Dr Judy Ho of the Colorectal Surgery Department (right in the first row, left photo) and Ms Teresa Lui (first from right, right photo), its Department Operations Manager, initiate the nurse clinician training programme. Ms Shum took part in it, and she has since become a Nurse Clinician in Colorectal Surgery.

Shum Nga-fan is an excellent role model in her work in the Colorectal Surgery Department at Queen Mary Hospital. Having spent the earlier part of her career working in the Maxillofacial and Neurosurgical Units of Queen Mary Hospital, she joined its Surgical Department as an Advanced Practice Nurse in 2004.

In 2006, she became a member of a nurse clinician training programme initiated by the Colorectal Surgical Department's Dr Judy Ho and Ms Teresa Lui, its Department Operations Manager, and she has since qualified as a Nurse Clinician in Colorectal Surgery. In addition, she has completed extensive training in endoscopy and learned to perform sigmoidoscopy. She is Hong Kong's first Nurse Endoscopist.

Ms Shum is devoted to her work, and she is particularly committed to care delivery. As the Case Manager for colorectal cancer patients, she has implemented a collaborative process that combines assessment, planning, facilitation and advocacy of options and services in order to meet the needs of individual patients, and she emphasises communication with them.

To improve the quality of the Department's services further, she has worked closely with Dr Ho to develop clinical pathways for colorectal disease. Two of these have been in use since 2007, and they have achieved significant results in terms of reducing the length of stay of patients, standardising care management and contributing to better patient outcomes.

Ms Shum appreciates the support she receives from all her colleagues in the Colorectal Surgery Department. "Every doctor and nurse who works in our ward is dedicated to delivering high-quality care. I would like to share this honour of being chosen as an Outstanding Staff Member with them. Thanks for their support and help."

Having served in the healthcare field for more than 10 years, Ms Shum frankly acknowledges that her workload is much heavier than it used to be. However, she maintains a positive attitude that reflects her passion and dedication.

"As an APN, I must be a good role model. I need to work enthusiastically and see things from the patient's perspective. That will help to motivate my junior colleagues to work wholeheartedly to deliver quality healthcare services."