Building a career in healthcare
NILAI University (Nilai U)’s third-year Diploma in Nursing student, Jimmy Hau Jun Ming, lost his grandmother in 2008 when he was only 11 years old.
That was a tragic moment for Hau who said that his grandmother’s death had a huge impact on his life and how he set his career path.
“I was very close to my grandmother and her sudden death from a heart attack shocked me as she was of reasonably good health,” he said.
Due to this incident, Hau decided very early in his life to go into healthcare.
“I’m doing it for my family. In case something similar happens, I will be able to do something instead of just standing there doing nothing, like I did when my grandmother passed away,” he said.
Hau’s ambition was to become a cardiologist.
However, he did not meet the requirements needed to take up a medical course and the fees were just too high, which would put a financial strain on his family.
Seeing Hau’s unwavering hope of building a career in healthcare, a friend introduced him to Nilai U’s nursing course.
After doing some thinking as to whether he should take up a nursing course instead, Hau visited Nilai U and the familiarisation tour conducted by the department’s staff won him over.
“I decided there and then that this was the course for me. I took it because I like medical courses and this second option is a good choice, which I believe will give me a chance to go international,” he said.
Hau’s decision was also due to the reasonable course fees offered by Nilai U and the fact that he was able to apply for a 100% PTPTN loan sealed the deal for him.
“Nilai U also offered free accommodation, which was perfect for me as it immediately lowered my financial strain,” he said.
Hau admitted that his first year in Nilai U was “quite stressful” as there was a lot to catch up on but he persevered and succeeded in getting around it with the consistent guidance given by his lecturers.
“The lecturers in Nilai U were very patient with me as I wasn’t easy to handle,” he said with a laugh.
“I was always dozing off in class but they never hesitated to help me. My lecturers guided me along the way and they were always there to answer my numerous questions. They helped me until I managed to develop my own study methods and was able to grasp the lessons,” he added.
The encouragement from his lecturers gave Hau the confidence to succeed in his endeavours.
“I never felt like giving up no matter how tough the lessons were as I had set my heart and mind to succeed,” he said.
According to Hau, his three years at Nilai U moulded the shy and unconfident person that he was into who he is today.
“As this is an international university, it gave me a good opportunity to socialise with people from all walks of life and thus, it has greatly expanded my social circles,” he added.
The university’s co-curriculum programme also provided him the experience in organising events and improving his leadership and communication skills.
All of these experiences and opportunities proved invaluable to him throughout his studies as “a nurse not only relies on nursing skills but also on communication and leadership skills.”
Hau is scheduled to sit for his final year examinations at the end of June and he is looking forward to his graduation in August as his future is already mapped.
He has been accepted to join Singapore’s Woodlands Health Campus in 2019.
“I feel very lucky to have been accepted,” said Hau.
“I aim to polish my skills and build my experience, and hopefully they will provide sponsorship for me to further my studies.”
Hau is excited about his journey and is prepared for the challenges ahead.
“Nilai U has given me the knowledge and skills to be on par with the Singaporean students. I am confident that I will be able to carry myself well and compete against the best,” he said.
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