The Many Pathways of Nursing

What can you do after graduating with a Nursing degree? Become a nurse? Yes—but that is just one of many possibilities. A Nursing degree opens doors to diverse career opportunities. Five alumni from Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies (NUS Nursing), National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, share their career experiences.

A day in the life of a nurse manager

“Nurse managers oversee day-to-day operations of the units we are in-charge of. Besides tasks like rostering, equipment maintenance and procurement, we also manage the people in the unit—the nurses, support care staff and so on. Currently, I oversee the Paediatrics Intensive Care Unit and Children’s Emergency at NUH, so I’m responsible for about 80 staff in these two units.

“Typically, I start my day by checking in with the charge nurses on concerns from last night’s shift, going on morning rounds in the wards, and catching up with team members. Any incoming urgent emails will be dealt with as they come in. Afternoons are often spent on administrative work for the upcoming Tengah General and Community Hospital (TGCH). As part of the TGCH Nursing planning team, I am excited to be shaping the future of healthcare with this new hospital, slated to open in the early 2030s. In case you are wondering, nurse managers have to do shift work too. But as my TGCH meetings typically take place during the day, I’m mostly on the day shift for now.”

Kiren at work in the wards.

His path to the management track

“Early on, my leaders recognised my strengths in people management. Sitting two nurses in conflict down to hash it out—while managing everyone’s emotions and keeping our level of patient care high—is something I don’t shy away from. I also enjoy solving problems and was initially given opportunities to lead small ward projects, then hospital-wide ones—and now I contribute to shaping Nursing standards at NUH.”

Lessons from NUS Nursing

“I appreciate that we had classes with the NUS Medicine students—which showed that the best way to deliver care is as a team, and not in a silo. Building that sense of camaraderie and collaboration early on came in especially handy for me in recent times. I’m currently on the same committee as some Medicine batchmates. Having that rapport and tacit understanding that we are on the same team with a common goal to help patients makes for productive, frank conversations even when we have conflicting views.”

What’s next

“As a young nurse, I aspired to be in middle management as a nurse manager or senior nurse manager, driving meaningful change and influencing Nursing practice within my scope of care. Having explored different aspects of Nursing—through postings in various units such as NUH’s Nursing Quality department, and a two-year stint in manpower planning at the Ministry of Health—I have seen how Nursing opens many doors. Many leaders who began as nurses have, through experience and opportunities, risen to senior leadership roles in healthcare. I aspire to follow in their footsteps.

“For now, my major project is TGCH—and the work is in full swing as I am immersed in everything: from purposeful concept designs and infrastructure to seamless patient-centric workflows. Although there are many things on my plate at the moment, it also feels like I’ve come full circle. The experience I gained running units, rotating through different units, and through secondment to the Ministry of Health has been invaluable in helping me plan the overall Nursing operations at TGCH, including inpatient services, Nursing quality, patient safety, and manpower.”

A day in the life of a nurse clinician

“I’m a Community Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) with the KTPH@Home team. Besides visiting patients (or having teleconsultations) to do assessments and physical exams for patients under our home hospitalisation programme, I also diagnose conditions, develop care plans and prescribe medications.

“I usually start my day with a team huddle where we do morning rounds and discuss care plans before the rest of the team goes out on home visits. Depending on the day’s schedule, I would either head out to patients’ homes myself or stay in the hospital to do video consultations. On occasions where there are new nurses, we will also team up so I can guide them during the visit. I will then focus on meetings, teaching sessions and administrative tasks for the afternoon.”

Shu Fen carrying out a physical examination at a patient’s home.

Her path to the clinical (community APN) track

“I started my Nursing career in KTPH providing one-to-one patient care in the wards—but felt like I could do more. That was when I did some exploring such as taking on a role in the Nursing Research Unit, because it felt like a meaningful way to give back as it contributed to Nursing knowledge and could influence policy. I was also given the chance to rotate through a few Nursing departments to expand my scope—except that I fell in love with my first attachment with the transitional care model team.

“As part of KTPH’s community Nursing services, the transitional care model involved visiting patients at home for follow-up care after discharge. It felt so empowering that we could follow up long-term with patients through their recovery at home—building rapport and treating any health problems before they worsened. Having to come up with care plans tailored to the patient’s home situation was a challenge I relished, and well worth it when it helped them stay on track with recovery and avoid readmission. That was probably the moment when I decided that I wanted to stay in the clinical track after all—to hone my skills and advance patient care.”

Shu Fen at a panel discussion for the home hospitalisation model.

Lessons from NUS Nursing

“During our patient visits, we carry out assessments, physical examinations and treatment plans independently—tasks usually directed by doctors in the wards. But NUS Nursing has trained me well for this, along with the critical thinking skills to make sound clinical judgements. Thanks to this strong clinical foundation, I could get up to speed quickly when I first started community Nursing.”

