Inspiring Educators Receive Teaching Excellence Award

Ms Lim Fui Ping is a Senior Lecturer at NUS Nursing.

Year 2 nursing student Travis Pereira came from a family of doctors and was unsure if nursing was the career for him. Knowing he had a fledgling interest in nursing science, his tutor Ms Lim Fui Ping invited him to visit her animal lab to glean nursing research in action. His interest was stoked.

“I saw that nurses can make a difference in patient management with innovative interventions, and this re-affirmed my passion for nursing. I am thankful to have met a tireless adviser and guardian, whose approach to teaching is akin to a mother caring for and nurturing her child,” he says.

This is just one of many occasions Ms Lim, a Senior Lecturer at NUS Nursing, has challenged her students to be curious and adventurous.

Ms Lim, who teaches foundation courses taken by first-year students, is also credited by her students – now registered nurses – for teaching them their first tools of the trade.

Darryl Ang first met Ms Lim when he was an intern in 2011 (left). Today, the senior staff nurse continues to receive advice on work and life from her (right).

Alumni Darryl Ang (Class of 2015) survived his first clinical posting at a community hospital in 2011, and a particularly tough Transition to Practice in his final year, thanks to Ms Lim, who was his Clinical Instructor (CI).

“The CI is of utmost importance to first-year students embarking on a new journey in nursing as she shapes their perceptions of the profession. Fui Ping was an outstanding CI and lecturer – she helped us embrace this chapter of our lives and provided us with the technical and soft skills to survive in nursing.

“Many of these skills are still useful in my work today,” says the senior staff nurse at National University Hospital.

But Ms Lim is more than a teacher to her students. She is a mentor who nurtures and affirms her charges’ passions, and a friend who spends after-school hours building ties with them.

Ms Lim (in yellow) and her class of second-career nursing students on one of their jogging sessions.

Dave Hio, a mature-entry student from Ms Lim’s two-year accelerated degree programme, and one of her jogging kakis, says Ms Lim frequently shares strategies on juggling work, PhD study and family during her jogging sessions with his class.

“She cares about the needs of adult learners and understands some of us may require more guidance to cope with the rigours of an accelerated course,” he explains.

“As adult students, we enter nursing with a wealth of prior experience and expertise. She constantly encourages us to incorporate these into our nursing perspectives and practice.

“In the short time I’ve known her, she has enriched my life both as teacher and friend,” he adds.

Call me “Fui Ping”

Ms Lim is also a firm believer that her students should treat her as an equal. Alumna Lim Jia Rui (Class of 2018) was flabbergasted when she was asked to address her tutor by name. “It’s rare in Asian society to call our teachers by their name, but Fui Ping doesn’t believe in erecting a teacher-student barrier,” she says.

Ms Lim’s kindness and nurturing approach have also motivated the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital staff nurse to pay it forward. “Her big heart, kind words and a door always open to her students will impact the care we in turn give to our patients,” says Jia Rui.

Ms Lim, a nurse turned educator, has also inspired some students to follow in her footsteps. One of them is alumna Sarah Ong (Class of 2012), who is now a lecturer at Nanyang Polytechnic.

“I was a registered nurse when I entered NUS Nursing and thought there was nothing more I could learn about wound care. Fui Ping’s deep knowledge of wound management humbled me. She inspired me to embrace lifelong learning and to never rest on my laurels.

“I hope to instil the same values in my students,” she says.

Alumna Celestine Wee (Class of 2012) recently left nursing to start a family. Upon Ms Lim’s encouragement and assistance, she took up a teaching position at Nanyang Polytechnic.

“Thanks to her inspirational presence, I was inspired to go into teaching to groom the next generation of nurses,” says Celestine.

Inspiring a love for anatomy

Dr Zakir Hussain, an ex-medical doctor, is a Senior Lecturer who teaches anatomy and physiology at NUS Nursing.

Dr Zakir Hussain was a surgeon in India before he moved to Singapore in 2006. Today, the Singapore citizen is translating his more-than-20 years of professional medical experience into teaching nursing students about the human body.

“Dr Zakir’s tutorials always seem to make you question your knowledge of the subject. He likes to pose questions and present clinical cases that are contrary to what we have learnt or are contrary to the norm. This trains us to be more observant and better critical thinkers in our clinical decision-making,” says Year 4 student Koh Wei Shao.

Dr Zakir’s Anatomy and Physiology and Pathophysiology classes may take place early in the mornings, but alumna Julienne Reblora (Class of 2018) found she looked forward to them.

“These subjects are intensive and require a lot of memory work, but Dr Zakir was excellent at condensing the information into a digestible whole that made it easier for us to remember and understand. His lessons are also peppered with anecdotes and until now, I can still remember the things I have studied because of his jokes,” says the staff nurse at Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic.

“Dr Zakir made me fall in love with the study of the human body. His lessons were easy-to-digest and he made learning fun. They inspired me to explore the depth and breadth of human anatomy. It’s rare for a student to say this, but I loved studying the subject, thanks to Dr Zakir’s tutelage,” alumna Lim Jae Young (Class of 2018) reminisces.

Alumna Sarah Ho (Class of 2018) feels privileged to have had an experienced medical doctor as her anatomy tutor. “Dr Zakir prepared me for my nursing career by sharing his perspectives as a physician and many anecdotes from his past clinical experiences, expanding my learning vista beyond nursing curriculum.

“Now, as a registered nurse, I can relate what I observe in the clinical setting to what I learnt in Dr Zakir’s class. It has given me the important foundation to understand interventions for better patient care,” the staff nurse at Changi General Hospital adds.