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Elaine made a career switch for nursing after 10 years as a Singapore Air Force technician. After a few years as a surgical nurse in a hospital, she decided to join the Home Care Programme at Ang Mo Kio- Thye Hua Kwan Hospital to experience more aspects of nursing.

“I always wondered how they were going to cope at home. Being a home care nurse enables me to take care of patients in the comfort of their homes”, explains Elaine. As a home care nurse, Elaine see patients who require nursing care in wound management, changing of feeding tubes and medication in their homes. To ensure patient’s basic care is well taken care of, Elaine and her team also provides caregiver training to patients and their family members. However, home care goes beyond just nursing care. Elaine shared that some of her patients treat her like a confidante.

“Many of them who are illiterate will seek my help to translate their letters while others asked to help check their bank books to see if the Government credits any rebate or top-ups into their accounts. Recently, some of my patients asked to help collect their SG50 transport vouchers as well,” says Elaine. Elaine does not regret about her career switch to nursing. She shared that she has gotten a lot of satisfaction from her job as she believes that home nurses play an important role in ensuring patients recover comfortably at home.