What’s next

“Right now, I’m focused on KTPH@Home. But I’m looking to contribute beyond the hospital level—to the National Healthcare Group (NHG) as a cluster and even nationally—for the home hospitalisation model. I have started participating in cluster and national level meetings to set the future direction of Mobile Inpatient Care at Home (MIC@Home)¹.

“On the clinical front, I continue to juggle my roles—working with the nurse manager to manage nurses in the team, collaborating with nurse educators to hold talks and training sessions, and carrying out my own research where I test out clinical theories in my own practice. That is the beauty of Nursing—even as we hone our skills in a chosen track (like clinical for me), there are opportunities for us to expand our capabilities in relation to other tracks.”

Tips for aspiring nurse clinicians

“Having the passion to help and serve others is important—it’s the essence of Nursing. Nursing is an extremely challenging profession. There are going to be times when you absolutely feel like giving up, so you need to be resilient to get up again. So whenever I have a bad day, I always remember what someone once told me: ‘Remember the seed of love you planted for Nursing.’ For me, that seed of love is for my patients—which never fails to encourage me to persevere in being a good APN and advancing patient care.”

A day in the life of a nurse informaticist

“Nursing Informatics lies in the intersection between Nursing, Computer Science, Information Science and IT communications—like how technology is being incorporated into a lot of industries, the same goes for healthcare. I act as a bridge to ensure that Nursing workflows and processes are effectively integrated into clinical IT systems.

“My days are usually quite project-based. Currently, I’m involved in about three projects, each of which can take several years from initialisation to completion.

On a typical day, I might meet with stakeholders to understand their needs, conduct user acceptance tests, or follow up on change requests with our IT partners. To stay current with clinical developments and Nursing workflows, I dedicate one day a week to clinical work. This hands-on experience is crucial for ensuring that the technology we implement is truly beneficial for Nursing. I also regularly attend courses to acquire and update the necessary tech skills for my role.”

His path to the informatics track

“As an orthopaedic nurse, I provided care to individual patients at each contact point. However, I found myself spending considerable time away from the bedside completing administrative tasks. I began to wonder how these processes could be enhanced to allow nurses to spend more time with their patients. That’s why I took up the Nursing Informatics role when the opportunity arose. Since then, I’ve seen for myself how our projects not only shape the way nurses work, but also doctors and other healthcare professionals.

“For instance, when I first joined Nursing, we were still using hard copy case files. Everyone in the care team had to wait for their turn to update their progress notes. But now, with the Electronic Medical Record (EMR), it’s mostly digital. From vital signs flow sheets that automatically tabulate health metrics to clinical summaries that have streamlined the care team’s workflow—everyone can update records concurrently. This saves time and enables nurses to spend more time at the bedside.”

Lessons from NUS Nursing

“One key role of my job is gathering feedback from nurses and stakeholders to understand their needs. I then articulate these needs to our IT partners, and we work together to develop solutions that are both feasible and functional. The course I took on effective communication in NUS Nursing—where we learnt how to communicate effectively and with empathy—has vastly shaped how I approach my stakeholders today.”

Eugene conducting training for hospital colleagues.

What’s next

“SingHealth is moving to the Next Generation Electronic Medical Record (NGEMR) using the Epic system, so I’m training to become an Epic analyst this year. This involves learning the system, and seeing how we can adapt what’s in the system to SingHealth’s workflow processes, or even build new functions.

“This is an interesting evolution from our current practice, where we provide input without having system-building knowledge. With the NGEMR, clinical users (like us) will be coming onboard as analysts to build the system alongside our technology partners. But to become an Epic analyst, I’ll need to pass an exam and be certified. This will be my big project for the next three to five years at least.”

Eugene returns to the clinical areas routinely to keep his clinical knowledge up-to-date.

Tips for aspiring nurse informaticists “I would say get your clinical fundamentals in place first. It’s good to get some experience on the ground—especially for areas you are interested in. Specialties like operating theatre and mental health Nursing can be very different from general Nursing, so it’s helpful to know firsthand what their workflow is like. This role also requires quite a bit of project management skills, so I would recommend taking some courses to hone that, whether at NUS or after graduation.”

A day in the life of a nurse educator

“I teach undergraduate courses at NUS Nursing, and things can look very different between semester and semester break. Over the semester—besides teaching in class—I could be reviewing lesson plans before class, checking in with absent students or preparing assessment materials during the exam period. I also meet with students who need counselling in my role as Student Support Manager.

