Bulletin Spring‧Summer 1992

The Experience of Three Students Ip Wan-yim (Full-time student) Wan-yim completed a general nursing course at Queen Mary Hospital and received one-year's training in midwifery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She had served in the casualty ward of Tang Shiu Kin Hospital and the operating theatre of Tsan Yuk Hospital for several years before enrolling as a full-time student i n the University's Department of Nursing last September. Wan-yim feels that the apprentice type of training she has received from the local hospitals is not comprehensive enough and will not be sufficient to help her cope wit h new medical advancements. She has therefore decided to quit her job for two years to concentrate on a more comprehensive and professional programme in nursing. She has full confidence i n the quality of nursing education provided by the University. Once the school term started, Wan-yim felt the heavy burden of course work. There were written assignments every fortnight, and she had difficulty adjusting to the life of a student after so many years of work. The situation improved, however, in the second term after the problem had been brought to the attention of the teachers, and Wan-yim has now fully adapted to her new university life. She finds the course of training very relevant and substantial, and her favourite subject is behavioural science, which covers topics like psychology, sociology, social psychology and theories of counselling. Each time the teacher deals with theories, she will try to link them up with her past experience in hospitals. 'Now I realize how my care for the patients in the past was incomplete ； she says. The subject has also taught her communication skills, how to see things from a patient's point of view, and how to judge a patient's physiological and psychological state from Ms speech and deportment. She has also learnt how to detect hidden disorders in the patients, and how to devise a comprehensive nursing programme to achieve holistic treatment for such patients. When asked about areas for improvement, Wan-yim says,'The overall effect will be even better if the integration of theories and practical work can be enhanced, and it will be best if more reference materials can be made available to the students.' Chau Pak Chun, Janita ( F u l l - t i me s t u d e n t) Janita worked for three years as a nurse in different units of Princess Margaret Hospital: the intensive care unit, the paediatric ward, and the casualty ward. She originally had plans to further her studies in Australia, but when she learnt that The Chinese University had established a new department of nursing, she seized the opportunity to apply for admission and was accepted. Though reluctant to leave her nursing duties behind, she believes she can benefit more from full-time studies and has therefore enrolled for the two-yea r programme. Janita had expected the programme to be essentially a practical course, whereby she could learn how to take care of in-patients. Only when the course started did she realize that a large part of the programme deals with theories such as the purpose and evolution of theories o f nursing; the concepts, roles, and process of nursing; the professional development of the nurse and nursing; and psychosocial principles and approaches to the nursing practice. Janita has been most impressed by the teachers' concern fo r the students. As soon as the school termbegan, they explained to the student s the proposed schedule for assignments and examinations and invited their feedback. Some even informed the students when and where they could be reached outside class time. A perfectionist by nature, Janita always demands the best of herself, be it in class-work, examinations, or household chores. She gave herself so much pressure in the beginning of the term that she suffered from depression and insomnia. Her teachers however detected her emotional changes and helped her to relieve the pressure and overcome her anxiety. No w Janita can sleep well and work well, and she feels most grateful to her teachers. Department of Nursing 16