You know that Singapore healthcare is in a bad shape when you read about how nursing work environment sucks in Singapore

[Tragedeigh]

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Nursing SG: How is it really like working as a new nurse?​

Career, Job, Edu Qn in SG

I graduated in 2025, but I took about a year off before starting work to rebuild myself and focus on my mental health, which honestly deteriorated during internships. Nursing is not for the weak, and I don’t think people talk about that enough.

A lot of my friends started working immediately after graduating, but many of them quit nursing very early on.. some within 2 weeks, some after a month, some within a year. Almost all of them said the same thing: it wasn’t the workload itself that broke them, but the environment. The way they were treated by senior staff and colleagues, and how toxic the ward culture felt.

One of my friends shared that when she first started, she felt ignored whenever she asked for help. Some people were rude, impatient, and expected her to know everything from the start. She wasn’t even given time to adjust to different systems, protocols, or ward routines before being judged.

She also said she felt like an outcast and completely alone. Sometimes being in a crowded room can still make you feel incredibly lonely because the people you work with are what often make the job bearable or unbearable. Supportive colleagues can make even the hardest shifts manageable, while a toxic team can drain you faster than the workload ever could. I know it’s easy for people to say “you need tough skin,” “just persevere,” or “don’t take things personally,” but when you’re new, anxious, and genuinely trying your best, that kind of environment can really wear you down.

I want to be a good nurse, and I do care about patients. I’m planning to start working soon, but I’m anxious about entering a workplace where asking questions makes you feel stupid, where mistakes aren’t treated as learning opportunities, and where burnout feels inevitable.

So I’m genuinely asking:

1. What was your experience like as a new grad nurse?
2. Did things improve after the first few months?
3. Is toxic ward culture really that common, or does it depend on the ward or hospital?
4. Any advice for surviving the first year without completely losing yourself?

I’d really appreciate honest answers.. the good, the bad, and everything in between.