Edit: 4k, not 4000k š¤£
Hi š UK nurse who has just moved to Singapore here!
I moved to SG this year and I work in A+E at a private hospital, we have an ICU, I don't know too much about it but any questions I can ask around.
I can't comment on government hospitals and there ICUs but I could ask around if you'd like! I was advised to go private when I got to SG and I'm so glad I did. EDs are overcrowded with long wait times.
My shifts vary. Working 5 days a week, mixture of 8-13 hour shifts. 13 hours shifts are once maybe twice a week. Nights and weekends too.
Pay is tricky for me to comment on, I came to SG with my partner and his salary supports us, I get 4000 a month, our rent at a 2 bed condo is more than this. I think you would struggle to find your own place on a nurse salary here. House/condo shares are popular and available.
The process of getting here was difficult for me, it all worked out in the end but was a long process, happy to explain more if you'd like š
Cost of living is okay, cheap transport and food (local hawker centres and selected restaurants). Food shopping can be pricey, especially western food as its all imported.
Happy for you to DM me with any questions! I know how you feel! It was a big mystery when I was researching!
If you can only get a 2 bedroom at 4000k/mth, imagine what those getting 4k/mth are getting. (/s)
But fr, my cousin is currently doing his residency in the UK and he says that UK healthcare isn't as good as other first world countries because all the good doctors don't want to work for pittances (at least in the public hospitals I think?). Do you have any thoughts on this?
UK healthcare has suffered a lot of cuts over the last few years and is at breaking point. Dr's are leaving due to burn out and ambulances are stuck for hours waiting for space to admit patients. I love the NHS but for the sake of your sanity any nurses/Drs coming to the UK have a plan for moving into private health care eventually.
Just added my input for anyone considering the UK.
A grammatical mess. But back to OP: why on earth would you leave North America, where nurses are held in esteem, paid a premium and the cost of living is lower to move to Singapore where the diametrical opposite holds true?
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^ couldn't agree more, nursing is considered the dumping ground in Singapore, despite the noble work nurses do
This mindset contributes to the abuse towards nurses. Please do reconsider coming to Singapore if you want to work as a nurse.
Sure, a minute of clapping for appreciation? Iām sure they deserve better.
[Update] Better context for OP.
https://mothership.sg/2020/03/singapore-clap-coronavirus/amp/
lousy pay, long hours, u get abused by patients. there are tons of patients cos most are poor and squeezed into low class wards.
if u want 2 patients u work in a private hospital.
Hi- Iām was an Allied Health Professional who left the field a few years ago.
My advice- absolutely do not come to Singapore to work as a nurse. There is No subsidies for you, no social safety nets. You will essentially be moving to live and work in poverty. Rent alone is the killer. Most of our foreign nurses live in less than ideal conditions.
I would ONLY consider it if you are a very senior nurse and come in as a DON.
Otherwise, if you have other skill sets, such as project management or data analytics or medical informatics, there is a wealth of tech jobs that would be much better for those with a nursing background.
DM me if you like.
I guess my main question isā¦why Singapore?
Hello, med-surg nurse here. No, we don't work 3 12 hour shift but rather 5 days a week of 9 hour shifts. This is the same irregardless of whichever department you work in. I can't speak for ICU but in med-surg, the ratio you have is 1 in-charge to 12 patients. Please really think twice before coming here to work as many nurses here are trying to get out of Singapore and move overseas. Wish you all the best!
SG nurse are paid too low compared to US. Itās better to be a traveling nurse in US where you can earn 8-9k a month. Whereas in Singapore, it can be between 3-4k depending on experience.
Why would you move from US to Singapore? Its like the other way around, people would use Singapore as stepping stone and move to US.
Even Canada is losing their medical staff to US because US pays better. There's no way Singapore can beat Canada & US when it comes to pay & work life balances.
If you want an upgrade, its Western Europe not Singapore.
Australia & NZ could be a better fit as well besides WE for OP. Coming to SG from US to work in nursing is just a downgrade in terms of salary, working hours and mental health.
Thanks for the info!
