Holistic care means showing compassion for patients and their families
The Hospital Authority (HA) Academy, which was established two years ago, has consolidated existing corporate training institutes including HA Nursing School as member institutes. The Professional Diploma in Nursing (PDN) Programme which is being offered at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH), and Caritas Medical Centre (CMC), as well as the Enrolled Nurse (General) Training Programme which is being conducted at Grantham Hospital (GH), have been nurturing nursing talents for HA all along. Enrolment is currently under way for PDN. In this edition, nursing students of these two programmes – Tsz-kit, Cho-kit, and Lok-yiu – share their journeys in nursing education.
Chiu Tsz-kit is a nursing student in his final year of PDN at the School of General Nursing, QEH. After completing his Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE), Tsz-kit worked in two different business fields. He was a train captain before deciding to switch his career pathway to nursing. “I have been looking for a job that could help others and contribute to the society,” he explains. “I have a friend who is a nurse working at QEH. He often shares with me things about his work which inspires me to think what is the meaning of being a nurse.” Tsz-kit’s friend encouraged him to take up the challenge to study nursing. Despite his worry to keep up with the progress of PDN as he did not study biology during his DSE, after working hard in these 3.5 years, Tsz-kit is now on the course to join the nursing profession later this year.
Tsz-kit believes that only by experiencing clinical practice that nursing students can truly understand the work of a nurse. On one occasion, he helped a qualified nurse to provide a deceased patient with the last offices procedure, including cleaning the body, removing medical devices, and changing the patient into clothes prepared by family members. Before becoming a nursing student, Tsz-kit considered death was the end of the life journey. Now, he realises the last offices procedure signified a dignified farewell and a sign of respect for both the patients and their family members. Tsz-kit says, “although the deceased patient could not feel the care provided by nurses, what we did help family members to ease their grief and allow them to say goodbye properly to their loved ones. Holistic care is not only about caring for the patient but also showing compassion to the patient’s family.”
While graduation is just around the corner, Tsz-kit hopes he will stay true to his beliefs and not become desensitised to death. On the contrary, he would never forget his original intention. “Imagine you are sick and have to stay in a hospital bed. How would you like the healthcare workers to look after you? That’s how you should treat patients today,” he emphasises. Tsz-kit aims to become an intensive care nurse one day. He has been planning and preparing himself to make his mark for this next challenge in his future nursing career.
Chiu Tsz-kit is a nursing student in his final year of PDN at the School of General Nursing, QEH. After completing his Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE), Tsz-kit worked in two different business fields. He was a train captain before deciding to switch his career pathway to nursing. “I have been looking for a job that could help others and contribute to the society,” he explains. “I have a friend who is a nurse working at QEH. He often shares with me things about his work which inspires me to think what is the meaning of being a nurse.” Tsz-kit’s friend encouraged him to take up the challenge to study nursing. Despite his worry to keep up with the progress of PDN as he did not study biology during his DSE, after working hard in these 3.5 years, Tsz-kit is now on the course to join the nursing profession later this year.
Tsz-kit believes that only by experiencing clinical practice that nursing students can truly understand the work of a nurse. On one occasion, he helped a qualified nurse to provide a deceased patient with the last offices procedure, including cleaning the body, removing medical devices, and changing the patient into clothes prepared by family members. Before becoming a nursing student, Tsz-kit considered death was the end of the life journey. Now, he realises the last offices procedure signified a dignified farewell and a sign of respect for both the patients and their family members. Tsz-kit says, “although the deceased patient could not feel the care provided by nurses, what we did help family members to ease their grief and allow them to say goodbye properly to their loved ones. Holistic care is not only about caring for the patient but also showing compassion to the patient’s family.”
While graduation is just around the corner, Tsz-kit hopes he will stay true to his beliefs and not become desensitised to death. On the contrary, he would never forget his original intention. “Imagine you are sick and have to stay in a hospital bed. How would you like the healthcare workers to look after you? That’s how you should treat patients today,” he emphasises. Tsz-kit aims to become an intensive care nurse one day. He has been planning and preparing himself to make his mark for this next challenge in his future nursing career.