Mentor system for rookie nurses

Star: PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry is looking into setting up a mentor-mentee system for nurses in government hospitals by October.
Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek's said the ministry decided to introduce the system following concerns over the quality of nursing.
Studies, he said, had shown that nurses needed eight months of experience and guidance before they felt confident about their work.
“We hope that after they receive their diploma, nurses can be mentored for eight months to enhance their skills,” he said.
Dr Chua said the mentoring system was being tested in government hospitals.
“We hope that it is done as an extension programme after their studies and is accredited by the National Accreditation Board (LAN),” he said in his speech for the graduation ceremony of Assunta Hospital's Tun Tan Cheng Lock College of Nursing yesterday.
His speech was read out by the ministry's Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon.
More than 4,000 nurses were produced each year, the minister said, adding that more and better nurses had to be trained to improve the healthcare system and to meet the nurse-patient ratio target of one to 200 by 2020. The current ratio is one to 600.
At the ceremony, 132 nurses obtained their diplomas. Assunta Hospital has produced 1,646 nurses so far.