NUS Nursing’s pioneer class celebrates 10th anniversary

Graduates from NUS Nursing’s pioneer class mark the 10th anniversary of their graduation at a reunion.

The Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies’ pioneer graduates – the Class of 2009 and 2010 – marked the 10th anniversary of their graduation on 12 October 2019.

Over 40 members of the first class and their family members gathered at the Ascott Raffles Place to reminisce and celebrate the occasion. They were reunited with their former educators, tutors and administrators. Also in attendance were past and present nursing students with whom they shared their nursing experiences.

All smiles as ex-classmates and teachers reconnect after a decade.

The three-year Bachelor of Science (Nursing) degree programme, with an optional Honours year, was the first local baccalaureate programme available to school-leavers back then, in 2006.

Today, 13 years later, the school’s offerings has expanded to Master’s, PhD and continuing education and training (CET) courses for in-service nurses.

Marking the tenth birthday of the NUS Nursing graduate: (from left) Mr Suresh Rajasekaram, President of NUSNA, Prof Chong Yap Seng, Dean of NUS Medicine, Prof John Wong, Chief Executive of the National University Health System, Prof Emily Ang, Head of NUS Nursing, Ms Lim Chi Ching, Founding President of NUSNA, and Ms Sarah Ong, Second President of NUSNA.

Professor Emily Ang, who now leads the school with 57 academics, educators and administrators, said the milestone is very significant.

“From our humble beginnings, we have grown to be the jewel in the crown of nursing education in Singapore,” she said.

Since the enrolment of its first class in 2006, the school has graduated 1,066 alumni, and now takes in more than 360 undergraduate and graduate students yearly.

“NUS Nursing graduates are widely sought after and in demand in healthcare institutions across Singapore, enjoying the highest employment rates of all graduates at NUS,” said Prof Ang.

Their bonds are strong even after 10 years, says pioneer graduate Nur Liyanna Bte Maznin (middle).

The world of nursing has changed phenomenally in the last 10 years, according to the graduates from the pioneer class.

Cheryl Chan, an alumna from the pioneer class, said the nursing profession looks very different today compared with 10 years ago. “Nursing isn’t just about bedside care anymore. It involves a lot of critical thinking and communication,” the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital senior staff nurse observed.

Lim Chi Ching, an advanced practice nurse with the National Cancer Institute, Singapore, also noted that oncology nursing has become more and more challenging with advancements in treatment and introduction of new therapies.

10 years after receiving their degrees, the intense bonds the nurses formed through their schooling exist to this day. “The long hours studying together, practising in the lab and going for our attachments made us very close and we still feel the strong bond of being the first batch,” said Nur Liyanna Bte Maznin.

Cynthia Ko, a nurse clinician at Raffles Hospital, also remembered the early days of the programme fondly. “The programme required a lot of discipline from us as it was really rigorous and I remember going for classes from 7 am to 5 pm. But we had a lot of fun especially in the interactive lab sessions, even though we didn’t have the sophisticated labs or advanced equipment today.

“Being the first batch made us really special and jump-started our career, as graduate nurses were so rare then. We were the experimental batch but it was a great beginning and we turned out really well,” said Ms Ko, who is now part of a team involved in setting up the Hospital’s overseas unit in China next year.

A commemorative book was launched to mark the tenth anniversary of the graduation of NUS Nursing’s first class.

At the reunion, NUS Nursing also launched a commemorative book, “Advancing Nursing Education since 2005”, to recognise its achievements.

The book documents the progress of its pioneer nurses over the last 10 years in parallel with the milestones and achievements of the school, and tells their personal stories interweaved with the corporate story of the journey of the school.

The reunion and book launch was jointly organised by NUS Nursing and the NUS Nursing Alumni Association (NUSNA).

NUS Nursing’s commemorative book features its pioneer graduates, one of whom is Tan Tock Seng Hospital Advanced Practice Nurse Chia Gerk Sin (third from left).