One man’s journey to medicine: He pivoted from architecture to nursing to medicine

Uzer Danial Sukari is a second-year student at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Published Oct 10, 2026, 08:45 AM

Updated Oct 10, 2026, 10:00 AM

Uzer Danial Sukari switched from architecture to nursing after a National Service deployment showed him he enjoyed helping people and healthcare work.

His nursing path was delayed by the pandemic, but he worked at the Institute of Mental Health, then excelled at Nanyang Polytechnic with a 3.90 GPA and top student awards.

He later entered medicine at NUS and hopes to use his nursing background to become a more patient-centred doctor.

SINGAPORE – Uzer Danial Sukari’s fascination with architecture began in secondary school and he was thrilled to secure a spot in Singapore Polytechnic’s diploma programme in 2014.

Architecture was the natural choice for him then, as it combined his interests in the arts, drawing and mathematics.

But after he graduated with a diploma in 2017, a national service deployment in Thailand as a public health assistant piqued his interest in healthcare.

“I realised that I enjoy helping people and found it very fulfilling,” says Danial, now 29. His responsibilities in Thailand then included triaging patients and helping to manage appointments.

Returning to Singapore in July 2019 after his posting, he began seriously considering a shift in his career path. “I saw that the skills and knowledge that I used to help soldiers were very relevant to nursing,” says Danial, an only child.

He discussed the idea with his mother, Rohaida Ishak, 57, an assistant nurse clinician. She says: “I was quite happy and encouraged him because nursing has good prospects.”

With her encouragement, Danial enrolled in a private nursing diploma course, following in the footsteps of his mother, uncle and grandfather.

After he waited a year for the course to start in 2020, the programme was cancelled just before classes began as the pandemic worsened.

Pivoting again, he applied for a nursing diploma course at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), which meant waiting another year for the next intake in 2021. “I was really upset because that was one year gone and I had to wait another year,” Danial recalls.

Determined to make the most of the interim period, he worked at the Institute of Mental Health for over a year, helping with patient and visitor health screening and triaging.

“I wanted to contribute to the pandemic response because nurses like my mother were working tirelessly,” he says.

He was assigned to a swabbing centre, working night shifts to triage incoming psychiatric inpatients. “It was an eye-opening experience. Even before starting nursing school, I was exposed to the work involved,” he says.

Finding passion and purpose

Danial describes his time at NYP as an enriching journey of personal and professional growth.

Being taught by experienced nurses provided him with inspiring role models. “Nursing is hard. But we were nurtured by lecturers who were nurses themselves and understood what we were going through,” he reflects.

He actively participated in student life, joining the debate club, which built his confidence in articulating complex ideas.

Uzer Danial Sukari decided to enter nursing after a national service deployment. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Uzer Danial Sukari decided to enter nursing after a national service deployment.

To prepare for the practical aspects of his nursing course, he ordered a medical mannequin from overseas to practise skills like inserting a nasogastric tube and dressing wounds.

“There were some restrictions for laboratory bookings due to the pandemic, so my classmates would come over to practise together for our assessments,” he says.

His passion and hard work earned him a grade point average of 3.90, and he graduated as the top student of his cohort, garnering prestigious academic and community awards from Ministry of Health Holdings and Mendaki.

Outside of school, he started volunteering with the Pasir Ris West Citizens’ Consultative Committee, participating in community outreach initiatives such as health screenings for seniors.

Pursuing a medical degree seemed improbable then.

“I never thought I could study medicine,” says Danial. However, his interest was ignited while pursuing his nursing diploma, when he discovered a passion for subjects like anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology.

“I often found myself reading beyond the syllabus to understand more,” he says, recalling how he spent hours exploring medical journals, textbooks and online resources.

Uzer Danial Sukari’s interest in healthcare deepened after he became a nurse. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Uzer Danial Sukari’s interest in healthcare deepened after he became a nurse.

Upon graduation, he began his career as a staff nurse at the neurosurgery ward in Singapore General Hospital.

Working alongside doctors on complex cases deepened his curiosity about diagnostic and therapeutic medicine. “It made me realise I wanted to contribute to patient care in a different capacity,” says Danial, who decided to apply to the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in 2025 at age 28.

