LAM Cheuk-yin Jacky, HO Suet-wa || BSc (Hons) Nursing || Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
 Lam Cheuk-yin Jacky and Ho Suet-wa, a Year Four and Year Three Nursing student respectively, experienced the clinical practice differences between Hong Kong and Malaysia, and learnt to appreciate another culture through their unforgettable and valuable overseas clinical placement in Malaysia. As 23.7% of Malaysia’s population are Chinese, many patients in the hospital speak Chinese. Jacky and Suet-wa were asked to be translators for nurses and doctors who didn’t know the Chinese language.
Hong Kong medical staff are renowned for their efficiency. Their stint at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) has reminded the students of the importance of understanding and caring for patients. “The workload in Hong Kong hospitals is comparatively much heavier due to the large number of patients. In Malaysia, the nurse-to-patient ratio is smaller and nurses can therefore pay more attention to patients’ needs, especially their psychological needs,” Jacky says.
Islam is the official religion in Malaysia, and physicians in the Muslim world are aware of the culture and patients’ religious beliefs. “For instance, they would not expose a patient’s body in front of others. When a check-up is needed, they would cover patient’s body properly with a piece of cloth,” Suet-wa adds.
Experiencing a Malaysian medical setting
When they were working in the intensive care unit, they encountered various kinds of acute medical problems, emergency conditions and complicated clinical treatments which enriched their nursing knowledge. The students observed how senior medical staff dealt with patients and explored the provision of end of life care to patients with different religious background and cultures.
 In the pediatric unit, they learnt to communicate with children of different ethnic groups. “Patients in the ward were from diverse cultural backgrounds as Malaysia’s population comprises many ethnic groups,” Jacky says. To build up good rapport with children in the pediatric unit, Jacky and Suet-wa made use of body language, pictures and camera to interact with them. “We were delighted to see the kids in the ward enjoying their time with us and having the pediatric ward filled with laughter,” Jacky recalls.
After their internships in Malaysia, Jacky and Suet-wa realise medical staff should not neglect patients’ psychological needs. They appreciate the positive attributes of the Malaysian clinical practice and confirm that intercultural exposure could promote mutual improvement.
VN:F [1.7.5_995] Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)
CHAU Yuen-lam || BSc (Hons) Optometry || Tianjin Optometric Hospital
 Despite having a previous clinical placement, Chau Yuen-lam enjoyed a fresh and memorable internship at the Tianjin Optometric Hospital last summer.
The third-year Optometry student was appointed to different departments to observe various services of the optometric hospital in Tianjin. Among all her duties during the placement, her participation in several eye surgeries was the most inspirational.
“I had never observed live eye surgery such as on drooping upper eyelids, cataracts and glaucoma,” she says. “Although lecturers have gone through all these surgeries in class, first-hand observation was indeed unforgettable and beneficial. I now have a deeper understanding of the subject and learned things that have not been taught in lectures. I am now more confident in explaining the surgery procedure to patients.” Yuen-lam, who mainly delivered primary eye-care checkup during her previous placement in Hong Kong, gained a different and vivid working experience in the mainland city.
“In Tianjin, I was placed in the clinical examination room to assist vision examination. Also, I worked in the outpatient clinic where I could help patients with different ocular diseases and observed how the doctors handled each patient,” she says. Yuen-lam also helped check the refraction of patients and examine the anterior ocular health of patients suffering serious cataracts and glaucoma.
The pursuit of professional standards
Through the internship, Yuen-lam has identified some of her weaknesses and is resolved to make improvements. “I realised that I was not knowledgeable enough. I will work for more knowledge of the optometry profession,” she says.
She was surprised by the awareness of eye-care of Tianjin people. “They have a clear concept about the notation of vision grading. For example, they know that vision 1.0 indicates normal vision. Most Hong Kong people have no idea about that,” she says.
