It all started at Pearl Harbour. When she was in junior college, Nur Fadilah Jubir saw the 2001 film that told the story of Japan’s attack on the American naval fleet in Hawaii in 1941.
Amid the film’s spectacular pyrotechnics and gripping historical plotline, it was the quiet but impactful role of a supporting character that caught her attention.
“I was inspired by how the army nurses in the movie tended to the scores of wounded with grit, strength and tenacity in a chaotic, mass casualty environment,” said Fadilah, who took NUS nursing degree and graduated in 2015 and embarked on a career as a military nurse in the Singapore Armed Forces.
An earlier stint with the SAF Volunteer Corps was a decisive factor in her decision to pursue her nursing vocation in the military. The SAF Volunteer Corps enables Singaporean women, first-generation permanent residents and new citizens to serve alongside national servicemen and professional soldiers in roles that support the SAF’s operations and training.
“Working with SAF professionals, full-time national servicemen and other volunteers during my time in the SAFVC helped me to realise that I enjoy being in a military environment, as there is a strong sense of camaraderie as well as plentiful opportunities to hone our leadership skills,” explained Fadilah, 31. Trained to work in emergency care, she is a Senior Military Medical Expert and platoon commander in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Medical Response Force.
In her role, Fadilah plans, manages and leads the training of the Medical Response Force troopers in her unit, ensuring that they remain competent and ready to provide medical help in response to chemical, biological and radiological threats.
While she initially had concerns over whether she would be able to adapt to medical processes in the military, the clinical knowledge and skills she obtained from her time in NUS Nursing , along with the subsequent working experience in the hospitals provided her with a strong foundation. “It eased my understanding of medical processes in the Army, and allows me to be an asset.”
Deployed for COVID-19 operations support with her team of medics at public health institutions here during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak, Senior Military Medical Expert Fadilah also takes pride in another career highlight—she represented the Medical Corp Formation as a flag ensign for this year’s SAF Day Parade on July 1, and will be reprising the role at this year’s National Day Parade at the Floating Platform in Marina Bay on August 9.
MOM’S THE INSPIRATION
Her fellow Senior Military Medical Expert and NUS Nursing alumnus, Olive Lim, 32, found her calling through her mother.
“I always knew I wanted to work in the healthcare industry. I believe this was mainly because my mum was a nurse and she shared many of her experiences with me,” said Olive, who took NUS Nursing degree and graduated in 2011.
In fact, her mind was so set on nursing that NUS Nursing was the only undergraduate course she applied for. “It was all or nothing,” she recalled.
Olive is a medical trainer at the SAF Medical Training Institute, where she teaches both military and medical knowledge and skills to National Service (NS) medical units, training them to be deployed for operations when needed.
“It is most fulfilling when the NS medical units that I trained display high levels of competencies in their planning and execution, during military exercises and operations,” said Olive.
She cited the example of the national fight against COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic, when some NS medical units were deployed to provide care in the Community Care Facilities (CCF) and also participate in home vaccination operations.
A career highlight was being part of the national response to the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the authorities were still grappling with how to deal with new and dangerous virus.
“When COVID-19 infections led to the first wave of the outbreak in the foreign workers’ dormitories, I was in charge of setting up a conveyance team that planned the transfer of patients who were tested positive from the dormitories to the CCFs to allow them to recover and limit the spread,” said Olive.
She had to scramble to create a sustainable workflow and standard operating procedures for the medical teams. Despite it being very hectic and tiring, Olive said she found the task purposeful.
Olive was also appointed the Medical Organising Secretary for Singapore’s National Day Parade 2021, the first full parade held in the midst of a pandemic. Her team had to make sure that safe management measures were abided by, and develop testing strategies for the working parties, participants and spectators, to ensure a safe event.
“It was very challenging because of all the uncertainties, but we forged on and delivered a spectacular celebration which displayed our nation’s resilience in the time of crisis,” she recalled.
Military life has its own challenges. For Olive, it is juggling between work and family, especially since she recently given birth to a baby boy. “There would be times where I would work long hours during military exercises and operations,” she said. “But I am very fortunate to have a very supportive family.”