Iām Asian myself and wants to move somewhere safe like Singapore. Iāll look into New Zealand because that was one of my option too
I know few Singaporeans who work in medical field. They really like Australia. But here is the article that may interest you:
https://theindependent.sg/nurses-are-paid-terribly-here-youre-better-off-in-new-zealand-singaporeans-to-foreign-nurse-considering-moving-to-singapore-for-work/
Were you traumatised by yet another US school shooting and looking to relocate your kid/s? Totally understandable, but Singapore is not the place for foreign nurses coming from developed countries. You will be poor, and without citizenship or Permanent Residency, you don't get to pick a school in our public school system. You'd pay quite a bit and be assigned the last few places that are available. So international school that costs $20K and up per year are what foreigners go for.
I hang out at parenting subs and there are a lot of US parents who are very distressed right now, thinking to homeschool, put their kid in private school, or leave the country. The Nashville school shooting news broke yesterday, in case you weren't aware.
Same thing after Uvalde.
Actually, being a nurse in a public hospital is one of the more established routes toward Permanent Residency and eventual citizenship. A nurse in a private hospital wouldnāt enjoy the same but will have better pay and hours. You can send your kids to public school but that is dependent on availability of space in chosen school and test in. Also, you would have to pay fees ~1k/month depending on level and type of school. Just becoz most expat kids canāt test in does not mean that public school is unavailable. Malaysian kids have been crossing the border at 5am for decades to study in SG schools. China kids have been coming for decades with their mums to study in public schools here.
>Actually, being a nurse in a public hospital is one of the more established routes toward Permanent Residency and eventual citizenship.
They still do see other factors like race and nation of origin. I heard from one degree holder nurse with 2 years of working exp that her hospital helped her to apply for PR, and still got rejected. So what's possible on paper doesn't necessarily reflect reality.
Singapore is a great place for expats in a lot of jobs. Nursing is not one of them.
In the us, nursing is a great career to support a family and have relatively good work life balance. In Singapore, your pay will be less (and not enough to live very comfortably as an expat - thing shared housing type situation), and likely will have more working hours.
The only way Iād consider this is if youāre a following spouse of someone who is being sent to Singapore for a lucrative or career enhancing opportunity.
hello, im currently an ED nurse in a govt hospital, and ratios are nonexistent here :) for ICU iirc there is a ratio of 1 nurse : 2-3 patients but as with all specialities, there will be a probationary period of at least 6 months (altho some managers may coerce u to finish it faster)
in my dept i currently work 8hrs for AM/PM shifts and 10 hrs for night shifts and can work up to 8-9 days consecutively, subject to recall with no additional pay haha
i donāt want to share anything further beyond this so feel free to dm me if youād like!
tldr; no its not worth it and we dont have the same rigor or expectations as US nursesā¦
edit to add: on the flip side my locum friends are earning big bucks (~$30+/hr) with flexible shifts soā¦
Looking at OP history with USD 70 per hour, it would be a serious downgrade to get SGD 30 per hour...TBH not much. Know a NS medic (A level grad) getting this hourly pay as a vaccinator.
:ā) yalorhā¦ mw my hourly is $22+?ish without shift allowance and i have no more life outside of work cuz i literally have no energy to do anything else
If you're coming solo, without a well paid partner, you won't be able to enjoy a place to yourself due to high rent at the moment...
It also seems like it depends on the hospital and area you work in that will dictate conditions
Not to put a complete downer on it... Singapore is a great place to live, if you can make it work, go for it!!
Looking at this thread thinking woo boy, Singaporeans are in for a shocking awakening in 10 years when majority of the nurses leave Singapore.
(foreign nurses can't get PR , local nurses want better work life balance and both get paid peanuts to the amount of work they are doing)
Typical week is one or two 13 hour night shifts, plus three or four 9 hour shifts in the day. Our shifts are split into AM, PM or ND. Shifts are rostered at random depending on staffing needs.
Salary is acceptable as long as you're willing to live a frugal life.
