More community nurses join the healthcare sector amid increased need for senior care - CNA

She added that the nurses do basic health assessments for patients flagged by social partners and come up with a holistic care plan for them. A lot of collaboration with partners is required, and care goes beyond health, she said, adding that the care delivery model cannot depend on just nurses.

“It's very challenging that … care is not only about the health aspect, there are also social aspects,” she said, adding that care coordinators help with coming up with a plan for the residents.

NEED FOR INDEPENDENCE

She added that in a community setting, nurses have to exercise a lot of independent clinic judgment and have to be highly skilled in assessing and determining a patient’s care needs.

This is opposed to being in an acute hospital setting, which is a “very structured” environment, she said.

“The doctors are there, people are there, so you can rely on somebody. But in the community, I rely on myself and my community partners to get a care plan and to get things moving for the seniors,” she said.

Ms Leong also said that being a community nurse takes several skills on top of years of experience.

“As a community nurse, you need to be brave. You need to be very independent. You need to have a lot of communication skills. You need to be not afraid to talk to people,” she said.

The experience, skills and independence the role requires may act as a barrier to the community nursing industry, said Ms Ng Woei Kian, assistant director of nursing in TTSH’s community health team.

"Generally, our current nurses who join us …  do have a certain number of years of experience - because that needs to be built up."

However, Ms Ng says she has seen increased interest from those looking to make the switch to community care.

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2023-08-03 04:44:05Z
CBMiXWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vc2luZ2Fwb3JlL2NvbW11bml0eS1udXJzaW5nLWhlYWx0aC1hc3Nlc3NtZW50LXNlbmlvcnMtMzY3NDI2NtIBAA