My holiday

Some people find pleasure in shopping, some find travelling enjoyable. I just happen to be interested in something different, for my concept of having a 'meaningful' holiday is not really that of discovering places or a shopping spree. Last week, I attended a basic care course for the health care assistant job I applied for. It included three days of classroom lessons and one day of supervised placement in a nursing home.

Basic Care Course
The first three days was rather boring as most of the stuff taught were already being covered in greater detail in the medical course. There were three other medical students who attended the course (Three second years) and we gave the instructor a hand in teaching on many occasions. I felt a bit amused when the instructor kept calling us 'doctors'... as much as I like being called 'doctor', I know that it was not right. It's also been great to be able to meet groups of people I am not accustomed to. There were a few middle age women who obviously come from a lower socioeconomic group and have to work round the clock to meet ends. It was also nice to meet people from different nationalities and explore their different motivations for going into nursing. Everyone had extraordinary experiences and each of them had a different story to tell. I'd never expect to meet anyone from Sierra Lione, a miserable, war-torn country that I'd only read about in books and papers. Another bonus was that having the opportunity to practise taking the radial, brachial and carotid pulses and measuring blood pressure, which will be tested in my coming OSCE exams in May.

Mentorship in nursing home
That placement was an eye opener to me and I truly appreciated the the opportunity. The three days of basic care course taught us much about nursing and moving and handling, but it didn't prepare us for what we're about to see in real healthcare setting. Eventhough I've expected to help patients with cleaning and washing, I assumed a higher level of independence from patient themselves. The old folks in the nursing home that I attended to were almost completely dependent on two or three carers to help them in the most simple things you do when you wake up in the morning. Some can't even get out of bed at all. Though I didn't mind helping the patients out at all, I did feel quite embarassed at the beginning. Why did the patients so willingly trust the carers to attend to the most intimate parts of the body, I wondered. Nevertheless I realize soon enough that that's the way it has to be. I had a real trouble communicating with the old folks - I just don't understand them. Nearly all of them don't speak clearly, and many couldn't express themselves as clearly they wish to. So, for the entire day, I either ignored the patients' babbling or just responded a smile. I know that's bad but there's not much I can do about it for that day. In a way, I felt the rush and stress of running around and attending patients for the whole morning. On the whole, it's not exactly the most pleasant job in the world, yet I found it extremely rewarding. I did feel a little disgusted at the beginning, but it's definitely better that dissection. And having said that, it must've been at least 10 times worse for the patients. Caring for the old folks reminded me strongly the fact that we will get old and sick one day and that the vainity that I'm chasing day after day now will eventually come to an end. There'll also possiblity be a day when I will succumb to a state in which I'll lose my self-dignity entirely.

Our lives will eventually come to an end one day. That will be the day when we ask ourselves: What have I done in my entire life? Sometimes I do wonder why the hell am I wasting off my 'glorious years' not doing things that I might not be able to do a few year later. And my conscience has given me the answer. I am indeed extremely lucky to be fit and healthy, to have the most wonderful family in the world, to be brought up in the best environment possible, to be relatively intelligent and to get into medical school to do what I've always wanted to. There are too many people in this world that are not as privileged as I am. While I have the capacity and resources, I want to make a difference in others' lives. I believe by showing that I care, I can inspire. And I truly hope that, by doing so, I've played a part in making this world a better place.