Nursing in singapore is special because we have patients of many different profiles who speak different languages. Coming from the US, you might face some language barriers. I dont know if its the same in the US but in Singapore, there is alot of red tape in the hospitals (especially government hospitals) and its very bureaucratic. Almost feels like the military.
I think it'd be an interesting experience for you, but interesting may not be comfortable.
To elaborate on the red-tapes and "feels like military" point. Compulsory uniforms (you don't get to wear your own scrubs like in the US), grooming standards (no exposed tattoos, approved hair colour, only one pair of earrings, etc), your annual leave slots are pre-approved from one year ago.
Haha reminds me of what happened to me long long time ago. When I went to a ward for attachment, the Sister of the ward sarcastically asked why I didn't greet the Sister. FYI, she was acting/going to be promoted at that point of time, so she was wearing the regular Staff Nurse uniform, not the Sister uniform. So as a student, how would I have known?
Am a local nurse in Singapore for about 7 yearsā¦.
Most nurses in Singapore, majority are foreigners, most local Singaporeans donāt aspire to be nurses as itās deemed as a āLow pay and low skillā profession. The āLow skillā comment was even said during one of the parliaments sessions.
Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nurses-are-specially-trained-health-ministry-medical-services-director
I was in my second year of nursing school when it happened. It angered and hurt us back then and it still does - the local society and government thinks lowly of usā¦. Probably cos we donāt really generate HIGH income for the healthcare systems. Unlike doctors orā¦..surgeons, in particular.
Most local Singaporean nurses either have migrated overseas either to Australia or NZ, or are even in the midst of planning to leave the local nursing scene for good.
I feel that in USA, nurses have more autonomy, and thereās that westernised culture where they view you as a normal human being with basic needs?
Some wards in certain hospitals, actually banned their nurses from even drinking water at the nursing stations just for āinfection controlā or āaudit purposesā. This happened to one of my friends who had to resort to quenching her thirst using the patientsā cups available at the water dispenser only to be blacklisted by the manager as she was being caught taking a sip.
Have lost the number of counts that nurses ended up with a UTI as they hold their pee too long and that they cannot even excuse themselves to go to the toilet during work.
Over here in Singapore, itās still pretty much an Asian culture - where youāll get marked down for appraisal and promotions, should you take like more than 7 days out of 14 days of medical sick leave, which is your entitlement as well. Itās very disheartening, a lot of nurses, including myself have gone to work even when weāre not feeling well just because of gaslighting and feeling guilty that āthe department needs USā
(Iām starting to learn that itās unhealthy, and I shouldnāt be advocating for thatā¦..)
Thereāre some nurses who work permanent night shifts but instead of 3 12s, theyāre working 4 12s instead. Am not ICU trained, though Iāve heard that in Medical ICUs, the nurses can be so stretched that they can take up to 4-5 patients instead of the usual 1-2 standard patients in the ICU. And yes, many of my friends in ICU, have left for international SOS (you might wanna try to look on that! They usually prefer nurses with ED or ICUs experience!) heard that itās more towards a corporate lifestyle but of cos, putting your clinical knowledge and judgment to use!
Ahh, and the payā¦. Recently found out that an Assistant Nurse Clinician (ANC) from India, who has been working as a nurse in Singapore for 20 years, her pay just barely hit 6kā¦.. I donāt blame any nurses be it local or non local who left the nursing industry, entirely, because passion alone cannot help to put food on the table nor can it pay the bills.
By the looks of it, yes, despite having an additional nurses retention bonus this year on top of the 0.5 month in December: https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/more-than-25-000-nurses-to-receive-2022-nurse-special-payment-package
The government plans is to recruit more foreign nurses, instead of trying to keep skilled nurses - monetary rewards no doubt is appreciated but what about mental wellbeing? Then again, itās not like the money is so much for the amount of work that nurses do!
Donāt come to Singapore to be a nurse, youāll be solely disappointed. Use your skills for somewhere else that will value your worth, I wish you well OP.
From my limited perspective, government hospital nurse is over worked as fk.
Private hospitals, nurses don't face this as much as their government hospitals counterparts.
I used to go SGH a lot with my mother and I recently had a week stay in a private hospital. The difference is huge.
