I have been working as a dialysis nurse for 17 years, it feels neither long nor short, I believe no matter what role you are in, it does make an impact in patients’ lives. My father always tell me to treat your patients like how you treat your family members, how you care for your relatives the same way to care each patient, be sincere, honest, do your best for the patient, feel for them and care about them genuinely. I continue to uphold his teachings, genuinely caring for each patient, empathizing on their situations and maintaining a commitment to their wellbeing. I find my work to be very fulfilling and meaningful and I am glad to have played my part in giving life and hope to patients.
In April 2023, Diaverum Singapore has enrolled me for an eight-month full-time Advanced Diploma in Nursing (Nephron-Urology) course with Nanyang Polytechnic and that kickstarted my new learning journey. I was selected as one of the candidates among all other staff to be given the opportunity to further my studies, under the full sponsorship of Diaverum Singapore. I am very honoured and grateful to the management of Diaverum Singapore for their trust and confidence in me. It definitely was a challenging journey and a valuable experience for me.
Through the course, not only did I learn about End Stage Renal Disease principles, there were other learning modules like urology, urological cancers, sexual dysfunction and psychosocial issues, health assist and clinical decision making etc. I also learnt about renal transplant and care of kidney disease. This course has broadened my knowledge and experience not just solely in renal care but also in various other healthcare disciplines. Apart from classroom learning, this course also sent us on attachments in various clinics and ward.
During my attachment to clinics and ward, I learn that effective communication is a key element when communicating with patients. This will reduce miscommunication or misinterpretation by the patient. I noticed during my attachment that the institute were using an online digital device where completed therapy data is stored automatically into a centralized system. The therapy information can be read from the nurse counter and this helps to ensure that data are recorded accurately and easy reviewing of therapy history. This can in turn reduce nurses’ turnover rate and reduce daily workload, but at the same time provide good quality of patient care.
This triggered me to reflect on how we can improve on providing quality renal care back in our clinics which can benefit our patients by reducing patients’ hospitalization rate such as early detection for poor AVF or AVG flow. Early detection allows patients to take action in an early stage rather than when AVF/AVG is not working anymore and they will need to be hospitalized to have their dialysis take place in the hospital.
Now that the course has come to an end, I am eager to bring the knowledge gained back to our dialysis centre, where I will share insights and best practices with my colleagues, contributing to the enhancement of patient care quality.