Patients keep her constantly on her toes

SINGAPORE — With more than 20 years of experience in the mental healthcare setting, 42-year-old nurse Yeoh Ai Lean has seen her fair share of difficult patients.

She has been “swept out” of homes with broomsticks during home visits, and has encountered enough volatile patients to know that she should position herself near exits so she can make a quick retreat when they turn aggressive. Even when precautions are taken, the Senior Nurse Manager at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) said accidents can still happen sometimes.

“You have to be on your toes constantly, especially if you’re working in an acute care ward, where patients may be unpredictable. I got hurt once after a patient kicked me in the tummy,” she said.

Does she bear any resentment when such incidents occur? Not at all, said Ms Yeoh. “It can sometimes be very draining, but I view it as part and parcel of my job. I also tell myself that they behave that way because they are mentally ill,” she said.

When work gets too overwhelming, Ms Yeoh simply practises what she preaches. “We teach the patients at IMH relaxation techniques to calm themselves. I practise those in the mornings before work too,” she said, laughing.

Ms Yeoh was one of 77 nurses recognised for their outstanding performance and dedication at the Nurses’ Merit Award 2013 held last Wednesday. Recipients of the award, which is organised by the Ministry of Health, have demonstrated consistent and outstanding performance for the past three years, participated in professional advancement courses for their development and have made contributions to promote a professional image of nursing.

Having been in nursing for more than two decades, Ms Yeoh said that the profession has evolved “by leaps and bounds”.

“The status of the profession has improved over the years. Back then, nurses were previously seen has handmaidens in healthcare. Now, there are nurses even with degrees and PhDs,” said Ms Yeoh, who has a degree in nursing and an advanced diploma in mental health nursing.

Although her job scope now mainly involves managing a team of about 80 nurses working in long-stay wards, Ms Yeoh still loves to directly engage patients and their caregivers.

Her most challenging case to date involved a female patient suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. She refused to seek treatment and was so mentally unwell that she did not bathe for more than six months.

Suicidal and mistrustful of strangers, the patient would run away or lock herself in the toilet whenever Ms Yeoh conducted home visits. It took the determined nurse over half a year to establish rapport with her and persuade her to seek treatment. The patient is now well enough to work and support her family.

“Even though the patient did not respond to me, she would listen to my conversations with her mother and niece. Then, one day, she suddenly opened the door and spoke to me. That was the turning point. Although the case took very long to resolve, I felt so satisfied that she can now stand on her feet,” she said.