Volunteer experience sheds light on career direction

It is summer vacation. Various hospitals have started their student summer programmes since June, offering a chance for students to understand hospital operation, from frontline to back office logistic support, on a volunteering basis. HASLink has talked to several former participants of these programmes, all non‑clinical colleagues, and learned how the valuable experiences they gained have inspired them to work in Hospital Authority (HA).

‘Green Angels’ come home

“When I was a secondary student, I found by chance that the United Christian Hospital (UCH) was organising a summer volunteer programme for students. I applied immediately. I remember every volunteer had to wear a green jacket, so we were called ‘Green Angels’ or ‘Little Frogs’,” says Derek Chan, Manager (Occupational Safety and Health) at Kowloon East Cluster.

At that time, Derek was a secondary five student. He was assigned to Accident & Emergency Department to help with paperwork and patients’ referral enquiries. It was really unforgettable how the HA colleagues generously shared their knowledge and experience with him. Every day he had lunch with them at the canteen with other ‘Green Angels’. He felt so much like at home. He had very good experiences and memories at UCH and so decided to work in HA after graduation.

After graduating with a degree in Physiotherapy, he worked at Sha Tin Hospital and Haven of Hope Hospital. Since 2008, he has taken up a position in Occupational Safety and Health Team at Kowloon East Cluster, and is happy to return to his UCH ‘home’ again. He appreciates the opportunity of understanding the nature of different jobs in hospital, which helps students plan their career path early.

Learn early, plan better

Eugena Chan, Executive Assistant II of Clinical Administration Unit at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) participated in the summer internship programme organised by Kowloon West Cluster in 2010. Then studying for a Higher Diploma in Commerce and Corporate Administration, she was assigned to the Community Relations and General Administration Department for a month and was responsible for clerical work. “I gained valuable working experience although I was a volunteer. It inspired me to consider working in hospital administration, apart from joining the private sector.”

Having completed a degree in Public Administration, Eugena applied for a job in HA and had worked at Lek Yuen General Outpatient Clinic since then. Three years on, Eugena successfully applied for the current position in PMH. “Recalling my past experiences, I am glad to have participated in the summer programme. It gave me insights into the field of administration. Very few public organisations would involve students in frontline administrative tasks, so I find myself very lucky to have such a precious opportunity.”

Home visit touches the heart

Sarah Lam studied communication abroad and took part in the summer volunteer programme of Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) while spending summer vacation at home in Hong Kong in 2011 and 2012. For two consecutive years, she was assigned to Patient Relations Office and Communications and Public Relations Office respectively to help manage patient feedback survey, visit patients’ home, write articles for Hospblog News and handle clerical work. It was an eye‑opening and fruitful experience that enabled her to know about hospital working environment for the first time.

Upon graduation, Sarah worked in a public relations firm for over two years responsible for commercial product launches. The experience left her a little unfulfilled because of the lack of human touch. She missed the touching moments of paying a home visit to an elderly couple, where she brought them a ‘lucky bag’ and exchanged warm chats with them. Their faces shone with gratitude to the hospital. “Every person has a story behind. It is much more meaningful and touching than mere commercial promotion, so I decided to join HA.” Sarah joined Public Affairs Department of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in June 2016. She has became Executive Officer II (External Relations and Donation Management) of Hong Kong Children’s Hospital since March this year.

“Some of my current colleagues have worked in PWH before. Thanks to my previous volunteering experiences, we can easily find common topics to talk about.” Sarah hopes that students aspiring to join the field of public healthcare would give similar programmes a try to have a taste of the working environment in hospitals before identifying their career anchors.