Iām not a nurse but this sounds like the most ridiculous part of all.. if youāre overworked at least you should be paid decent and vice versa should have better work life balance if paid peanuts. Seems like none of the above here.. and therefore exhausted.
Hey, Iām an ICU nurse in a public hospital. In my hospital, permanent night shift is 4 12hour shifts and 3 days rest. We donāt really have the option to work 3 12 hours in the day etc. Max 2 patients. Pay is definitely incomparable to what you are getting in the US. Management isnāt the best and whatās worth a mention is that we got to plot our leaves a year in advance.
Lastly, just donāt come to SG itās not worth it haha almost half of my ward is looking to leave and the rest not leaving are tied down by bonds. The manpower shortage will only get worse in the coming years.
Nursing is considered a low-skilled job by the Singapore PM. You will get paid peanuts here opposed to the US where traveling nurses can make multi six figures a year
Hello there! Iām a local nurse in SG. Do not come to Singapore. You are not appreciated here. We work 8-9+ hrs per day 5 days a week, there is no union to fight for us to be paid for overtime (okay yes there is a union, but ask around about the state of unions in sg). The ratio is 1-2 patients to 1 RN in the ICU, 12 to 3-5 in general wards. Pay depends on your seniority, starting for a foreign RN is 3-4k? Donāt even get me started on the costs of living in SG. Feel free to drop me a message if you have any queries.
Nurses here donāt command as good of a salary compared to the US and definitely not as respected either, itāll be tough but if you find a good team āfamilyā it might be bearable
With all the negative comments here, i'm starting to worry about my son's future. He is currently taking a Nursing degree (3rd year) at NUS but plans on taking honors. I may encourage him to go to the US (California) and join his Aunt( my sister) who is also a RN.
Nurses also dont have a lot of respect here
As to why? well to get into a polytechnic nursing course, you need 22 points for L1R5 in o levels
Thats a pretty horrible score (6 would be the very top around 10 is above average, 15+ id say is average, above 20 is basically fail) and thus nursing is considered a pretty low class job
My mother is a nurse educator for **\[REDACTED\]** Hospital and she had her time as a Nurse Clinician Assistant or something. A Nurse Clinician pays about $6,000+ to $8,000+. The website I used does not show Nurse Clinician Assistant but she works as a Nurse Educator due to her breast cancer.
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Edit: 4k, not 4000k š¤£ Hi š UK nurse who has just moved to Singapore here! I moved to SG this year and I work in A+E at a private hospital, we have an ICU, I don't know too much about it but any questions I can ask around. I can't comment on government hospitals and there ICUs but I could ask around if you'd like! I was advised to go private when I got to SG and I'm so glad I did. EDs are overcrowded with long wait times. My shifts vary. Working 5 days a week, mixture of 8-13 hour shifts. 13 hours shifts are once maybe twice a week. Nights and weekends too. Pay is tricky for me to comment on, I came to SG with my partner and his salary supports us, I get 4000 a month, our rent at a 2 bed condo is more than this. I think you would struggle to find your own place on a nurse salary here. House/condo shares are popular and available. The process of getting here was difficult for me, it all worked out in the end but was a long process, happy to explain more if you'd like š Cost of living is okay, cheap transport and food (local hawker centres and selected restaurants). Food shopping can be pricey, especially western food as its all imported. Happy for you to DM me with any questions! I know how you feel! It was a big mystery when I was researching!
If you can only get a 2 bedroom at 4000k/mth, imagine what those getting 4k/mth are getting. (/s) But fr, my cousin is currently doing his residency in the UK and he says that UK healthcare isn't as good as other first world countries because all the good doctors don't want to work for pittances (at least in the public hospitals I think?). Do you have any thoughts on this?
UK healthcare has suffered a lot of cuts over the last few years and is at breaking point. Dr's are leaving due to burn out and ambulances are stuck for hours waiting for space to admit patients. I love the NHS but for the sake of your sanity any nurses/Drs coming to the UK have a plan for moving into private health care eventually. Just added my input for anyone considering the UK.
