SINGAPORE: 80 percent of Ngee Ann Polytechnic's first batch of nursing graduates have secured jobs in various hospitals. They were snapped up even before their graduation.

They are students of the poly's Diploma in Health Sciences, which was started in 2005 to solve the shortage of nurses here.

The graduates are a new generation of IT-savvy professionals, trained with the latest technology.

The students were the first in Asia to use Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs during lab tests to check for information on drugs and diseases.

The PDAs are also able to translate languages, resulting in better patient-nurse relationships.

The students were trained in a Patient Simulation Centre complete with intensive care units, emergency rooms and an operating theatre. - CNA/ir