SINGAPORE – Different paths, same purpose – four individuals share a commitment to caring for others.
Jasmine Tan had a brush with death when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer. That was when the former engineer decided to make a mid-career switch. Twenty years on, she leads a wound care team.
As the eldest child, Cheryl O. Pia Mandadero places others before herself – her parents, her patients and her son. She left her home in the Philippines 18 years ago to eke out a better life for her family. Today, she has taken on greater clinical responsibilities.
Service comes first for Tan Min Kai. He enlisted as a combat medic to serve his country before becoming a flight steward seven years later. But when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Tan found himself volunteering as a care ambassador at a public hospital. He never left.
Neo Kok Ern’s mother has schizophrenia, which relapses every two to three years.
To better understand the condition and its management, he became a nurse.
These nurses exemplify the compassion and hard work the profession demands.
For them, nursing is more than a job – it is a calling and a passion.
Singapore marks Nurses’ Day on Aug 1, an annual occasion to recognise the contributions of nurses to the healthcare system.
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), there were 50,389 nurses and registered midwives in Singapore in 2024. This includes those employed in the public sector and in private practice, as well as those not in active practice.
Jasmine Tan: Healing beyond the wound
A persistent pain in her abdomen and irregular bowel movements prompted Tan to see a doctor in 2001.
“The X-ray the doctor sent me for showed some blockages. I underwent surgery, and that was when I was diagnosed with Stage 3 (colorectal) cancer. I had to have the cancerous parts and 15 lymph nodes removed,” the 58-year-old said.
She underwent six months of chemotherapy, during which she decided she wanted to make a difference.
“I saw an MOH advertisement in The Straits Times calling for people to make a mid-career switch to nursing. Inspired by the nurses who took care of me, I wanted to make the switch.”
Over the past 20 years, Jasmine Tan, who now leads a wound care team, has cared for patients with wounds caused by pressure sores or resulting from diabetes.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Tan waited until she was given the all-clear after five years before applying to Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) in 2006. She was accepted into its accelerated diploma in nursing.
She graduated two years later and joined St Luke’s Hospital, where she was promoted every two years and also went on to earn an advanced diploma and a degree in nursing.
Tan, who is now a nurse manager, is particularly interested in wound management. Over the past 20 years, she has tended to patients with wounds caused by pressure sores or resulting from diabetes.
“Caring for a patient’s wound is not just about treating the condition, but caring for the person. They need to be comfortable and, as nurses, we need to be mindful of their dignity and overall well-being,” she said.
Her most memorable case was that of 56-year-old Tan Lay Kiot, whose pimple-like patch with a black spot on her upper back developed into a large infected carbuncle – a red, swollen and painful cluster of connected skin boils.
“She had surgery to remove the infected tissue but developed septic shock. Being newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, she also developed complications,” Tan said.
The patient was transferred to St Luke’s Hospital in March 2025 and came under the care of Tan and her team.
A pimple-like patch on the back of patient Tan Lay Kiot developed into a severe infection, but under the care of Jasmine Tan and her team of nurses, the wound shrank and showed no signs of infection within six months.
PHOTO: ST LUKE’S HOSPITAL
Although the wound took longer to heal (compared with surgery), Tan said: “We managed to reduce her extensive wound, which measured 31.1cm by 39.5cm, to just 1.2cm by 2.1cm with no signs of infection in just six months.”
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