Nurses star in music video
Accidental nurse among those in campaign to celebrate the profession
Two years ago, Miss Grace Tan, 26, a nurse, was on a train when a woman called her by name and started to thank her profusely.
Miss Tan wondered if it was a case of mistaken identity.
But the woman had correctly recognised Miss Tan - she had recalled the time she was warded at Raffles Hospital and was well taken care of by Miss Tan.
Nursing was not what Miss Tan had wanted to do, but she has come so far that she is now one of 12 nurses featured in a music video that has attracted over 1.3 million views on YouTube since it was posted last July. Titled Nurses' Anthem - With You, it comes under the Ministry of Health's (MOH) Care To Go Beyond (CTGB) branding campaign.
The campaign encourages people to be nurses and to appreciate the work nurses do.
With You was produced and composed by local singers Jack Ho, 39, and Rai Kannu, 38.
MOH has been recruiting more nurses.
MORE ENROLMENTS
New initiatives, such as the CTGB campaign, and other publicity and outreach efforts resulted in about a 20 per cent increase in enrolment in the nursing courses at the Institutes of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities.
The numbers went from 1,500 in 2014 to around 1,880 last year.
Miss Tanhad wanted to attend Temasek Polytechnic's hospitality and tourism management course.
Instead, she got her third choice - Nanyang Polytechnic's diploma in nursing - and did not know what to expect.
She said: "I stumbled into nursing, but I do not regret it. I find it meaningful to be able to help people."Miss Tan has been a nurse for five years and is now a senior staff nurse at Raffles Hospital's intensive care unit.
Mr Ho told The New Paper they found purpose in producing the music video.
He said: "Rai and I usually perform to an audience to have fun. This time, it was about paying tribute to nurses, the unsung heroes.
"We hope that people can connect to the catchy melody and appreciate the nurses."
Another nurse who starred in the video was Mr Mirza Abdul Halim, 27, a staff nurse at Dover Hospice. He was inspired by his mother, who had worked as a nurse for 20 years .
Dealing with death on a regular basis, Mr Mirza sometimes encounters family members who lose control of themselves.
But he finds peace in getting them to comfort one another and understand that their loved one has died peacefully.
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