Influenced by her internship experience, Yuen-lam is more determined to be a good optometrist and aspires to promote vision health and services. “I met a poor seven-year-old girl who had congenital hemangioma and thus the vision of her eye was affected seriously. The needy patients have aroused my passion to be a good optometrist. It is a meaningful job and I want to promote vision health among the public,” Yuen-lam says.
VN:F [1.7.5_995] Rating: 4.3/5 (3 votes cast)
LO Hoi-ngai || BSc (Hons) Nursing || Beijing Hospital, Beijing
 After a month clinical placement in Beijing Hospital, second year Nursing student Lo Hoi-ngai was convinced that the pursuit of well-being in the healthcare professions is without geographical borders.
Beijing Hospital, a grade A hospital directly under the Ministry of Public Health, centres on senior Government staff healthcare. “I felt so honored to work in a hospital with the highest standard in the Chinese mainland”, Hoi-ngai says.
After her three-week stint at the observation room in the cardio-thoracic surgical ward, she worked in the treatment section of the outpatient clinic, getting involved in vital signs monitoring (measuring blood pressure, temperature and pulse), bed making, oral care, injection, pre-operative and post-operative care.
Experience a different medical system
With close observation in a real hospital environment, Hoi-ngai realised numerous variances in the healthcare practices between Beijing and Hong Kong. “For drug prescription [in Beijing], traditional Chinese medicines are used widely in treatment as the constituents in oral drugs, infusion or injection fluids,” she says. Having a general knowledge of Chinese medicine would certainly be advantageous to her future profession.
Moreover, Hoi-ngai found that intravenous infusions were used much more frequently in Beijing. “Nearly every patient  would have been prescribed at least two or three bottles of infusion fluids each day. However, it is rarely seen in Hong Kong. Nurses here are allowed to insert the infusions line, whereas this procedure is not allowed to be performed by general nurses in Hong Kong,” she says. Except for the above differences, she thought the responsibilities of general nurses in the two places are more or less the same.
Hoi-ngai became aware that some practices in Chinese hospitals may not be applicable in Hong Kong, yet the value of her internship was not affected by this. “It provided a good time for me to think about the rationale behind the different practices and thus to aim for the best for the patients. Besides, this experience reminds me not to hesitate to ask questions,” she says. Hoi-ngai stressed that people are willing to teach and offer opportunities to those eager to learn.
While the real-life clinical experience was so useful and enhanced her professional competency, it was the staff’s mission, their quality healthcare and love that touched Hoi-ngai most.
“I was so impressed that nurses in Beijing spend so much time in communicating with the patients. They provide physical care as well as psychological care wholeheartedly to the patients and family. Their initiatives to educate and nurture the new breed of nurses are what I appreciated very much too,” Hoi-ngai concludes.
VN:F [1.7.5_995] Rating: 4.6/5 (5 votes cast)
CHENG Lai-shan Phoebe || BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy || Bo Ai Children’s Rehabilitation Centre, Shanghai
 The four-week internship of Cheng Lai-shan Phoebe did not start as smoothly as her expectation, but it turned out to be a loving and enriching experience in the end. The occupational therapy student worked at the Bo Ai Children’s Rehabilitation Centre, the first non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides continuous care, education, physical therapy and rehabilitation training for disabled children in Shanghai.
When Phoebe knew that she was assigned to a class specifically training children with learning difficulties and developmental delays, she was a little uneasy. In Hong Kong, most patients Phoebe treated were rational adults and elderly. It was her first time treating children. “It took me some time to develop techniques and skills to interact, play and communicate with children. And building reliable relationships with patients is crucial to smooth implementation,” Phoebe says.
Efforts being recognised
She had to provide fine motor skills training for a four year-old child with cerebral palsy. However, she found there were not enough resources in the centre. Phoebe says, “The centre has just developed the discipline and there aren’t enough professional occupational therapists and standardised assessment tools to carry out assessments and treatments.”
Despite the unfavorable conditions, Phoebe tackled the challenges through her flexibility and ability to adapt. “I made use of the limited toys and tools to generate interesting assessment activities, so that the child felt like playing and thus was happy to attend the training,” she says.