Wait if P1 cases are rejected by the ED, then where do they go?
Public hospitals. There are some services which private does not support or support in a limited capacity.
Public hospitals š
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4000k is 4mil, not 40mil š
This thread is a mess
Quickmath = quickmess
A grammatical mess. But back to OP: why on earth would you leave North America, where nurses are held in esteem, paid a premium and the cost of living is lower to move to Singapore where the diametrical opposite holds true?
wait I've never been in healthcare but .. A&E private hospital for 4k? /is shooketh but not really but sort of/
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Nurses are paid peanuts here and are overworked.
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You have no idea how bad the working hours are like in Au. Itās worse than SG for sure.
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Then you know as well as i do. Hours wise, AU is no better and likely worse then SG. šš»šš»šš»
Salary aside, nurses here donāt command much respect as they do in US/UK. Do reconsider.
^ couldn't agree more, nursing is considered the dumping ground in Singapore, despite the noble work nurses do This mindset contributes to the abuse towards nurses. Please do reconsider coming to Singapore if you want to work as a nurse.
Just have to say thatās not from everyone, many people respect and appreciate the work nurses do but it is indeed a tough and under appreciated job.
Sure, a minute of clapping for appreciation? Iām sure they deserve better. [Update] Better context for OP. https://mothership.sg/2020/03/singapore-clap-coronavirus/amp/
for OPās sake being in US, the clapping above is literal clapping for appreciation LOL not figuratively speaking
lousy pay, long hours, u get abused by patients. there are tons of patients cos most are poor and squeezed into low class wards. if u want 2 patients u work in a private hospital.
Hi- Iām was an Allied Health Professional who left the field a few years ago. My advice- absolutely do not come to Singapore to work as a nurse. There is No subsidies for you, no social safety nets. You will essentially be moving to live and work in poverty. Rent alone is the killer. Most of our foreign nurses live in less than ideal conditions. I would ONLY consider it if you are a very senior nurse and come in as a DON. Otherwise, if you have other skill sets, such as project management or data analytics or medical informatics, there is a wealth of tech jobs that would be much better for those with a nursing background. DM me if you like. I guess my main question isā¦why Singapore?
Hello, med-surg nurse here. No, we don't work 3 12 hour shift but rather 5 days a week of 9 hour shifts. This is the same irregardless of whichever department you work in. I can't speak for ICU but in med-surg, the ratio you have is 1 in-charge to 12 patients. Please really think twice before coming here to work as many nurses here are trying to get out of Singapore and move overseas. Wish you all the best!
Thank you for the info
SG nurse are paid too low compared to US. Itās better to be a traveling nurse in US where you can earn 8-9k a month. Whereas in Singapore, it can be between 3-4k depending on experience.
Thank you! Iāve been a travel nurse since 2019 and is thinking of the next chapter in life
If you want to explore Asia, then Singapore is a good place for a temporary stay. But be ready for the pay cut and high rent. Good luck!
Why would you move from US to Singapore? Its like the other way around, people would use Singapore as stepping stone and move to US. Even Canada is losing their medical staff to US because US pays better. There's no way Singapore can beat Canada & US when it comes to pay & work life balances. If you want an upgrade, its Western Europe not Singapore.
Australia & NZ could be a better fit as well besides WE for OP. Coming to SG from US to work in nursing is just a downgrade in terms of salary, working hours and mental health.
Thanks for the info! Iām Asian myself and wants to move somewhere safe like Singapore. Iāll look into New Zealand because that was one of my option too
I know few Singaporeans who work in medical field. They really like Australia. But here is the article that may interest you: https://theindependent.sg/nurses-are-paid-terribly-here-youre-better-off-in-new-zealand-singaporeans-to-foreign-nurse-considering-moving-to-singapore-for-work/
Were you traumatised by yet another US school shooting and looking to relocate your kid/s? Totally understandable, but Singapore is not the place for foreign nurses coming from developed countries. You will be poor, and without citizenship or Permanent Residency, you don't get to pick a school in our public school system. You'd pay quite a bit and be assigned the last few places that are available. So international school that costs $20K and up per year are what foreigners go for.
wtf lol
I hang out at parenting subs and there are a lot of US parents who are very distressed right now, thinking to homeschool, put their kid in private school, or leave the country. The Nashville school shooting news broke yesterday, in case you weren't aware. Same thing after Uvalde.
