Nia Jones

Since deciding to undertake a nursing degree, I knew I wanted to undertake an overseas placement. I wanted to experience healthcare in a different country and see how it differs from what we do in the UK. 

I also wanted to use this time to travel and see different areas of the world that I may not have the chance to see again. 

Through speaking to people who had done it in the past, I knew that Work the World were a great company to use.

Work the World were very helpful throughout the entire process. From the moment I booked, they provided us with all of the information we needed. The information packs on MyTrip were very helpful as an insight into what to expect. 

Having meetings with the UK Operations Manager, helped me decide which areas to spend time in to get the most out of my experience. The team helped sort out any paperwork and was always there to answer any questions.   

The Work the World house had a great atmosphere. Sharing rooms with other people was the perfect opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. 

The communal living area was a great place to spend time as a group and play games. The staff were extremely friendly and were always there to try and make us feel comfortable. 

The food was delicious and allowed me to try a variety of authentic Sri Lankan dishes. The cooking lessons were also very fun. 

There’s plenty to do around the Work the World house as the location is great. I always felt safe there with the presence of the 24/7 security guards and they were so helpful too. The language and clinical lessons were very helpful and interesting.  

My trip was an amazing opportunity to meet so many people. It was a chance to meet people from other parts of the UK, as well as Europe and Australia, and a variety of professions including medicine students, dentists, physiotherapists and nurses. 

Living with each other allowed us to spend time getting to know each other and to learn how we all view and do things differently. Having other healthcare students in the house was helpful if there was ever a time after placement that I wanted to reflect on.

The in-country team were super helpful. They came to check on me regularly while I was on placement to make sure that everything was running smoothly. They made sure the staff were friendly and helpful and encouraged me to gain as much as I could from this experience. 

The main difference I found between the UK and Sri Lanka was the lack of resources. I saw that they would sterilize and re-use equipment as much as possible in Sri Lanka and it made me think about how wasteful we can be in the UK. 

Even though healthcare was free in Sri Lanka, costs of medication could also be considered for things like take-home antibiotics. 

While all treatment methods were very similar and we all followed the NICE guidelines, in Sri Lanka they tried to see as many patients as possible as efficiently as possible. Within the healthcare staff in Sri Lanka, the consultant was treated with the utmost respect by everybody and ultimately had the final say in decisions.

While in Kandy I managed to see so much, I went to a cultural dance, the White Buddha, the Temple of the Tooth, the local markets and viewpoints. I bought a pool membership for the local hotel and spent many afternoons and evenings here playing games and sunbathing. In the evenings my housemates and I went to a few local bars for some drinks and live music.

Spending 7 weeks in Sri Lanka allowed me the opportunity to go on many weekend trips to a variety of places. We went to Sigiriya and walked up Pidurangala Rock for sunrise. We spent a weekend in Ella and went to a tea plantation, saw the Nine Arches Bridge, walked Little Adam’s Peak and took the train back to Kandy. 

We visited the coast in Trincomalee and spent our evenings at a beach club and went snorkeling with some beautiful fish and turtles. 

One weekend we went to Yala National Park to do a safari and saw leopards, elephants, bears, crocodiles and monkeys. 

We went to Arugam Bay to do some surfing and paddle boarding. Another weekend, we went down to Galle and Mirissa and were able to see the fort, shop in the markets, go to a turtle sanctuary and swim with wild turtles.

There are too many amazing things about this experience to choose just one thing. I’ve been able to meet some great new people and make lots of friends. Having the freedom on the weekends to travel around allowed me to see some of the amazing things Sri Lanka has to offer and I may never get the opportunity to do it again.

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