To outsiders, Ms Nur Ruzanna Maznin’s job as a radiographer may seem like a far cry from her initial dream of becoming a teacher. But that could not be further from the truth.

A recipient of the National Healthcare Group’s Health Science & Nursing Scholarship, she is fulfilling her childhood ambition, albeit in a different capacity.

“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher since I was a child. I would role-play at home being a teacher in heels, teaching on my whiteboard. I enjoyed sharing my knowledge and giving tips on how to do things.”

Today, the 25-year-old is a radiographer at the department of diagnostic radiology at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH).

To share with potential radiographers about the field that she loves, she has been giving talks at Anderson Serangoon Junior College for the past two years.

“I feel that radiography is still quite unknown and not as popular as other allied health professionals. I wanted the students to know about our contribution to the healthcare team, and the cool things we do on a typical day,” she explains.

Through these talks, she hopes students will understand how important radiography is in the overall health and wellness management of patients in a hospital setting, and how a scholarship would help them in their education journey.

Worry-free education
Ms Nur Ruzanna could not have landed her scholarship at a better time.

After her father was retrenched in 2010, she wanted to be self-sufficient and finance her own education.

She was awarded the Health Science & Nursing Scholarship before she was even accepted into Nanyang Polytechnic for her Diploma in Diagnostic Radiography in 2012.

The sponsorship covered her three-year diploma education at Nanyang Polytechnic and the one-year degree conversion programme, Bachelor in Science in Diagnostic Radiography (joint degree programme with The University of Dublin and Singapore Institute of Technology).

“I’m happy that I didn’t have to depend on my family financially anymore after junior college. I didn’t mind the bond as it means job security. So it was a win-win for me.

“Being in the healthcare industry also means stability. Even when there’s an economic crisis, everyone still needs healthcare.”

Great work-life balance
Her role as a radiographer at the department of diagnostic radiology in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital sees her taking X-rays for patients from outpatient clinics, inpatient wards, as well as Accident and Emergency department. She also performs ultrasound scans.

The work-life balance that being a radiographer affords her is much appreciated by Ms Nur Ruzanna. Once she finishes her shift, she can enjoy her plans outside of work, with friends and family.

But that does not mean that her job is repetitive and boring. At KTPH, she enjoys the job rotation between X-ray and ultrasound, as
well as inpatient and outpatient settings.

“The rotation stops the mundane cycle so that I can look forward to doing something different and not dread going to work.

“Radiography itself is not a boring job. We see many types of patients of different ages, physical and internal body structures and pathologies every day.”

For someone who loves connecting with people, another perk of her job is communicating with her patients while on duty. She finds that those interactions can be therapeutic for the patients.

“I enjoy listening to the patients’ random life stories as I perform their ultrasound scans. Sometimes they share invaluable advice that I am grateful for. Sometimes they share sad stories while I lend a listening ear, just so that they can feel better,” she adds.