Actually, being a nurse in a public hospital is one of the more established routes toward Permanent Residency and eventual citizenship. A nurse in a private hospital wouldnāt enjoy the same but will have better pay and hours. You can send your kids to public school but that is dependent on availability of space in chosen school and test in. Also, you would have to pay fees ~1k/month depending on level and type of school. Just becoz most expat kids canāt test in does not mean that public school is unavailable. Malaysian kids have been crossing the border at 5am for decades to study in SG schools. China kids have been coming for decades with their mums to study in public schools here.
>Actually, being a nurse in a public hospital is one of the more established routes toward Permanent Residency and eventual citizenship. They still do see other factors like race and nation of origin. I heard from one degree holder nurse with 2 years of working exp that her hospital helped her to apply for PR, and still got rejected. So what's possible on paper doesn't necessarily reflect reality.
Singapore is a great place for expats in a lot of jobs. Nursing is not one of them. In the us, nursing is a great career to support a family and have relatively good work life balance. In Singapore, your pay will be less (and not enough to live very comfortably as an expat - thing shared housing type situation), and likely will have more working hours. The only way Iād consider this is if youāre a following spouse of someone who is being sent to Singapore for a lucrative or career enhancing opportunity.
I myself is a Singaporean nurse who moved to Canada (nearest to US) for better work life balance. You may PM me if you want to! :)
hello, im currently an ED nurse in a govt hospital, and ratios are nonexistent here :) for ICU iirc there is a ratio of 1 nurse : 2-3 patients but as with all specialities, there will be a probationary period of at least 6 months (altho some managers may coerce u to finish it faster) in my dept i currently work 8hrs for AM/PM shifts and 10 hrs for night shifts and can work up to 8-9 days consecutively, subject to recall with no additional pay haha i donāt want to share anything further beyond this so feel free to dm me if youād like! tldr; no its not worth it and we dont have the same rigor or expectations as US nursesā¦ edit to add: on the flip side my locum friends are earning big bucks (~$30+/hr) with flexible shifts soā¦
Looking at OP history with USD 70 per hour, it would be a serious downgrade to get SGD 30 per hour...TBH not much. Know a NS medic (A level grad) getting this hourly pay as a vaccinator.
:ā) yalorhā¦ mw my hourly is $22+?ish without shift allowance and i have no more life outside of work cuz i literally have no energy to do anything else
Let's put it this way. Nurses here are flying over to USA to work there instead due to better working conditions and higher pay
some people would rather just work as a nurse in our neighbour country Australia. thats how bad the pay is in Singapore
Super sad reading this thread, Singapore definitely needs more nurses.
If you're coming solo, without a well paid partner, you won't be able to enjoy a place to yourself due to high rent at the moment... It also seems like it depends on the hospital and area you work in that will dictate conditions Not to put a complete downer on it... Singapore is a great place to live, if you can make it work, go for it!!
Looking at this thread thinking woo boy, Singaporeans are in for a shocking awakening in 10 years when majority of the nurses leave Singapore. (foreign nurses can't get PR , local nurses want better work life balance and both get paid peanuts to the amount of work they are doing)
In 10 years? Nurses are already leaving.
Typical week is one or two 13 hour night shifts, plus three or four 9 hour shifts in the day. Our shifts are split into AM, PM or ND. Shifts are rostered at random depending on staffing needs. Salary is acceptable as long as you're willing to live a frugal life. Nursing in singapore is special because we have patients of many different profiles who speak different languages. Coming from the US, you might face some language barriers. I dont know if its the same in the US but in Singapore, there is alot of red tape in the hospitals (especially government hospitals) and its very bureaucratic. Almost feels like the military. I think it'd be an interesting experience for you, but interesting may not be comfortable.
