When COVID-19 first hit our island at the start of 2020, Mohammad Syafiq Bin Jamal was just a few months into his first full-time job: He was a registered nurse at the Accident & Emergency (A&E) department of Changi General Hospital (CGH). A typical shift at the A&E was like a rollercoaster ride, says Syafiq. This was because he had to think and act quickly, and manage communications with the medical team, patients and their families.

To work effectively in such a highly stressful environment, Syafiq credits the skills and knowledge he has gained to his nursing education and life experiences. He was first exposed to nursing during a 2-week career exploration programme for secondary school students. After he graduated with Nitec in Nursing from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College East, he continued to pursue his interest by enrolling in Nanyang Polytechnic's (NYP) Diploma in Nursing programme.

During Syafiq's first year in NYP, he was already talent scouted to take part in WorldSkills Singapore - a national skills competition held biennially to discover the best talents among the youths in Singapore. This was also the year Syafiq lost his father unexpectedly, and his grades suffered. However, this was a wake-up call for Syafiq to pick himself up, and do better in his studies. In 2013, Syafiq graduated with a GPA of 3.7! Today, Syafiq treasures the friendships he has with school mates from NYP.

After completing his National Service, Syafiq went on to pursue a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Nursing (a joint-degree programme offered by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and the University of Glasgow), before he started work in CGH in 2019.

After three years at the A&E department, Syafiq joined the Nursing Quality team in CGH. Despite his busy work schedule, Syafiq also contributes articles to the Singapore Nurses Association's newsletters. Now that self-care has emerged as an important topic during this pandemic, Syafiq would like to share with our alumni community one of his self-care tips:

"Rest is important to help us remain focused during our active hours. You can personalise a self-care plan to help you feel rejuvenated. Personally, I make sure I have quality sleep even if it was only for a few short hours. I make it a point to have short breaks during the day, and to go for monthly massages to loosen my sore muscles and joints. Lastly, I allocate time to communicate and spend quality time with my family members.”