“Over the break, a lot of work goes into preparing for next semester’s classes—such as researching course material, speaking with subject experts and developing lesson plans. The department will also have curriculum meetings to discuss and finetune lesson contents. Concurrently, I’m also dedicating a good bit of time to conducting my PhD research.”

Her path to the education track “I’m primarily interested in psychiatry and mental health, and thoroughly enjoyed my time as a mental health nurse after graduation. But much of my work revolved around acclimatising patients to the hospital’s routine or making sure they didn’t hurt themselves physically—which increasingly made me wonder if there was more we could do for patients or their loved ones. “That was when I decided to do a Master’s in Counselling and Guidance to expand my perspective, and see things through the lens of applied psychology. Coincidentally, a position at NUS Nursing opened up around the time I completed the programme. Rather than returning to the clinical setting, I felt that passing down what I learnt from my Master’s would have more impact at the education level—as that is where mindsets are nurtured and knowledge inculcated.”

Lubna (third row, second from right) with her students.

Lessons from NUS Nursing

“When I was a student at NUS Nursing, I felt like I could change the world. I haven’t and maybe I can’t—but that was one of the greatest things my teachers instilled in me. That’s how I was encouraged to start a mental health advocacy group as a student—I don’t think it would have been possible without this mindset of being able to make a difference and that any effort matters. Now I’m passing the torch to my students by encouraging them to do the same.”

Lubna’s presentation at the 15^th INC & 28^th EAFONS Joint Conference on peer social support for new mothers and mothers-to-be.

What’s next

“I’m really focused on finishing my PhD at the moment—which will open more doors for me. My topic is about mental health, and there’s probably a couple more years before I’m done. In the meantime, I hope to identify topics that I really enjoy teaching and see how I can transform how they are being taught to be more relevant to students and clinical practice. Not just classroom learning, but also experiential learning and different ways of assessments beyond exams and presentations.”

Tips for aspiring nurse educators “You need to be open-minded and flexible, because every generation of students is going to be different from the ones before. Especially when students have interesting opinions and great ideas—instead of dismissing them outright, sometimes we just need to explore further together. Being able to think differently and try new things also means we can potentially transform the future of Nursing through education.”

A day in the life of a nurse researcher

“As a nurse researcher, I tackle complex healthcare challenges and develop evidence-based solutions that inform healthcare policy and clinical practice. For instance, my work in health economics and outcomes research focuses on developing and refining instruments for conducting economic evaluations of healthcare interventions—aiming to assist policymakers in making informed decisions that improve patient care and optimise resources.

“My typical day usually involves brainstorming and conceptualising new research ideas, reviewing literature, conducting data analysis, and writing papers. While it may seem like solitary work at the computer, it is far from it. I frequently collaborate with other researchers to conceptualise new ideas and engage with clinicians to understand their challenges. These interactions ensure that my research remains relevant and impactful.”

His path to the research track

“My journey into research began during my honours year at NUS Nursing, where I conducted a study on dietary barriers faced by patients with type 2 diabetes. The findings, which identified key risk factors, were published in two renowned Nursing journals and even cited by other researchers. Seeing how my work could translate into tangible improvements in patient care inspired me to become a nurse researcher, with the goal of informing healthcare policy and advancing public health.”

Jeremy at the MOE START NUS-Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowship award ceremony.

Lessons from NUS Nursing

“NUS Nursing provided me with a strong foundation in essential research skills, such as data analysis and evidence-based methodologies. But beyond technical skills, the programme taught me to maintain a patient-centric perspective in my work. This ensures that my research remains grounded in real-world needs, with practical applications for the healthcare system. In addition, the simulation classes were particularly transformative. Being placed in unfamiliar scenarios and having to think on our feet sharpened my critical thinking and problem-solving skills—abilities that are invaluable in research.”

Jeremy (back row, first from right) out to conduct field work at an active ageing centre.

What’s next

“I’m currently pursuing a two-year NUS-Overseas postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Oxford. Under the mentorship of Associate Professor Oliver Rivero-Arias, a renowned health economics researcher, I am gaining hands-on experience and collaborating with international experts across various fields, including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in the United Kingdom. This opportunity is expanding my knowledge and refining my skills in health economics and outcomes research.

“After completing the fellowship, I hope to return to Singapore to share my expertise with aspiring nurse researchers and contribute to impactful healthcare research. In the long term, I aim to secure a tenured academic position and lead my own research programme.”

Tips for aspiring nurse researchers “Effective communication is key for nurse researchers, as strong collaboration with stakeholders and research partners is crucial for successful projects. Additionally, researchers often face a lot of rejection. For example, I might submit 25 publications in a year, and each paper could face multiple rejections from journals. Multiplied by 25—that’s easily over a hundred rejections annually. However, if you remain resilient and take every rejection as a learning opportunity, success will follow.”