Singaporean engineer-turned-nurse in US amid Covid-19 crisis: 'My mum asked me to quit'

AsiaOne speaks to Singaporeans who are overseas during the Covid-19 pandemic and sees how they are coping. Know someone with an interesting story to share? Let us know!

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When the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit the US in March, Singaporean engineer-turned-nurse Chen Xuhua was caught in the thick of the crisis.

In her 14 years in the nursing profession, the 43-year-old had never experienced anything quite like it.

Desperate and fearful colleagues were stealing personal protective equipment from the hospital she was attached to, even as it struggled with a critical lack of supply.

Faced with a mask shortage, the hospital made the startling move to lock up their supply of N95 masks.

"In the initial phase of the pandemic, they said we could only use one mask a week. That was how bad it was," shared Xuhua, who was working part-time at a private community hospital in San Jose, California.

"At that time, we were not sure how Covid was spreading also," said the cardiac unit staff. Scared and worried, Xuhua appealed to her community for mask donations. She then helped to pack and distribute the masks collected to her colleagues.

Exposure to virus

Then there were some close shaves too.

"One time, I got a call from my manager that we were exposed to a patient who was negative but then tested positive."

To ensure that she wouldn't put her family at risk, Xuhua wore surgical masks at home as an added precaution. She did not see the need to separate herself from her family.

Thankfully, a Covid-19 test she took a few days later came back negative.

There were also cases of her colleagues who tested positive for Covid-19 while taking care of patients.

"Some co-workers did get Covid, but there were no fatalities. It is hard to say (where they got it) because some of my colleagues work two jobs," she shared.

But the experience didn't make Xuhua consider quitting, nor did she allow fear to overtake her senses. Some of her family members, however, tried to dissuade her from continuing her job.

"My mother did ask me to quit when I told her that I took care of a [Covid-19] patient and I could be exposed," she shared.

Xuhua laughed off her concerns and reassured her mum that she was taking all the necessary precautions. That included donning the PPE, gloves ("sometimes double"), mask and face shield at all times when at work.

And once home, Xuhua heads straight to the shower. Before that, "no one gets to hug me, not even the cat." In addition to her arsenal of protective wear, she also installed five high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in her home.

"I do not tell my family in Singapore much about what's going on here because things are moving so fast. And in Singapore, they have their own concerns about the situation too, so I do not want to worry them."

Getting the Covid-19 vaccination

Xuhua was one of the first in the US to get the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine last month. She admitted this has helped her feel safer when dealing with patients.

She reported having a sore arm for the first 24 hours, but that was it. "The soreness woke me up a few times at night, but I was able to go back to sleep without taking any medication." She has since taken the second dose of the vaccine without experiencing any side effects.

Her co-workers had no complaints either, she added, except for one who got a headache for two hours.

"I strongly encourage healthcare workers, the elderly and everyone with no known severe allergies to receive the vaccines.

"As one of my co-workers says, the possible damage from getting Covid is much worse than the effects of getting the vaccine," she stated.

Coping with home-based learning in US

Xuhua currently dedicates one day per week to work at the hospital, even as the hospital grapples with a lack of staff.

Having to take care of three children stuck at home due to the pandemic means she is unable to contribute more hours even though she wants to.

"Most students (in the US) are having a difficult time now with online learning. They are really not learning much, and parents have to do a lot of micro-managing.

"I appreciate how the Singapore government has handled Covid and made schools a safe place for students. I hope the US government and people could learn a thing or two about it," she expressed.

In a confession that many Singaporean parents probably can relate, Xuhua admitted she would much rather go to work than deal with the challenges of home-based learning — even if it means going through gruelling 16-hour days.

"It can be done. A 16-hour day at the hospital can go by very fast, once you're at the job and you're all psyched up. Sometimes when I come home it is around midnight. And that's great because I come home to a quiet house, that's the best," she laughed.

As a nurse, "I do not have to worry about politics or work dynamics once I come home", she added.

From engineer to nurse

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Driven by a passion to help those in need, Xuhua is certain that nursing is her calling in life.

Three years after graduating from Nanyang Technological University, she broke her government scholarship bond to move to the US. She was working as a project engineer then, but her husband had better job opportunities in the US.

While researching about possible jobs in the US, she found that fresh nursing graduates with degrees were paid almost the same amount as engineers. And it was a skill that would allow her to work anywhere.

"I am happier being a nurse than an engineer. I feel like my life is more fulfilling because of the work I do," said Xuhua.

But it goes without saying that the learning curve was steep and her parents did not take well to her decision.

"It was really tough at the beginning with my parents as being typical Asian parents, they did not really support my decision to become a nurse. Because they felt like it was one step down (from being an engineer)."

Several experiences in her nursing career have left an indelible mark, one of which was when she had to clean a bed-ridden patient for the first time. It was part of her clinical training as a nursing student and she was unprepared.

"I was an engineer and I had no prior experience in bedside care of patients. So seeing the patient so vulnerable, having no clothes on and weak, I was really scared at the time and at a loss of what to do," said Xuhua, who struggled to process her emotions during the episode.

Another poignant moment was when she was tasked to stop the medicated drip that was sustaining the life of an elderly patient. He did not want to continue with his treatment.

"He called all his family members one by one over the phone to say goodbye. He was very calm, and told them that he's not afraid to die and he was not angry with God. I did not see him cry during those conversations.

"What moved me most was that he was able to meet death so bravely and so graciously, with no regrets or feelings of hate. I cried, he did not cry. That's how brave he was."

Coping with the stresses of Covid-19

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Xuhua, who's a Buddhist, chants prayers before going to the hospital, which helps to "calm my heart and mind and allow me to focus on my tasks at hand". 

She credits having the mindset of putting the needs of others first with helping herself cope during this challenging time and it's something that she strongly recommends. 

"It is easy to be depressed during this difficult time. But when we can help someone or even something, we can feel better, no matter how big or small our actions."

She joked: "During this time, it's very stressful to be confined to our small spaces, so sometimes we need to lift our own spirits and be positive, even though at the same time we want to avoid the [Covid-19] 'positive' people these days."

She has not entertained thoughts of quitting, because "nursing is a part of me".

"I find it is something that I can manage. It is not just a job, it's a profession so I'm very proud of what I'm doing."

candicecai@asiaone.com