Rewarding career in nursing
BEING a nurse is a challenging yet rewarding career. To start off on your journey to becoming one, choose the right college that will nurture you and help you build a strong foundation towards a successful career.
Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare College (previously known as Sime Darby Nursing and Health Sciences College), a subsidiary of Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care Group is among the pioneers in healthcare education in Malaysia with a track record of academic excellence since its establishment in 1995.
It is registered with the Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) as a Private Institution of Higher Education and its programmes are accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
The college was awarded 6-Star Outstanding Quality Rating by the MoHE in the MyQuest2014/2015 quality rating of colleges, nationally – one of nine to receive this award out of a total of about 400 colleges in the country.
The college offers a wide range of programmes, from certification right up to degree programmes.
It has registered an average of 99% pass rates over the last 20 years in the registration exams held by the Malaysian Nursing Board and 100% pass and CGPA of > 3.0 for 93% of the class in the 2015 Medical Assistant Programme Final Exams (reviewed by the Malaysian Medical Assistant Board).
Students are exposed to handson clinical experience in the college’s group of internationally recognised hospitals guided by experienced clinical instructors as part of their studies and there are also international exchange programmes in Australia and Indonesia in place, offering opportunity for attachments in Ramsay Hospitals.
Fazillawati Adenan, a nurse educator with Ara Damansara Medical Centre is an alumni of the college, which was then the Sime Darby Nursing and Health Sciences College. She has been a nurse educator for five years and was previously working as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care unit (ICU).
Fazillawati entered the nursing profession after graduating with a diploma in nursing.
She says of her study experience, “We got lots of exposure while in college via activities such as conducting coaching sessions to educate both patients and fellow nurses, which exposed me to the reallife workplace.
“Learning was both theoretical based as well as clinical experience in various disciplines, where we were put on scheduled rotation right from the first semester. Also, we had practical sessions in the skills lab to prepare us for real patient contact.”
It was these that built a strong foundation for her, which prepared her well to step into the workplace.
“The exposure and training in theory, skills and clinical experience helped build a strong foundation for me to begin my career in nursing. Among the things that helped greatly were the goals and objectives set for each of us every semester – a more personalised approach to studies.”
As she was then based in the ICU and NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), Fazillawati later went on to get her post-basic qualification specialising in Noenatology and later went on to get her degree in nursing.
In the course of her career, Fazillawati was offered to be a clinical instructor based on her experience in Neonatology at the then Sime Darby Medical Centre, Ara Damansara, now known as Ara Damansara Medical Centre.
Fast forward today, Fazillawati is educating nurses in her capacity as a nurse educator. Regarding her future plans, she says, “Looking forward, the next step for me would be to go for a master’s in Nursing or Education.”
She says that being a nurse doesn’t mean being one all your life. There are avenues for career growth and advancement towards other related areas, such as education or administration.
She advises those looking at a career in nursing, “To be a nurse, you need to be patient, caring and empathetic. You do not have to worry as a career in nursing does offer advancement opportunities. I strongly encourage those interested to take on the challenge.
“Furthermore, being a nurse puts you in a unique position to be able to help you own family and others around you in times of emergency. Also, you are the first point of patient contact so what you say or do then will leave a great impact on them.”
She adds, “For fresh graduate nurses, we have the GradPlus programme – a preceptorship programme at the hospital, much similar to a mentoring programme to help them seamlessly make the transition from nursing student to nurse.”
Take the first step towards your own nursing career now with Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare College.
■ Find out more at www. ramsaysimedarbycollege.edu.my