It is always a great feeling to see our alumni succeeding in their professional lives. We are incredibly proud of our alumni’s accomplishments and hope that their success stories will be an inspiration to other Nursing students. One of these alumni is Chong Mei Sin. 
An alumna of the pioneer cohort (N1/05) of the IMU Bachelor of Nursing programme, Chong Mei Sin’s ambition is not only to be a nurse but to be a change agent in the Nursing profession. She was fortunate to receive a full scholarship from IMU to study her degree in nursing and upon completion of her studies, she worked as a junior nurse in ICU/CCU unit at one of the private hospitals in KL. 
Her curiosity to experience different work culture led her to take up a position as a Cardiac Paediatric Surgical ICU in Saudi Arabia two years later. There, her excellent job performance led her to be promoted to a seniour nurse position upon completion of her probation. Having gained experience working in Saudi Arabia, she came back to Malaysia two years later and was the Assistant Nurse Manager of the ICU/HDU unit in one of the hospitals in Parkway Pantai. Her hard work and determination to improve the quality of nursing resulted in her receiving the Inspiring Nurse Leader Award in 2018. Upon completion of her Masters in Nursing from a local university, Mei Sin joined IMU as a Nursing lecturer. However, her journey towards improving herself does not end here. She was awarded a scholarship to pursue her PhD at a university in Hong Kong and is currently pursuing her PhD there. “The high demand for nurses who are skillful and possess higher level of education has driven me to pursue my studies. Not only that, the passion to improve nursing care through evidence based practices also led me into this path. The life as a PhD student or a Graduate Assistant is full of challenges as you come to realise that there are plenty of outstanding students around you. In addition, it can be overwhelming when your thoughts are plagued with self-doubt and infected with imposter syndrome. Fortunately, I am blessed with supervisors who are dedicated and supportive where I feel motivated after having discussions with them every single time. My favourite quote from Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’, has actually influenced me to strive in education to make a change even if it is going to be a small change.
To all the students who are pursuing nursing as their career, I reckon that it is going to be a rewarding career not just in monetary value but the satisfaction that you will gain from the outcome of the care given to your patients or the knowledge that you impart to your students in the future. Hence, let’s make nursing education a lifelong learning.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my lecturers from my alma mater (IMU) and my colleagues in IMU as they have given so much inspiration and support to me throughout my journey as a student, a nurse, a lecturer and now, as a graduate assistant.”
We wish Mei Sin the best of luck in her future undertakings!
Written by Lim Swee Geok Related article: IMU Nursing Alumna Awarded Inspiring Nurse Leader Award
