Samantha Yap, Assistant Nurse Clinician, Nursing Informatic, Nursing Administration, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, NHG Health, Singapore

1) What does public service mean to you? Can you share more about your role in the public sector?

Public service is a calling to contribute to a purpose greater than oneself.

In the public sector, my role spans the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of systems that deliver meaningful impact to the community. My work focuses on bridging clinical excellence with digital efficiency.

A tangible example of this is the Next Generation Electronic Medical Records (NGEMR) project, where my team and I had to ensure that the technology we were introducing genuinely supported caregivers in their work, rather than adding to their burden.

2) Tell us about a project you championed. What impact did it have on the community?

One project I am particularly proud of is leading a cluster-level digital transformation initiative to prepare staff for the transition to the Next Generation Electronic Medical Records, or NGEMR. While the project was fundamentally a technology rollout, I approached it as something more - an opportunity to meaningfully improve the day-to-day experience of frontline care teams.

Working alongside a multidisciplinary team, we focused on more than just system implementation.

We took the time to streamline workflows, standardise documentation practices, and manage change in a way that brought staff along rather than leaving them to adapt on their own.

This was especially important across both Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Yishun Community Hospital (YCH), where the scale of the transition meant that even small friction points could have a significant impact on care delivery.

The outcomes were tangible.

By reducing the administrative burden on nursing staff, we gave them back time - time that could be redirected towards patients. That, to me, is the real measure of success in healthcare transformation: not whether the system went live on schedule, but whether the people using it felt supported, and whether patients ultimately received better care as a result.

3) As a young professional, how has your unique background or perspective allowed you to identify a solution that others in your organisations might have overlooked?

Growing up at the intersection of technology and more traditional ways of working has given me a perspective that I think is genuinely useful in healthcare transformation.

I am comfortable with digital tools, but I also understand why not everyone is - and that empathy has helped me identify gaps that might otherwise be overlooked.

One example of this was recognising that the challenges we faced with our digital tools were not primarily technical failures. The technology worked; what it lacked was a design that accounted for the fast-paced, high-stakes reality of frontline care.

That insight shifted how my team approached implementation - moving away from a purely system-focused lens towards one that centred the actual user experience of nurses and clinicians on the ground. Decisions were made collaboratively with teams across the cluster to ensure genuine alignment with existing workflows, rather than imposing change from the top down.

Outside of work, I stay grounded through physical activity - strength training, running, and competing in HYROX.

What these pursuits have taught me is that meaningful progress is rarely dramatic. It is built through consistency, patience, and showing up even when results are not immediately visible.

I carry that same mindset into change management. Transformation in healthcare does not happen overnight, and the ability to stay resilient and focused on steady, incremental progress is, I believe, one of the most underrated qualities in this work.

4) What is your personal strategy for maintaining your creative energy when faced with bureaucracy?

My strategy is simple: break things down and focus on what I can move forward on right now. Small wins matter because they build momentum and, more importantly, they build trust with the people around you. That trust is often what unlocks the next step.

I've also learnt that you rarely need to tear down the system to make meaningful change. There's usually more flexibility within existing structures than people realise — you just have to find it and demonstrate that progress is possible.

In a way, bureaucracy has made me more creative, not less. It's pushed me to be more deliberate about what's realistic and how to bring people along — and I think that makes the outcomes more sustainable in the long run.

5) If you had just one area to invest in to accelerate transformation in the public sector (regulation, technology, talent, etc.), which one would you choose and why?

If I could invest in just one area to accelerate transformation in the public sector, it would be talent diversity.

Healthcare and nursing, in particular is at its core, a deeply human endeavour.

True transformation isn't about building the perfect algorithm or the most sophisticated robot; it's about assembling a team where different strengths genuinely complement one another, much like an Avengers team, where technical precision, creative problem-solving, and deep empathy each have a vital role to play.

A key part of this is empowering pioneer experts to serve as advisors and mentors. Intergenerational mentorship is a powerful but often underutilised tool; it allows the deep-rooted wisdom of experienced practitioners to meet the fresh perspectives and digital fluency of younger staff. This blend ensures that as we evolve, we remain anchored in the human values that define good healthcare.

Ultimately, while systems, data, and metrics are important enablers, they should never overshadow the human side of nursing. Compassion, presence, and genuine care cannot be replicated by any algorithm. They are what patients carry with them long after they leave our care, and they are what make nursing not just a profession, but a calling.

6) What is your greatest ambition as you grow in your public service career?

My greatest ambition is to contribute to a healthcare ecosystem where data and technology are seamlessly integrated, operating quietly in the background to manage complexities so that nurses can focus on what matters most: caring for patients.

In this vision, technology serves as an enabler rather than being the focal point. Progress is not defined solely by efficiency gains or digital advancements, but by the extent to which patients genuinely feel more cared for as a result of the changes we implement.

7) What is a “universal value” that connects everyone in your department – from interns to directors – and how do you use that to drive collaboration?

A unifying value across our department, from staff to senior leaders, is our shared commitment to “adding years of healthy life.” Within the NHG Health cluster, we go beyond treating illness; we steward the full continuum of care for residents in the North, walking alongside them at every stage of their health journey.

This common purpose strongly anchors collaboration by encouraging everyone to look beyond individual roles and immediate tasks. For example, when developing new workflow systems, our considerations extend beyond technical functionality to ensure that solutions are practical for staff and support the delivery of compassionate, patient-centred care.

By grounding every decision, whether clinical, operational, or technological, in our responsibility to improve long-term population health, we ensure that innovation remains people-focused. This shared alignment unites our team across all levels and disciplines, fostering cohesion and reinforcing a deeper sense of purpose in our work.

8) What is the best piece of advice you’ve got for the next generation of public servants?

Never lose your spark!  That initial curiosity and empathy that drew me to public service in the first place. It can be easy to allow the weight of bureaucracy to reduce meaningful work into a series of mundane checklists over time.

Protect your passion fiercely!  Embrace technology and data not as ends in themselves, but as allies that take the tedium off your plate by focusing energy on the human connections that truly drive transformation.

The most powerful changes in public service rarely come from systems alone; they come from people who still care deeply about the people they serve.

Stay curious, stay empathetic, and never forget why you started.

9) What is a myth you wish to debunk about young public servants?

One myth I'd love to debunk is that young public servants are impatient.

10) Write a letter to your future self in 2035. Please keep it within 200 words.

Dear Me in 2035,

I hope you have continued to nurture your sense of curiosity. Back in 2026, life felt busy and, at times, uncertain but I hope you have held on to your drive to make a meaningful difference to those around you, and that you continue to show up with authenticity rather than routine.

I also hope you have maintained a balanced perspective, prioritising your health and well-being alongside your career and creating space to pause and reflect. May you continue to listen more than you speak and never allow efficiency to come at the expense of empathy, as this remains fundamental to who you are.

If life has taken unexpected turns, I hope you have shown yourself grace and kindness, trusting your ability to navigate forward even when the path was not as planned.

Most importantly, I hope you are happy and surrounded by people who genuinely matter –  those who keep you grounded and present. Cherish the small wins, for they often hold the greatest meaning.

Regardless of where you are today, know that I am proud of you not for your achievements, but simply for being who you are.

Love Always,

Remember the 2026 Me