SINGAPORE, Dec 26 — When countries started easing Covid-19 curbs and airlines began operating more flights, former Jetstar Asia flight attendant Nicholas Lim, 30, was given the chance to return to the skies after spending four months being on the frontlines to help with patient care.

But it came at a cost — he was earning almost half of what he did pre-pandemic as there were limited flights.

Mr Lim, who was in aviation for over a decade, said the less-than-satisfying return to his previous job may have been a silver lining as it led him to find his calling in the healthcare industry.

So in March, he applied for his current role as a patient account officer at Parkway East Hospital, where he handles patient transactions, payments and invoices in its emergency department.

Like him, some cabin crew who were seconded to various hospitals when global travel came to a standstill have changed course and made the switch to healthcare despite the aviation industry taking flight.

Transport Minister S. Iswaran said last week that the number of passengers passing through Changi Airport daily was 75 per cent of the average number of weekly passengers pre-pandemic.

Notably, it was more than twice the number who passed through the airport when Singapore reopened its borders to vaccinated travellers in April.

Most cabin crew have returned to the aviation industry, said healthcare institutions TODAY spoke to.

Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) said 60 cabin crew joined as care ambassadors during the pandemic and three of them remained employed in the hospital and in different roles.

Alexandra Hospital said only one of the 29 cabin crew who joined the hospital as care ambassadors has remained.

There were also cabin crew who joined of their own accord, such as former Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight attendant Nur Karimah, 34, who responded to a call from the Government for former nurses to return to the healthcare sector at the height of the pandemic.

The mother of one daughter aged three had spent four years as a nurse with Changi General Hospital before becoming a flight attendant with SIA for seven years.

During the pandemic, her desire to serve prompted Ms Karimah to undergo a fast-tracked return-to-nursing programme, which included a month-long course at Nanyang Polyclinic.

In February 2021 she was posted to Alexandra Hospital, and that was where she found her true north.

Ms Karimah, who is now a staff nurse at the hospital, decided to remain grounded for good, despite calls from the airline to return.

Said Ms Karimah: "You know what they always say... Once a nurse, always a nurse.”

Indeed it was, not only for nurses but those closely involved in patient care, such as former SIA flight attendant Matthew Eli Aeria Bellido.

The 28-year-old now leads a team of 18 service associates who carry out financial counselling for patients and their next-of-kin at Alexandra Hospital’s Admission and Service Centre.

Mr Bellido, who served with SIA for four years before being deployed to Alexandra Hospital as a care ambassador in March 2020, said his six-month stint in the hospital’s specialised rehabilitation ward left an imprint on him.

That was where he served patients who are typically heavily immobilised, such as seniors recovering from stroke.

He added that being exposed to the healthcare industry — which he never expected to be a part of had it not been for the pandemic — opened his eyes to the amount of work that goes into each patient’s recovery process.

"For some patients, their care can be more challenging, but in cases like these, we rely on the expertise of the nurses and work with the medical team to see how we can brighten their day,” said Mr Bellido.

"We also understand that it’s not easy for patients, who sometimes have to stay (in the hospital) for weeks or months, facing the same four walls every day.

"I thought to myself that I may not have the technical expertise or desire to be a nurse, but I can help provide this service that is expected to be delivered to patients.”

For some, it was not only the work that moved them but also the dedication of fellow healthcare personnel fighting on the frontline of the infectious disease outbreak.

Ms Sandra Goh, 42, who flew with SIA for 15 years before taking on the role of the manager of inpatient services at KTPH, said: "It was a real eye-opening experience, working as a care ambassador in KTPH alongside nurses and doctors. Their energy, spirit and passion inspired me.”

The mother of two children aged six and eight said the pandemic’s toll on her family finances also contributed to the switch, as it made her relook the idea of income and job stability, especially since her cabin crew husband was also grounded.

Dealing with pay cuts

A majority of the former cabin crew interviewed said they made the switch not because of a lack of job progression in the aviation industry, but the level of job fulfilment they enjoy in their new roles.

And this comes with some tradeoffs, such as a pay cut, though most of them said it was not that substantial.

Ms Karimah and Mr Bellido have had to take a 40 per cent and 20 per cent pay cut respectively.

But the pay cut is "not as drastic” when daily expenses are taken into account, said Mr Bellido, as they were more likely to spend more when they travel on the job as cabin crew.

Mr Lim said: "The precursor to me making the switch wasn’t just about how much better I want to be paid.

"It was the enigmatic experience of making sure everything is fine, helping people get better physically and emotionally, and most of all, the burning heart for caring.”

And while they are set on charting a new path in the healthcare industry, the cabin crew interviewed said there is this inevitable longing to get back onboard, especially when they see former colleagues return to the skies.

Ms Goh said: "There were definitely invitations from ex-colleagues to return to my old job. And I must admit, when I see them in uniform and return to a globe-trotting lifestyle, I do feel a sense of longing.

"However, I also feel that the sense of satisfaction I get now is very similar. I am still putting smiles on people’s faces. I am still caring for others, albeit in a different way and serving a different group of people.

"I am happy, too.” — TODAY