.

For Hendra Roy Osland, alumnus of NUS Nursing (Class of 2022), that call came after much of his life was spent in the tourism industry after graduating from school. Handling marketing, events and branding, as well as guest services, the 30-year-old often felt that there had to be more in life.

Witnessing his mother’s fight with cancer since 2016, Hendra felt the calling to serve others in a more intimate way, and make a difference in the lives of people around him. Drawing inspiration from his mother who was also a nurse until she gave birth to him, Hendra had the desire to live out her spirit of serving and helping others.

In 2020, while the COVID-19 pandemic upturned the lives of the world, Hendra left his job to pursue an education at the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS Nursing). Through the Professional Conversion Programme—now the Career Conversion Programme, Hendra enrolled in a 2-year full-time course and studied a range of subjects including anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, psychology, mental health, leadership and management, ethics and law, and research.

With the knowledge attained and training received from the intensive programme, Hendra graduated in July 2022 with the Mount Alvernia Prize in Nursing Excellence. He counts it a tribute to his mother, who has succumbed to cancer a year ago. Looking back at the path he has taken, he said, “If it is truly your calling, it is definitely worth it. The fatigue at the end of every shift is worth every ounce of energy spent, as it is targeted at making someone’s life better in a very intimate way.”

NUS Nursing Academic Awarded Fulbright US-Asean Visiting Scholarship

Teacher, midwife, academic, President’s Nurse, and now, holder of a 2023 Fulbright US-ASEAN scholarship that will see her working on research into job satisfaction and perceptions of female academics, Associate Professor Shefaly Shorey is blazing a trail she hopes will inspire others.

Though her parents were healthcare professionals, A/Prof Shefaly Shorey chose a career as a secondary school teacher after completing a Master degree in Biological Sciences. But witnessing the toll that illness took on her late grandmother in 2003 flipped an internal switch. “She had terminal cancer and received great palliative care from her nursing team. That stirred something in me and made me want to impact people’s lives directly,” said A/Prof Shorey, who had also worked as a biomedical researcher.

She gained nursing experience in various disciplines, but was drawn to midwifery as she believed she could make a meaningful difference in the field. “The unmet needs of parents resonate strongly with me, and I decided to specialise in midwifery to support new parents.” That led eventually to a PhD in women’s health at NUS, where she teaches and also supervises graduate and undergraduate students at NUS Nursing. “Being a working woman, juggling the varied roles of a mother, wife, and daughter/in-law, I saw the crucial need for understanding and supporting female academics, and that led me to propose the topic that I will be working on as a Fulbright U.S.-ASEAN Visiting Scholar next year. I wish to create awareness around the needs of female academics so that they remain active in the workforce. I am an example of an unconventional nurse academic who has followed her heart and take pride in pursuing lifelong learning to achieve my purpose of serving others.”

This Nurses’ Day, we would like to thank all nurses and the Nursing faculty for their dedication and commitment to the patients, Nursing students and the healthcare industry. Thank you for all that you do!