Meeravathy Purushotman Sarangapani
SRN (Singapore),
MSc Applied Gerontology (NTU, Spore)
MSc Healthcare Management, Wales, (UK)
PGDip (Higher Education -NTU /NIE, Spore)
SCM, Midwifery (Singapore) Palliative Care Studies, Perth, Australia
ACTA, Singapore
My teaching and trainer career commenced at Ngee Ann Polytechnic in the Year 2006, when School of Health Sciences (Nursing), was less than a year old, we had our pioneer batch of 160 Trainee Nurses enrolled. This was my very first experience teaching young adolescence. Prior to this, I was teaching clinical education to Adult learners at health care institutions namely Bright Vision Hospital, All Saints Home and Pacific Health Nursing. Apart from Clinical Education, I taught BSc Nursing students at University of Sunderland and Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK on a part time basis. And Now teaching foreign health care assistants at Myanmar.
Why teach, why not practice Nursing at hospitals?
I have had rich experiences in clinical nursing, administration apart from teaching which is an essence while one teaches nursing. My working career began in the Year 1973 where I was trained as a young student nurse at Thomson Road General Hospital. The old School of Nursing was officially opened in September 1965 and now the building is nonexistence and nurse trainings are held at School of Nursing (SGH) thereafter, ITE college nursing, Ngee Ann, Nanyang Polytechnic and NUS, Singapore. Trainings are also being held at private institutions like Parkway College and HMI Singapore.
In the year 1975, I qualified as an enrolled nurse and worked at Middleton Hospital, Singapore (currently known as Communicable diseases Centre) for 9 years. That was a fruitful and memorable experience in Infectious Diseases care and management. After 9 years at Middleton Hospital, in the year 1982, I qualified as a Registered nurse (Staff Nurse) at School of Nursing, Singapore General Hospital.
I worked at National University Hospital (NUH) as a Staff nurse. I was promoted to Senior Staff Nurse and then Nursing Officer in the year 1985. NUH was the only tertiary hospital at that time and was challenging. I suppose, I was dragged into the teaching glamour while working there.
I took up advanced diploma in Midwifery to upgrade and specialize in Gynecology and Obstetrics. I worked in the clinical area in wards, performing administrative duties and clinical duties. I also did voluntary work with Singapore Cancer Society. In year 1990, I was offered a scholarship to take up Professional studies in Palliative Care at Cottage Hospice, Perth, and University of Western Australia.
Palliative care was my passion and I was inspired by the works of Dr Anne Merriman, who I looked up to for her as my mentor. She together with Dr Rosalie Shaw and Prof Cynthia Goh who showed me what Nursing care being patient centered care, responsive to individual preferences, needs and values. My attitude towards patient care shifted drastically after my time spent at Cottage Hospice. I made 360 degrees switch to my career to work at Dover Park Hospice in its initial stage of commissioning. It was a 40 bedded hospice and I took the challenge of crafting care plans and performing clinical teaching to the foreign nurses. I expanded my concept to the nurses working with me and it was a successful arena for me.
I left to work at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) expanding my career to Hospital administration and offered as a Manager of Medical services / Business Unit Manager and operations. I learned to plan, delegate, organize and innovate creative ideas. It gave me a period of psychological relief from palliative care, though I continued to be a volunteer at Hospice Care association as a trainer and perform home visits during my spare time.
While working at TTSH, in the year 1995, I took up studies at University of Wales to study my first Masters in healthcare Management. Thereafter I moved on to gain further clinical and administrative experience, as an Assistant Director of Nursing at Bright Vision Hospital and then Director of Nursing at Lentor Residence to gain experience in long term care which I felt I lacked after my acute and intermediate care in hospitals. At both the facilities I was also tasked to teach and guide adult learners in the care process and build up care plans and management. In between my career, I continued to gain teaching experience at University of Sunderland and Queen Margaret University for BSc Nursing students.
All in all, I clocked in a total of 45 years of nursing experience. My experience is loaded heavily in administration, Clinical and Education in health care? I have sought my soul many times? Is this what I want? Armed with my rich experience and I believe that I can provide and meet the demands to guide our young ones who have displayed an interest in nursing and the health care industry. Thus, the beginning is actually the breeding ground that is at an educational institution. To enhance my teaching portfolio, I took up Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching at National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological Institute. I gained enriching experiences in the teaching and academic delivery and administration and curriculum planning and development.
To enrich my aged old career and lifelong learning, at age of 62, I graduated my second Master’s in Community Gerontology at Nanyang Technological Institute and graduate in Year 2018. Thereafter I retired from Full time teaching and proceeded to continue my contributions to adjunct teaching in nursing.
This did not end here as I continued to spend my retirement years crafting out enriching programs through training of health care assistants and caregivers in Myanmar which will further enhance the provision of care of our elderly and our community with quality and expertise provision of care in Singapore, Japan and globally. The curriculum is carefully planned and audited in delivery and quality which will be an asset to the care provision aiding in acute, chronic and community care.