Teaching method inspired by trivia of life

Leung Wai-ling
Department Operations Manager
Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital

Leung Wai-ling, one of the awardees of Outstanding Staff this year, has more than 36 years’ working experience in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G). She started her career as a midwife at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Bonham Road and became a nurse educator of Nethersole School of Nursing for midwifery training since 1991. She later returned to the frontline at the O&G department of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital and in 2007, joined the nursing training school to teach registered nurses. She is currently the Department Operations Manager, a position she has held since 2011.

Reminiscing about her career journey, she feels blessed to have participated in patient care, education of the next generation of midwives, and drawing up the blueprint of the O&G department. But after all, the days in her life as a teacher are the most memorable of all. As Leung recalls, she shared the trivial things of life in the nursing school’s assembly, saying that she went to an amusement arcade to ease the pressure before going home to prepare the dinner. Thereafter, her colleagues (some of them were her students) still remembered this story and asked her if she still went to amusement arcade. She was therefore inspired that sprinkling her stories could help connect with students, which could be a good teaching approach. However, she says that she would be more delighted if her students remembered what she taught in the lessons and passed the knowledge to the next generation.

She says, “In the midwifery profession, I strongly believe that sharing experience with the younger generation is essential. Having said so, the attitude and mentality are crucial in nursing. I always remind my students and colleagues that, welcoming a newborn is an unforgettable experience for a family. To many mothers, the day they gave birth to their children is still fresh in mind even years later. For this reason, the company of a midwife plays a key role in the parents’ journey from pregnancy to delivery and enabling them to have a beautiful experience.”