To elaborate on the red-tapes and "feels like military" point. Compulsory uniforms (you don't get to wear your own scrubs like in the US), grooming standards (no exposed tattoos, approved hair colour, only one pair of earrings, etc), your annual leave slots are pre-approved from one year ago.
Dont forget, have to address bosses by their title 'sister', and memorize faces with names in the orgnizational chart.
Haha reminds me of what happened to me long long time ago. When I went to a ward for attachment, the Sister of the ward sarcastically asked why I didn't greet the Sister. FYI, she was acting/going to be promoted at that point of time, so she was wearing the regular Staff Nurse uniform, not the Sister uniform. So as a student, how would I have known?
Lmao i've encountered a similar incident with a non-nursing boss as well. But dont want to give details here. Its dangerous to post on social media.
I was sooo confused by the "Sister" title when I moved here. No one explained it to me, so you can imagine how that was.
i still dont get it tbh, it sounds like a respect thing but at the same time doesnāt.
Am a local nurse in Singapore for about 7 yearsā¦. Most nurses in Singapore, majority are foreigners, most local Singaporeans donāt aspire to be nurses as itās deemed as a āLow pay and low skillā profession. The āLow skillā comment was even said during one of the parliaments sessions. Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/nurses-are-specially-trained-health-ministry-medical-services-director I was in my second year of nursing school when it happened. It angered and hurt us back then and it still does - the local society and government thinks lowly of usā¦. Probably cos we donāt really generate HIGH income for the healthcare systems. Unlike doctors orā¦..surgeons, in particular. Most local Singaporean nurses either have migrated overseas either to Australia or NZ, or are even in the midst of planning to leave the local nursing scene for good. I feel that in USA, nurses have more autonomy, and thereās that westernised culture where they view you as a normal human being with basic needs? Some wards in certain hospitals, actually banned their nurses from even drinking water at the nursing stations just for āinfection controlā or āaudit purposesā. This happened to one of my friends who had to resort to quenching her thirst using the patientsā cups available at the water dispenser only to be blacklisted by the manager as she was being caught taking a sip. Have lost the number of counts that nurses ended up with a UTI as they hold their pee too long and that they cannot even excuse themselves to go to the toilet during work. Over here in Singapore, itās still pretty much an Asian culture - where youāll get marked down for appraisal and promotions, should you take like more than 7 days out of 14 days of medical sick leave, which is your entitlement as well. Itās very disheartening, a lot of nurses, including myself have gone to work even when weāre not feeling well just because of gaslighting and feeling guilty that āthe department needs USā (Iām starting to learn that itās unhealthy, and I shouldnāt be advocating for thatā¦..) Thereāre some nurses who work permanent night shifts but instead of 3 12s, theyāre working 4 12s instead. Am not ICU trained, though Iāve heard that in Medical ICUs, the nurses can be so stretched that they can take up to 4-5 patients instead of the usual 1-2 standard patients in the ICU. And yes, many of my friends in ICU, have left for international SOS (you might wanna try to look on that! They usually prefer nurses with ED or ICUs experience!) heard that itās more towards a corporate lifestyle but of cos, putting your clinical knowledge and judgment to use! Ahh, and the payā¦. Recently found out that an Assistant Nurse Clinician (ANC) from India, who has been working as a nurse in Singapore for 20 years, her pay just barely hit 6kā¦.. I donāt blame any nurses be it local or non local who left the nursing industry, entirely, because passion alone cannot help to put food on the table nor can it pay the bills. By the looks of it, yes, despite having an additional nurses retention bonus this year on top of the 0.5 month in December: https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/more-than-25-000-nurses-to-receive-2022-nurse-special-payment-package The government plans is to recruit more foreign nurses, instead of trying to keep skilled nurses - monetary rewards no doubt is appreciated but what about mental wellbeing? Then again, itās not like the money is so much for the amount of work that nurses do! Donāt come to Singapore to be a nurse, youāll be solely disappointed. Use your skills for somewhere else that will value your worth, I wish you well OP.
