A talent for caring

Graduations

A potentially tragic childhood accident had a silver lining for new University of Adelaide graduate Kee Hwei Min.

After swallowing her mother's bottle of sleeping pills at age seven and being rushed to hospital to have her stomach pumped, Hwei Min was plied with sweets and story books by the nurses on duty.

The experience left such a positive impression on the young patient that she decided to join the ranks of the nursing profession when she left school.

On graduating from Singapore's Nanyang Polytechnic in 2000 with her Diploma in Nursing, Hwei Min gained her Bachelor of Nursing from La Trobe University in 2003.

Five years later she opted for another Australian university - Adelaide - to update her qualifications, spending 12 months at the North Terrace campus and Royal Adelaide Hospital.

The 29-year-old was awarded her Graduate Diploma in Nursing Science (Anaesthetic & Recovery) at the University of Adelaide's graduation ceremony in the Teochew Building in Singapore on 25 April.

Hwei Min has fond memories of Adelaide and a high regard for the nursing training she received from her supervisors at North Terrace in 2008.

"I learned a lot about recovery methods and administering pain relief, both to children and adults," she said.

Hwei Min's study was funded by Singapore Health Services under a Talent Development Fund program to upgrade the skills of local health professionals.

She is now working as a senior staff aesthetic nurse in the 850-bed KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore, helping to train junior nurses in her area.

Story by Candy Gibson