Balancing full-time work and the gruelling application process was not easy. For instance, Danial had to attend his admissions interview after finishing a tiring overnight shift.

To make matters worse, a computer crash during his situational judgment test wiped out his responses, forcing him to retake the assessment that afternoon.

“I had already accepted the possibility of rejection and was fully prepared to continue my career as a nurse,” says Danial, who is now in his second year of medical school. “I was not prepared for actually getting accepted. Even to this day, it still feels a little surreal.”

The day he received the university’s offer in 2025, he received a promotion at work, making his decision to leave his job bittersweet.

“I had grown to enjoy nursing and my work. I remember hesitating to tell my supervisors that I was resigning so soon after receiving the promotion,” he remembers.

Although he anticipated a demanding workload, the sheer volume of material during his first year of medical school proved to be a steep learning curve. He managed the transition through daily revision.

He credits his nursing background as a solid foundation that helps him connect core medical concepts with real-world clinical experience. “Conditions I encountered as a nurse now make much more sense as I learn the underlying mechanisms and pathophysiology,” he says.

At 29, Danial is years older than his peers, but he views his non-traditional path as an asset.

He hopes to keep the patient-centred approach he developed through nursing.

“I want to be a doctor who not only understands the medical condition, but also considers the patient’s circumstances, concerns and priorities,” he says.

Jane Ng is a senior correspondent who covers parenting, education and lifestyle stories. She writes a regular column, Minor Issues, where she mulls over her parenting dilemmas.

Lifestyle interviews

Uzer Danial Sukari 是新加坡国立大学杨潞琳医学院二年级学生。

《海峡时报》摄影：JASON QUAH

发布于 2026 年 10 月 10 日上午 8:45

更新于2026年10月10日上午10:00

Uzer Danial Sukari 在一次国民服役期间，发现自己喜欢帮助他人和医疗保健工作，之后便从建筑师转行成为护士。

疫情耽误了他的护理之路，但他曾在心理健康研究所工作，之后在南洋理工学院取得了优异的成绩，GPA 达到 3.90，并荣获多项优秀学生奖。

他后来进入新加坡国立大学医学院学习，希望利用自己的护理背景成为一名以病人为中心的医生。

新加坡——乌泽·丹尼尔·苏卡里对建筑的迷恋始于中学时期，2014 年他很高兴能考入新加坡理工学院的文凭课程。

因此，建筑学自然而然地成为了他的选择，因为它结合了他对艺术、绘画和数学的兴趣。

但 2017 年他获得文凭后，在泰国担任公共卫生助理的国民服务经历激发了他对医疗保健的兴趣。

“我意识到我喜欢帮助别人，而且觉得这很有成就感，”现年 29 岁的丹尼尔说。当时他在泰国的职责包括对病人进行分诊和协助安排预约。

2019年7月结束驻地任务返回新加坡后，他开始认真考虑转换职业道路。“我发现我之前帮助士兵时所掌握的技能和知识与护理工作非常契合，”独生子丹尼尔说道。

他与母亲罗海达·伊沙克（Rohaida Ishak，57岁，助理护士）讨论了这个想法。她说：“我很高兴，也很鼓励他，因为护理行业前景很好。”

在她的鼓励下，丹尼尔报名参加了一门私人护理文凭课程，追随他母亲、叔叔和祖父的脚步。

他等了一年，课程才终于在 2020 年开始，但就在开课前，由于疫情恶化，课程被取消了。

他再次调整方向，申请了南洋理工学院（NYP）的护理文凭课程，这意味着他要再等一年才能等到 2021 年的下一期入学。“我当时真的很沮丧，因为一年就这么过去了，我还要再等一年，”丹尼尔回忆道。

为了充分利用这段过渡期，他在精神健康研究所工作了一年多，协助进行病人和访客的健康筛查和分诊。

他说：“我想为抗击疫情贡献一份力量，因为像我母亲一样的护士们一直在不知疲倦地工作。”