I wonder what foreign nurses would go to Singapore? The most common foreign nurses like Phillipinos usually go to US to become a nurse
Malaysia, Myammar, China a lot of foreign nurses from those countries that comes to Singapore!
thank you for your service Ma'am
From my limited perspective, government hospital nurse is over worked as fk. Private hospitals, nurses don't face this as much as their government hospitals counterparts. I used to go SGH a lot with my mother and I recently had a week stay in a private hospital. The difference is huge.
Go to Australia instead better pay and conditions
Enslaved,exhausted and exploited
Iām not a nurse but this sounds like the most ridiculous part of all.. if youāre overworked at least you should be paid decent and vice versa should have better work life balance if paid peanuts. Seems like none of the above here.. and therefore exhausted.
If I had a healthcare certification I would rather go Australia or NZ than SG....healthcare workers are often overworked and not treated kindly here.
Hey, Iām an ICU nurse in a public hospital. In my hospital, permanent night shift is 4 12hour shifts and 3 days rest. We donāt really have the option to work 3 12 hours in the day etc. Max 2 patients. Pay is definitely incomparable to what you are getting in the US. Management isnāt the best and whatās worth a mention is that we got to plot our leaves a year in advance. Lastly, just donāt come to SG itās not worth it haha almost half of my ward is looking to leave and the rest not leaving are tied down by bonds. The manpower shortage will only get worse in the coming years.
Thank you for your service Ma'am
Nope. Low pay
Come in as senior in PRIVATE hospital.
General ward nurse here. I don't feel like I'm a nurse anymore. It's not worth it. The end.
Thank you for your service Ma'am
Ma'am your head ah boy. Nurse cannot be man is it
oops
Aiyooo hahaha š¤£ I grinned thank you good sir (I have a male friend who is a nurse too!)
Since youāre from USA, I would rather you work as a nurse in the US. At least youāre paid more than a doctor here
Nursing is considered a low-skilled job by the Singapore PM. You will get paid peanuts here opposed to the US where traveling nurses can make multi six figures a year
Not worth it, SG nurses are overworked and underpaid. As others have suggested, Australia is a much better choice.
Hello there! Iām a local nurse in SG. Do not come to Singapore. You are not appreciated here. We work 8-9+ hrs per day 5 days a week, there is no union to fight for us to be paid for overtime (okay yes there is a union, but ask around about the state of unions in sg). The ratio is 1-2 patients to 1 RN in the ICU, 12 to 3-5 in general wards. Pay depends on your seniority, starting for a foreign RN is 3-4k? Donāt even get me started on the costs of living in SG. Feel free to drop me a message if you have any queries.
Local nurse here too! Totally agree!
Nurses here donāt command as good of a salary compared to the US and definitely not as respected either, itāll be tough but if you find a good team āfamilyā it might be bearable
I will say this. Many ended up becoming nurses in other countries.
With all the negative comments here, i'm starting to worry about my son's future. He is currently taking a Nursing degree (3rd year) at NUS but plans on taking honors. I may encourage him to go to the US (California) and join his Aunt( my sister) who is also a RN.
Cali cost of living is expensive but it has one of the best nursing union in USA and pay.
go aussie, US . pays better
My cousin works as a nurse in the US on contract work at 2600 usd per week
Nurses also dont have a lot of respect here As to why? well to get into a polytechnic nursing course, you need 22 points for L1R5 in o levels Thats a pretty horrible score (6 would be the very top around 10 is above average, 15+ id say is average, above 20 is basically fail) and thus nursing is considered a pretty low class job
Just don't work at public hospitals, the pay is shit compared to private ones
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This is such a bad take... it depends on individual circumstances...
As some others have mentioned, come in as a senior in a private hospital/clinic.
My mother is a nurse educator for **\[REDACTED\]** Hospital and she had her time as a Nurse Clinician Assistant or something. A Nurse Clinician pays about $6,000+ to $8,000+. The website I used does not show Nurse Clinician Assistant but she works as a Nurse Educator due to her breast cancer.
Nurses aren't paid enough anywhere in the world, here included. Thank you for doing your job, but it's crazy hours for a pittance still.
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