Staff nurse Guna D, 43, always looks on the bright side of life.

The Mount Elizabeth Hospital employee, who has 25 years of nursing experience, said: 'I can't change the people or environment around me but I can change the way I think.

'Sometimes I'd hear from other nurses that a patient is fussy or difficult. I'll tell myself he's not and when I talk to him with an open mind, he is easier to deal with.'

That unflagging positive attitude is what has kept Ms Guna going. She began as a junior nurse with Mount Elizabeth Hospital when she was 18.

Her nursing manager there urged her to further her studies and work towards becoming a staff nurse.

Taking that advice, Ms Guna returned to school while also juggling family with a full-time nursing job.

She bagged a diploma, then a degree in nursing. She is working on a master's degree in health administration from Flinders University in Adelaide via correspondence.

She said: 'Twenty years back, nurses just did as they were told. Now it's important for nurses to be innovative and think critically about how to care for their patients. Education is a stepping stone.'

Asked what were some difficulties she encountered in her career, Ms Guna said: 'Handling doctors can be difficult. If you can't communicate with them well, some may shout at you. I never take it personally and I always go back and reflect on what I might have done wrong.

'If a patient is difficult, I feel that it is because he's feeling sick. No one wants to be difficult, so it's important to always put myself in another's shoes.'

Ms Guna's enthusiasm for her job has inspired two of her three daughters to become nurses. She said happily: 'I'm a role model for them.'

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on Aug 14, 2008.