他被分配到一家拭子检测中心，上夜班，负责对新入院的精神科病人进行分诊。“这是一次让我大开眼界的经历。甚至在我进入护理学校之前，我就已经接触到这项工作了，”他说。

找到激情和目标

丹尼尔将他在纽约长老会医院的时光描述为一段充实的个人和职业成长之旅。

经验丰富的护士们为他提供了鼓舞人心的榜样。“护理工作很辛苦。但我们受到老师们的悉心指导，他们本身就是护士，了解我们的处境，”他回忆道。

他积极参与学生生活，加入了辩论俱乐部，这增强了他表达复杂想法的自信心。

乌泽尔·丹尼尔·苏卡里在完成国民服役后决定从事护理工作。海峡时报摄影：杰森·夸

Uzer Danial Sukari 在服完国民服役后决定从事护理工作。

为了准备护理课程的实践部分，他从海外订购了一个医用人体模型，用来练习插入鼻胃管和包扎伤口等技能。

“由于疫情，实验室​​预约受到一些限制，所以我的同学们会过来一起练习，为我们的评估做准备，”他说。

他的热情和努力使他获得了 3.90 的平均绩点，并以同届学生第一名的成绩毕业，获得了卫生部控股公司和 Mendaki 颁发的享有盛誉的学术和社区奖项。

课余时间，他开始在巴西立西市民咨询委员会做义工，参与社区外展活动，例如为老年人进行健康筛查。

当时，攻读医学学位似乎不太可能。

“我从没想过自己会学医，”丹尼尔说。然而，在攻读护理文凭期间，他发现自己对解剖学、生理学和病理生理学等学科充满热情，这激发了他对医学的兴趣。

“我经常发现自己需要阅读教学大纲以外的内容才能更好地理解，”他回忆起自己如何花费数小时探索医学期刊、教科书和在线资源时说道。

乌泽尔·丹尼尔·苏卡里在成为一名护士后，对医疗保健的兴趣更加浓厚。（海峡时报照片：杰森·夸）

乌泽尔·丹尼尔·苏卡里成为一名护士后，他对医疗保健的兴趣更加浓厚。

毕业后，他在新加坡中央医院神经外科病房担任护士，开始了职业生涯。

与医生们一起处理复杂病例，加深了他对诊断和治疗医学的兴趣。“这让我意识到，我想以不同的方式为患者护理做出贡献，”丹尼尔说道。28岁的他决定申请新加坡国立大学杨潞琳医学院，该学院将于2025年开学。

兼顾全职工作和繁琐的申请流程并非易事。例如，丹尼尔就不得不在结束疲惫的夜班后去参加入学面试。

更糟糕的是，他在进行情境判断测试时电脑崩溃，导致他的答案被清除，迫使他当天下午重新参加测试。

“我已经接受了被拒绝的可能性，并且做好了继续从事护士工作的准备，”目前正在医学院二年级的丹尼尔说。“但我没想到自己真的会被录取。直到今天，我仍然觉得这一切有点像在做梦。”

2025 年，当他收到大学的录取通知书时，他也在工作中得到了晋升，这让他离开工作岗位的决定变得喜忧参半。

“我渐渐喜欢上了护理工作。我记得刚升职不久就想辞职，当时我很犹豫要不要告诉我的主管们，”他回忆道。

尽管他预料到学习任务繁重，但医学院第一年的海量学习内容还是让他感到学习曲线陡峭。他通过每天复习来应对这一挑战。

他认为自己的护理背景为他打下了坚实的基础，帮助他将核心医学概念与真实的临床经验联系起来。“现在，当我学习了潜在的机制和病理生理学之后，我作为护士遇到的各种疾病都更容易理解了，”他说。

29岁的丹尼尔比同龄人年长许多，但他认为自己非传统的道路是一种优势。

他希望继续保持他在护理工作中培养的以病人为中心的理念。

“我希望成为一名不仅了解病情，而且还能考虑到患者的具体情况、顾虑和优先事项的医生，”他说。

Jane Ng是一位资深记者，主要报道育儿、教育和生活方式方面的故事。她定期撰写专栏“小问题”，在专栏中探讨她遇到的育儿难题。

生活方式访谈