Materia Medica Malaysiana

Veteran nurses have no regrets choosing career

KUALA LUMPUR: “Being a nurse means you will cry a lot and laugh a lot; you will know what it is to be human and to be humane” is a line from a poem.
And it certainly reflects the sentiments of veteran nurses at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, who say they have no regrets joining the profession despite the difficulties they face every day.
For head nurse Chuah Geik Khon, 45, who has 20 years of experience, every minute counts once she goes on duty.
“Most people avoid dealing with death, but not me. I’ve no time to worry about that. There are always patients waiting for me to attend to them, I remind myself.
“I treat all my patient as if they might be someone from my family, thus I’ve always tried to act fast, and never give up till the end,” she said when met after the Nurses Day celebrations at the hospital yesterday.
With 29 years of experience behind her, head nurse Nadrah Othman said nurses should ideally tend to every patient with love and care from the heart.
“It inspires me and raises my spirits seeing patients recover,” said the 54-year-old, who works in the operating theatre.
Head nurse M. Vijayakumry, 49, said she had gained much knowledge from the profession.
“My brother influenced me to take up the job. I was reluctant at first, but after being able to help people, I grew to like it and have never regretted becoming a nurse,” she said.
For Kueh Nguan Cheng, 47, being a nurse is all about caring for everyone, irrespective of who they are.
“Everyone has the same right to be treated equally. As a nurse, I am here to perform my mission to the fullest,” said the dedicated Sarawakian, now a senior staffing nurse after 23 years on the job.
Head nurse Lim Phaik See, 57, described a nurse’s responsibilities as challenging.
“My life means much more since I became a nurse because I get to deal with people from all walks of life and of different races,” she said.