In the hospital ward, NorthLight students show compassion and forge bonds with seniors

SINGAPORE – One student was hit by an agitated and confused patient with dementia.

Another student tearfully bade goodbye to an elderly patient he had grown close to, after the man transferred out of his ward when his condition worsened.

These were the defining moments for two teenagers – Aderes Liv Fadzlin and Sharma Shah Vel Subagar – from NorthLight School during a 10-week stint at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Integrated Care Hub (ICH), which provides care primarily for seniors.  

The attachment is part of the school’s Industry Experiential Programme (IEP), a module they take in their final year.

It is one of five modules they must complete over their last two years to attain the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Skills Certificate in Community Care Support.

NorthLight School, which is located an eight-minute drive from TTSH, specialises in vocational training. Students pick one of four ITE Skills Certificates in Community Care Support, Hospitality Services, Facility Services or Retail Services.

For Aderes, 16, the punch did little to shake a dream she has held since she was seven.

“I already knew my future dream job was to be a nurse,” she said, adding that while growing up, she had watched National Geographic documentaries on healthcare and the TV series Grey’s Anatomy (2005 to present).

Each day, she arrived at the ward half an hour before her 8am shift, making it a point to greet each of the 30 patients. Even after her shift officially ended at 5pm, she would stay behind if the ward was busy.

When she was hit by the patient, she calmly informed the nurses before stepping away to collect herself. Her parents were also informed.

“I just walked away from the particular place where it happened. I also used the stop-and-breathe technique,” she said. 

She learnt this from weekly workshops at charity Brahm Centre on mindfulness and emotional regulation.

Every Friday during the stint, the students ended work at noon to attend these four-hour sessions designed to build the resilience needed to care for patients professionally.

Since 2024, a total of 14 students have completed the programme with TTSH over three intakes.

Students care for patients recovering from surgery or undergoing rehabilitation after conditions such as strokes. They help patients with everyday tasks known as activities of daily living, including brushing teeth, feeding, changing diapers, replacing bed linen, and transferring patients between beds and wheelchairs.

Although they are not allowed to perform procedures such as wound dressing or bathing patients, they assist nurses by anticipating the patients’ needs and supporting them during treatments.

Maria Lourdes Salta Celis, 51, a nurse manager at TTSH, said the students were a “big helping hand”, allowing them to focus on clinical duties like preparing medication and more complicated tasks.

“After they learn the skills, there’s no need to tell them what to do or say, they are very proactive,” she added.

She recalled how students would instinctively prepare equipment for patients identified as being at risk of falls.

Beyond helping with physical care, the students also forged close bonds with patients during communal meals, craft sessions and exercise activities.

“We ended up spending a lot of time together,” said Sharma, 17, about a patient who treated him like a grandson.

He hopes to be a physiotherapist. His interest in community care support began when teachers frequently asked him to lead dance performances during school celebrations, sparking a fascination with helping people move.

The placement took on even greater meaning because of his father.

In June 2025, Sharma’s father had part of his leg amputated after an infection caused by exposure to contaminated water while working as a cleaner. He spent three months at TTSH, and Sharma visited him every day.

Coincidentally, Sharma was later posted to the same ward where his father had stayed.

“What I learn here, I can use to help my father, so my family doesn’t need to be worried for him,” he said.

Every day, students record reflections from their shifts in a booklet. They write about the pace of healthcare work, the importance of teamwork and how the patients are their top priority.

As part of an earlier module, the students regularly walked 20 to 30 minutes to community hospitals, polyclinics or active ageing centres to conduct three-hour activity sessions for seniors like exercising.

Beatrice Tan, head of department for community care support at NorthLight School, said: “The walking trains their physical resilience because they will need to stand nine hours a day, five days a week, during their Year 4 IEP.”  

Along the way, she observed that some students noticed her knee pain and would slow their pace to match hers. One of them was Aderes.

For Tan, those small acts of care reveal qualities that are often overlooked.

“You can sense their sincerity and compassion for helping others,” she said. 

“Just because they failed PSLE, society thinks that, therefore, there are many things they cannot do, but that’s not true.

“What they need is for the community to look beyond preconceived notions, recognise their strengths and give them authentic opportunities to learn, contribute and succeed.”