17th Jul 2019
Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong today presented the Nurses’ Merit Award to 101 nurses in recognition of their remarkable performance and commitment to the profession.
2. The award recipients come from various care settings, spanning the community care sector, private hospitals and public healthcare institutions. Each award recipient was presented with a medal, to be worn as part of the nurses’ uniform, and a cash award of $1,000, which can be put towards their professional and personal development and learning.
3. Started in 1976, the Nurses’ Merit Award is presented to nurses who have displayed noteworthy and exceptional performance, participated in professional development, and contributed to raising the nursing profession. Nurses are nominated for the award by their healthcare institutions and selected by a panel set up by the Ministry of Health (MOH). The full list of recipients is in Annex A.
Empowering experienced Enrolled Nurses to administer prescribed medication
4. At the award ceremony, Minister launched a course for Enrolled Nurses (ENs) to obtain a Certification of Competency (CoC) in Administration of Medication. This is part of MOH’s efforts to empower our experienced ENs take on more responsibilities.
5. The course equips ENs with pharmacological knowledge and competencies to administer prescribed medication to patients. ENs with a CoC will be empowered to administer prescribed medications within their respective institutional governance framework overseen by a Registered Nurse (RN).
6. The first batch of 19 ENs have been enrolled into the course by the Institute of Technical Education College East, which started on 11 July 2019. More details can be found in Annex B.
New part-time Bachelor of Science (Nursing Practice) for Registered Nurses
7. MOH will also launch a new three-year part-time Bachelor of Science (Nursing Practice) degree. The degree, offered by the Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies at the National University of Singapore, will provide an additional pathway for RNs to upgrade themselves with a nursing degree.
8. This is the first local university part-time programme that allows RNs to continue to work as they pursue their degree, providing more flexibility in the training opportunities for RNs. The curriculum is tailored to the context of nursing practice in Singapore, and also incorporates broad-based modules on global and community health and healthcare policy. Students will have the opportunity to develop a range of skills such as enhanced clinical skills and evidence-based practice, which will equip them to meet the demands of nursing practice.
9. The programme will commence in August 2019. More information on the Bachelor of Science (Nursing Practice) can be found in Annex C.