Currently pursuing nursing at NUS Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies (NUS Nursing) with a Second Major in Public Health, Year 4 student Apple Koh is no stranger to dealing with illness and death. In the first half of 2023 during Apple’s hospital attachment at the National University Hospital, her maternal grandfather passed away. Barely weeks after, her own father became critically ill with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
This series of family bereavements and health crises hit her hard. “Currently my dad is under palliative care. I am trying to balance my life, my studies and my family, especially spending time with my dad,” she reflected.
The events have also shaped her philosophy of nursing and eldercare in a deeply personal way. How to better prepare the elderly for their end-of-life experience became a pressing concern and led her to ponder issues such as eldercare and quality of life.
A point of convergence
While Apple has always been interested in healthcare, she never dreamed of being a nurse when she was younger. “I took a longer route to discover my passion. Initially, I was working as a laboratory technician with very little human contact. After switching to work in a clinical setting, I discovered that I prefer interacting with patients and took my first pivot — enrolling in Nursing at Nanyang Polytechnic for a mid-career switch in 2016 under the Career Conversion Programme (CCP),” the mature student reveals.
After graduating with a Diploma in Nursing with Merit in 2018, Apple then worked in the National Heart Centre Singapore’s ICU as a Staff Nurse for two years and seven months before enrolling in NUS. While others might regard these events as career detours, Apple sees how all her prior experiences have converged to stand her in good stead in her tertiary nursing education at NUS.
Working as a Staff Nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic enhanced her understanding of epidemiology, infection control policies, and the on-the-ground realities related to her Public Health major. Meanwhile, her nursing stint between her Polytechnic diploma and NUS degree strengthened her nursing skills.
A diverse spectrum
A mid-career switch did not come without its challenges. Apple’s biggest hurdle during CCP was her high personal expectations, which left her feeling stressed and with hardly any downtime. “I had no time for any activities other than studies, which negatively affected my mental health. Although I did graduate with a high GPA, upon reflection I don’t think this way of learning is beneficial for me,” she elaborates.
Determined not to tread the same path at NUS, Apple consciously pursued a more well-balanced university experience, immersing herself in the many rich aspects of school life whilst learning to be more forgiving towards herself and others.
Describing the culture of NUS Nursing, Apple sums it up in one word: diverse. She enjoyed the fact that there were students coming from a whole gamut of educational backgrounds ranging from junior colleges and polytechnics to mid-career switchers.
Apple (first from left) with her peers from NUS Nursing and exchange students from Japan in 2023.
This spirit of collaboration and openness is also prevalent in the yearly healthcare simulation sessions, where Nursing and Medicine students work together in a simulated ward setting. With mannequins standing in for patients, the students are given a test case scenario and must mutually decide how to care for the patient. This not only helps prepare them for the real world through experiential learning, but also strengthens their interprofessional collaboration and communication skills so that they can deliver excellent patient care together. “The culture in Nursing is very encouraging and positive, it provides a safe space for us to learn from one another, especially across disciplines,” Apple notes.
Apple (centre) and her Nursing friends enjoying a post-exam trip to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
Driven by her personal passion for nursing and her experiences at NUS, Apple decided to sign up as a student ambassador for NUS Nursing. In this role, she participates in outreach programmes to educate the public about nursing and encourage those interested to consider a career in this enriching field.
Global vistas, local insights
Apple is grateful for the support of her NUS Nursing professors, in particular Associate Professor Lydia Lau, who were more than open to her taking up a second major in Public Health. This led to Apple gaining invaluable global exposure through her overseas Public Health internship, where she spent May to July of 2023 in Nepal, conducting public health research on menstrual health in the rural mountain areas.
Deeming it a life-changing experience to personally witness how public health research is carried out in rural areas, Apple elaborates: “Research was painstakingly manual with paper questionnaires translated into Nepalese by the local undergraduates and surveys conducted door to door. Altering the public perception and cultural stereotypes surrounding periods and personal sanitation was not easy. In addition, even the most basic of amenities like internet access, hot water and electricity cannot be taken for granted.” Her greatest personal takeaway from the internship was to communicate more with patients to better understand their backgrounds, as many social issues such as poverty are enmeshed with public healthcare matters.
Apple (first from left) conducting data collection in the mountainous areas of Nepal.
Barely 23 hours after returning to Singapore from Nepal, Apple exchanged her luggage and promptly left for her Summer Programme at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver.
Choosing to focus on seniors’ health and homecare, Apple had the eye-opening chance to study Vancouver’s nursing homes on field trips to better understand their eldercare system and how it differs from Singapore’s. The focus on quality of life and personhood that she witnessed has impacted her on the home front, spurring Apple and her sister to prepare their father for his end-of-life experience through palliative care and to respect any wishes he might have regarding it. “Ensuring his quality of life is the most important thing I can do for my dad now,” she affirms.
The Vancouver Summer Programme opened her eyes in more ways than one. An adventurous solo traveller, Apple seized the opportunity to explore the wonders of nature, including the landscapes of the Canadian Rockies, Whistler and Tofino. The way her tour guides always acknowledged the land as the territory of the Indigenous peoples left a deep impression on Apple. This same respect extended to Apple’s UBC Farm field trip — the university’s certified organic farm — where she learnt how the Indigenous peoples used plants in their daily lives.
Apple (second from left, first row) on a hike to Quarry Rock in north Vancouver with other UBC Nursing students.
Under the support and positive encouragement of her NUS Nursing professors, Apple was given the chance to pursue a second major in public health to hone her leadership skills and widen her perspectives on health through an overseas internship and summer programme. “Even as NUS has provided me with countless opportunities to develop myself into a better nurse, I hope to also apply my knowledge in both nursing and public health to my dream of improving healthcare and quality of life for everyone,” she shares.
After graduation, Apple hopes to venture into policy-making for healthcare in order to improve the eldercare system. To Apple, the three most pressing issues on her heart are addressing the public misconceptions of palliative care, increasing the understanding of quality of life, and encouraging everyone to live their dreams out in the fullest life without fear.
Apple with her late maternal grandfather.