2003, more than 1,350 mid-career Singaporeans and permanent residents have participated in the three programmes, including 70 who enrolled this year, said WSG.
One of them is Mr Nigel Leong, who at 48 years old is finally pursuing his first passion, nearly three decades after he was dissuaded by his parents from taking a degree in nursing.
This year, the former regional quality manager at a multi-national company tendered his resignation and took a significant pay cut to join WSG's Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for Registered Nurses (Degree) in April.
He turned down lucrative job offers from other companies, including one that would allow him to relocate to Switzerland, and decided to make the switch to nursing to contribute back to society.
Mr Leong, who is single, is expected to graduate from the National University of Singapore's Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies in 2022 as a staff nurse working for SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH).
He is one of 18 participants of the PCP for Registered Nurses who have been sponsored by SCH. Of this group, six nurses have started work at the three community hospitals managed by SCH: Bright Vision Hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital and Outram Community Hospital.
Mr Leong said his passion for healthcare started when he was a combat medic while serving his National Service.
"It prompted me to want to pursue a degree in nursing in Sydney, but unfortunately my parents were against it because of the stigma associated with nursing. In the 1990s, it was seen as a lowly job," he said.
"My father asked me why should he invest so much money for me to study in Sydney to 'clean people's backside'," he added with a chuckle.
Not wanting to go against his parent's wishes, he took up a degree in food science and has been in this industry for 23 years until he made the career switch.
Ms Stephanie Yeap, director of nursing at SCH, said the working experience of mid-career individuals like Mr Leong provides them with a "different outlook and perspective in their care delivery", with skill sets that may complement their clinical skills.
She added that mid-career nurses also tend to have a stronger passion and drive for nursing.
"These mid-career nurses are at the stage of life where they understand themselves better and know what sort of career would suit them best,"
One of them is Mr Nigel Leong, who at 48 years old is finally pursuing his first passion, nearly three decades after he was dissuaded by his parents from taking a degree in nursing.
This year, the former regional quality manager at a multi-national company tendered his resignation and took a significant pay cut to join WSG's Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for Registered Nurses (Degree) in April.
He turned down lucrative job offers from other companies, including one that would allow him to relocate to Switzerland, and decided to make the switch to nursing to contribute back to society.
Mr Leong, who is single, is expected to graduate from the National University of Singapore's Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies in 2022 as a staff nurse working for SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH).
He is one of 18 participants of the PCP for Registered Nurses who have been sponsored by SCH. Of this group, six nurses have started work at the three community hospitals managed by SCH: Bright Vision Hospital, Sengkang Community Hospital and Outram Community Hospital.
Mr Leong said his passion for healthcare started when he was a combat medic while serving his National Service.
"It prompted me to want to pursue a degree in nursing in Sydney, but unfortunately my parents were against it because of the stigma associated with nursing. In the 1990s, it was seen as a lowly job," he said.
"My father asked me why should he invest so much money for me to study in Sydney to 'clean people's backside'," he added with a chuckle.
Not wanting to go against his parent's wishes, he took up a degree in food science and has been in this industry for 23 years until he made the career switch.
Ms Stephanie Yeap, director of nursing at SCH, said the working experience of mid-career individuals like Mr Leong provides them with a "different outlook and perspective in their care delivery", with skill sets that may complement their clinical skills.
She added that mid-career nurses also tend to have a stronger passion and drive for nursing.
"These mid-career nurses are at the stage of life where they understand themselves better and know what sort of career would suit them best,"
