Service Quality Associate, Shaun Tan, career pivots to the healthcare industry and has not looked back since

I have been working in one of NTUC Health's Nursing Homes since October 2021. My previous jobs were in industries related to hospitality, entertainment, and food and beverage. I decided to make the switch to the healthcare industry as I wanted a more meaningful and purposeful job, and have not looked back since.

On a day to day basis, I am the point of contact between family members of our residents and the staff. Family members would usually reach out to me if they have any enquiries or feedback. Sometimes, they even contact me as they have some medical-related concerns. If it is basic, I would be able to answer them; for example, how to go about arranging for medical appointments. However, if it is medicine related, I normally direct them to the nursing team.

Pre-admission is also something that I do regularly. This involves addressing the concerns of our residents' family members and to assure them that their loved ones will be in good hands in our nursing home.

Many residents have touched my life throughout my work here. I remember vividly that there was a resident who had no family members - Mr Lee. He was initially admitted to NTUC Health Nursing Home (Tampines) before moving to our nursing home at Jurong Spring. Mr Lee’s mood went down and he was not as happy and jovial as before.

As soon as this reached the ears of the team at Tampines, they made a video call to him to encourage him. He promised to improve and to be happier at the Nursing Home (Jurong Spring). After much encouragement and chit chat sessions with him, he became more positive over the next few weeks; his mood improved and so did his physical and mental health.

He also made a new friend in the ward and was often seen feeding him, as he was not able to feed himself. Mr Lee managed to inspire fellow residents and help others around him. This further encouraged me to continue working hard to make a difference in the lives of our residents.

Seeing that the residents in the Nursing Home are old and vulnerable does remind me of my grandparents at times. I know that living and adapting to life in a nursing home may be hard for them.

This gives me that motivation to help in whatever way I can to ensure their stay with us is as comfortable and homely as possible. My life goal is to lend a helping hand whenever possible, and I hope to continue doing this through my work at NTUC Health, touching the lives of the people whom I meet.