Being in the healthcare and medical profession requires thorough planning and acute decision-making skills to guide one’s actions and decisions that could differentiate life and death situations. Asfarina Asrofodin, who has been dutifully serving abroad at Prince Sultan Cardiac Centre (PSCC) in Riyadh as a registered cardiac nurse for almost a decade has her own stories to tell.
Asfarina’s passion for the nursing profession started with a deep interest in primetime medical TV series like Grey’s Anatomy, Bodies and ER back then. Adamant to live her passion, she undertook a critical point in her life that has led to her professional growth today by enrolling herself in a nursing programme at Management and Science University (MSU). From that moment, she knew she had made the right decision.
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“Despite being one of the ‘young’ universities in Malaysia back then, I chose MSU for what it has to offer through its vision and promising future planning for its graduates. Even back then in 2009, MSU had already started to map out its 10-Year Strategic Plans envisioning its independent MSU Medical Centre and students’ residence establishment. It sounded like a very good platform for me to begin with. I believe that success belongs to those with prospects and sound decisions,” Asfarina said as she reflected on the core values in her nursing profession which require split-second and righteous decisions to influence the outcome.
For Asfarina, her years in the nursing programme at MSU were spent well discovering her strengths and expertise. It was only during her study that she discovered her tendency and proficiency in cardiac systems. She leveraged this potential to venture into one of the most critical niches in the medical paradigm with the National Heart Institute (NHI) for several years after her graduation in 2012 before her latest duty in Riyadh. She is also a Daisy Award Honoree in 2022 by the Daisy Foundation which honours extraordinary nurses internationally.
“Being an MSU nursing graduate prepares me for the anticipated future in cardiac care. The general nursing practices that I learned during my diploma at MSU equipped me with preliminary exposure to the world of nursing. Although general nursing and cardiac care nursing have observable differences in procedures and operating standards, the foundation of both of these practices is still the same. It is just that in cardiac care, we are more obligated to attend to the pulmonary system and cardiovascular systems compared to general nursing. Nevertheless, the process of this transition requires a life-long learning experience,” she added.
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Nurses all around the world are obliged to adhere to their codes of conduct. Within the Malaysian nursing landscape, some local nurses undertake their pledge to conform to their duties, while the Nightingale pledge is undertaken by nurses in the United States and some other parts of the world after graduation. For Asfarina personally, she learned a lot from her past mentors and lecturers at MSU who continuously supported her ambition. With MSU’s capability of sourcing international experts as teaching forces and global exposure through mobility programmes, she was exposed to the global outlook that further enriched her journey.
“Everyone needs to learn from the basics and keep discipline in check. You need to hold on to this value to progress. You can go anywhere and be anywhere if you have this value. No matter how technology has revolutionised our profession, the basics of nursing care that rely on humane approaches and empathy remain uncompromised. MSU opened my eyes to the radical shift in modern healthcare with technology through many activities and engagement programmes with partnering institutions and healthcare providers,” she advised.
“There is so much more to the nursing field. Being in this profession means getting yourself involved in multidisciplinary expertise. From nursing you can choose to spread your wings to become a researcher, a clinical expert or a medical counsellor. Varsities need to expose their students to the rewarding experiences and opportunities offered by local and international partners to attract more future graduates in the said field. Not to mention that the nursing profession is also very much in high demand nowadays,” she emphasised.
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The Prince Sultan Cardiac Centre (PSCC) is one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest and advanced cardiac hospitals which provides high-quality cardiac medical services to Saudi’s military forces and the public. Since its establishment in 1996, the centre has undertaken significant advancement throughout its services comprising the establishment of Gamma camera systems, electrophysiology labs and catheterization lab upgrades.
Being in the healthcare and medical profession requires thorough planning and acute decision-making skills to guide one’s actions and decisions that could differentiate life and death situations. Asfarina Asrofodin, who has been dutifully serving abroad at Prince Sultan Cardiac Centre (PSCC) in Riyadh as a registered cardiac nurse for almost a decade has her own stories to tell.
Asfarina’s passion for the nursing profession started with a deep interest in primetime medical TV series like Grey’s Anatomy, Bodies and ER back then. Adamant to live her passion, she undertook a critical point in her life that has led to her professional growth today by enrolling herself in a nursing programme at Management and Science University (MSU). From that moment, she knew she had made the right decision.
“Despite being one of the ‘young’ universities in Malaysia back then, I chose MSU for what it has to offer through its vision and promising future planning for its graduates. Even back then in 2009, MSU had already started to map out its 10-Year Strategic Plans envisioning its independent MSU Medical Centre and students’ residence establishment. It sounded like a very good platform for me to begin with. I believe that success belongs to those with prospects and sound decisions,” Asfarina said as she reflected on the core values in her nursing profession which require split-second and righteous decisions to influence the outcome.
For Asfarina, her years in the nursing programme at MSU were spent well discovering her strengths and expertise. It was only during her study that she discovered her tendency and proficiency in cardiac systems. She leveraged this potential to venture into one of the most critical niches in the medical paradigm with the National Heart Institute (NHI) for several years after her graduation in 2012 before her latest duty in Riyadh. She is also a Daisy Award Honoree in 2022 by the Daisy Foundation which honours extraordinary nurses internationally.
“Being an MSU nursing graduate prepares me for the anticipated future in cardiac care. The general nursing practices that I learned during my diploma at MSU equipped me with preliminary exposure to the world of nursing. Although general nursing and cardiac care nursing have observable differences in procedures and operating standards, the foundation of both of these practices is still the same. It is just that in cardiac care, we are more obligated to attend to the pulmonary system and cardiovascular systems compared to general nursing. Nevertheless, the process of this transition requires a life-long learning experience,” she added.
Nurses all around the world are obliged to adhere to their codes of conduct. Within the Malaysian nursing landscape, some local nurses undertake their pledge to conform to their duties, while the Nightingale pledge is undertaken by nurses in the United States and some other parts of the world after graduation. For Asfarina personally, she learned a lot from her past mentors and lecturers at MSU who continuously supported her ambition. With MSU’s capability of sourcing international experts as teaching forces and global exposure through mobility programmes, she was exposed to the global outlook that further enriched her journey.
“Everyone needs to learn from the basics and keep discipline in check. You need to hold on to this value to progress. You can go anywhere and be anywhere if you have this value. No matter how technology has revolutionised our profession, the basics of nursing care that rely on humane approaches and empathy remain uncompromised. MSU opened my eyes to the radical shift in modern healthcare with technology through many activities and engagement programmes with partnering institutions and healthcare providers,” she advised.
“There is so much more to the nursing field. Being in this profession means getting yourself involved in multidisciplinary expertise. From nursing you can choose to spread your wings to become a researcher, a clinical expert or a medical counsellor. Varsities need to expose their students to the rewarding experiences and opportunities offered by local and international partners to attract more future graduates in the said field. Not to mention that the nursing profession is also very much in high demand nowadays,” she emphasised.
The Prince Sultan Cardiac Centre (PSCC) is one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest and advanced cardiac hospitals which provides high-quality cardiac medical services to Saudi’s military forces and the public. Since its establishment in 1996, the centre has undertaken significant advancement throughout its services comprising the establishment of Gamma camera systems, electrophysiology labs and catheterization lab upgrades.