Don’t Forget Why We Started
35th-Anniversary Profile — Mei-Ling Chen, PhD, RN
Director of Nursing at KFSYSCC, 1989 - 1993
Current: Chair & Professor, School of Nursing, Chang Gung University
I studied oncology nursing in the United States, came home, and took a post at Mackay Memorial as an oncology clinical specialist. Through Dr. Jung-Kai Chen and head nurse Nien-Hsueh Chang I met Professor Andrew T. Huang, who was then recruiting for a cancer-only hospital that existed only on paper. During our first conversation he spoke, almost fiercely, about putting quality ahead of everything else. That matched my own conviction, and I signed on without asking about salary.
Building a Hospital from Zero
I joined on October 1, 1989 as founding director of nursing, stepping into an office with three borrowed desks in a downtown high-rise. Dr. Fang-Yen Huang from National Taiwan University chaired endless cross-disciplinary meetings where every voice—physician, nurse, planner—was heard until consensus emerged. That respect for expertise became the bedrock of KFSYSCC culture.
Creating a “Kind” Nursing Environment
From earlier jobs I knew the misery of one nurse juggling too many patients—exhaustion for the staff, danger for the sick. During planning I proposed staffing ratios unheard-of in Taiwan at the time: day shift 1:4, evening 1:6, night 1:8. Professor Huang backed the idea even though it raised costs; only with enough hands, he insisted, could we practice true patient-centered care.
He often repeated, “Treat every patient as your own family.” I agreed, but I also knew nurses under endless pressure can’t keep smiling. My job was to build policies and small rituals that made them feel seen and supported. I don’t claim we created a magnet hospital, yet we did carve out a workplace where good oncology nursing was actually possible.
The Daily Negotiation Called Leadership
Those four years were equal parts triumph and frustration. I negotiated with physicians who admitted patients without thinking about staffing, with pharmacy on drug-delivery workflows, and with finance to secure support for bedside care. Some days I felt like a diplomat in a profitless war. When I could close my office door and read a journal article, pure joy flooded in; that told me my heart belonged in research, not administration.
So in 1993 I resigned, earned a PhD abroad, and have taught at Chang Gung University since 1997. In every class I pass on Professor Huang’s mantra of quality and compassion.
What the Hospital Gave Me
KFSYSCC was only four years of my career, but it left a place in my soul. As the center turns 35 and new staff stream in, I offer one plea: “Do not forget the founding mission.” Keep quality at the core, and carve out time for inquiry. Research is how nurses spot problems and design better care.
A Parting Message
“Meet patients and families with a soft heart, raise care quality with hard science, and speak to other teams as you would wish them to speak to you.”
If we all live by that sentence, KFSYSCC will remain the place where patients and caregivers feel safe.