Cardiff University 2018
My nursing placement in Iloilo changed my life. It not only made me a better nurse but a better person.
If you want total support not only before you travel, but whilst you’re abroad, choose Work the World. Staff in the Philippines were like my second family and the Work the World house was like a home away from home.
In the Work the World house, you will make great friends and memories that will last a lifetime.
My placement helped me acknowledge an inner strength I didn’t realise I had. I developed courage, allowing me to face any nursing situation with ease. If you can practise nursing here, you’ll have the power to practise nursing anywhere.
Through this experience, I came to realise the type of nurse (and the type of person) I wanted to be, and where I would like my career to take me.
Throughout my time in the hospital I rotated around various areas. I spent one week on the Surgical Wards, a week on Intensive Care, two weeks in the Emergency Department, and a day in the Delivery Room. I recommend working a variety of shift patterns as the ED comes alive at night!
Be prepared, but go into your placement with an open mind and a good attitude. There are some very real differences between low resource healthcare systems and those that are more developed. For example, many practices that I saw in the Philippines we would not use in the U.K.
That said, local staff did the best they could with what they had, which wasn’t very much at all. It was incredible to me that some patients could be helped with so little.
Other patients weren’t so fortunate. This is mostly because of a lack of resource and evidence-based practice.
During weekends, my housemates and I travelled to some beautiful places like Isla Gigantes, Lakawon Island and Antique (Google them!).
Go and explore this amazing country and its culture, and make sure to eat lots of the food! Relax, work hard, have the right attitude, be open minded and you’ll have the best time!
