A day in the life of…

8/2/2016 12:00:00 PM | Tomorrow's Medicine

The article is contributed/written by

From juggling patient caseloads to monitoring ward cleanliness and ensuring nurses’ welfare, no detail is too small for Ms Leong Siew Teing, Senior Nurse Manager of Ward 64, Singapore General Hospital. Two decades of nursing experience has armed her with a no-nonsense but compassionate and friendly approach to managing 180 nursing and patient care staff in Ward 64. The 109-bed ward is for renal, rehabilitation, orthopaedic and general surgery patients.

This story was reproduced from the Singapore Health Special Edition on Nursing 2016

By Rachel Chan

7.05am

Start of the day
Ms Leong gets in an hour before the busy day begins to get paperwork done and to reply e-mails that came in during the night. This morning, she is going through her staff roster before approving staff leave requests to make sure that each shift has enough people to keep the ward running smoothly.

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7.45am

Reviewing patients’ progress

Ms Leong gets an update from Ms Usha Rani, the nurse clinician on morning duty. They review patients who require special attention such as those with high risk of falling, as part of the hospital’s risk management strategy.

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8.10am
On her feet

Conducting rounds with Environmental Services colleagues allows Ms Leong to survey ward corridors and rooms to ensure that they are kept clean and safe for patients and staff. As she walks around the ward, she checks that all trolleys, equipment and surfaces are thoroughly disinfected.

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10.18am
Ward rounds

During her ward rounds, Ms Leong checks that hygiene standards as well as patient safety protocols, such as the proper administration of injections and infusions, are met. For instance, she ensures that Ms Tang Qui Huan, Senior Staff Nurse, puts on a protective gown correctly. Protective equipment is necessary when attending to Isolation Room patients.

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12.05pm
Lunchtime

Lunch is usually a sandwich or noodles from the cafeteria. Eating with colleagues in the staff pantry gives her a chance to catch up with them. Over a lunch of stir-fried bee hoon, they unwind and chat about their families and where they will go on holidays this year.

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1pm
Roll call

At 1pm sharp, Ms Leong gathers 30 afternoon shift nurses in a tutorial room to update them about the morning’s happenings. She also highlights policy and protocol changes, and other matters they need to note, as they go into their shift.

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1.30-5.30pm
Running like clockwork

Throughout the day, Ms Leong discusses patients’ treatments with doctors, gets updates on the ward from her nurses, and speaks with patients and their caregivers. She attends workgroup meetings involving doctors, allied health professionals and nurses, and concludes the day by writing reports, clearing paperwork and emails. As her day draws to an end at 5pm, she catches up with the nurse clinicians on afternoon duty to make sure that everything in the ward continues to run like clockwork at night.

Click Here to read more inspiring stories about nurses from the Singapore Health Special Edition on Nursing 2016