For example, she instructed the child to find coins embedded in putty using their fingers and to draw pictures by joining dots in order to train finger dexterity, correct pen gripping and eye-hand coordination. She adds, “The whole treatment plan was designed by myself, and it gained proof and support the teachers in the class. I kept adjusting and modifying the activities by considering the interests and reaction of the child.” Finally, the progress of the assigned child’s performance was noted after training.
However, Phoebe’s profession has been once being questioned, “to many parents, occupational therapy was just teaching children to grip pens and write. Some thought those activities were games for fun, but not a proper treatment.” She realised that to gain understanding and co-operation from the patients’ family is very important. “Since occupational therapy is new to the community, people have little knowledge about the profession. Unlike physiotherapy, occupational therapy doesn’t receive instant efficacy.” Luckily, the warm heart of every staff member to help children and their families was apparent.
Through the internship, Phoebe also realised that limited resources should not be a constraint of treatment and services provided if we could use them creatively. “Resources are never adequate, yet only the way to use resources and the way of thinking would limit our actions,” Phoebe says.
The positive spirit of the staff has also pushed Phoebe to step forward. “The teachers and therapists in the centre are thirsting for new knowledge, and methods and ways to help children.” she adds. Phoebe concluded that the internship was an incredible chance to put knowledge and theories into action, to share and exchange different practices and cultures, and to learn to be independent both in her future career and life.
VN:F [1.7.5_995] Rating: 4.5/5 (4 votes cast)
Shiga OMURO || BA (Hons) Social Policy & Administration || Multilingual Orientation Service Association for Immigrant Communities (MOSAIC), Canada
 Vancouver is renowned for its quality of living and recognised as one of the best places to live in the world. However, like many big cities, the significant wealth gap between the rich and the poor has been a social issue for the city. Shiga Omuro, a social policy and administration student, embarked on a seven-week internship at MOSAIC Canada, a non-profit multicultural organisation providing services for refugees and new immigrants in the city, which inspired her to take on a lifelong journey of making a difference in the world.
To Shiga, the placement at MOSAIC, which assists new immigrants and refugees through a wide range of multilingual services, such as English lessons, accommodation settlement and assistance in application for financial assistance has been the most meaningful experience ever. Shiga was assigned to conduct research about social welfare in British Columbia. Knowing that fieldwork experience is very important, Shiga summoned up her courage to make a visit to a slum district where the homeless, refugees and low-income immigrants gathered.
“Even the local people regard the area as dangerous. My parents had also warned me beforehand,” says Shiga. Yet, Shiga thinks there is no better way to understand the needs of others than face-to-face interactions, firsthand observation and experience.
A good lesson from research 
Learning from the experience, Shiga thinks she should be more proactive and aggressive when doing fieldwork. “At first, I just sat by them, listened and observed. Fortunately, I did gather some useful information,” she says. She thinks that poverty and reliance on Government assistance seems to be an inherited disease. “It passes from one generation to the next if no one takes the initiative to secure a job and take ownership of one’s destiny. This could become a heavier and heavier burden on the Government,” says Shiga.
Taking a hands-on approach during the internship resulted in a fulfilling experience that opened Shiga’s eyes. “I’m now more motivated, both in my studies and towards future career. The knowledge and skills I gained will definitely be a valuable reference and enhance my employability. I enjoy working overseas as it offered me opportunities to interact with different ethnic groups and explore the world firsthand.”
Inspired by the internship experience, Shiga is determined to put her efforts into helping the minority ethnic groups to integrate into local communities after graduation. “Take Hong Kong as an example. Various ethnic groups are living in one tiny city. Nevertheless, there are very few organisations that provide assistance and welfare for minorities.” I hope that I can further give them a helping hand after graduation,” Shiga says.
VN:F [1.7.5_995] Rating: 4.2/5 (5 votes cast)
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