Being awarded the opportunity to partake in placement in the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney was an incredible and memorable experience. I was allocated to the Cardiology and CCU ward which provided opportunities to learn about cardiac conditions, investigations, procedures and pre and post operative care. A highlight for me was being able to watch an angiogram in the catheterisation laboratory.

From a nursing perspective, I found it interesting using the pyxis dispensing machine which helped reduce medication errors. In addition, having all documentation computerised made it efficient to view multidisciplinary input and gain a better understanding of patients’ condition. Personally, having access to both Cardiology and CCU helped me observe differences in patient acuity, the intensity of treatment, levels of monitoring required. The exposure to these two different yet unique environments sparked my interest in specialising in this area in the future. As Children’s student nurse, I was grateful getting a tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), paediatric wards, and other departments such as the adult burns’ unit and the emergency department. This provided insight into a variety of specialised clinical settings within the hospital.

From a cultural perspective, the multicultural environment within the hospital created opportunities to learn about patients’ diverse life stories and experiences. I really appreciated the supports available for patient centred communication including interpreter services and the use of Google Translate. Sydney itself had so much to offer from beautiful landmarks such as the Opera house to beaches, botanical gardens, vibrant city life and a warm sunny weather. At the end of my placement, getting the extra time to explore around Australia made the overall experience even more rewarding and something I am very grateful for.

I was very fortunate to travel with Ashley to complete an unforgettable clinical placement in Sydney. My experience in Australia lasted nearly 2 months! Our first few days in the country allowed us to settle in and attend our orientation sessions. Over the following weeks, we undertook our 4 week clinical placement in Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital. Lastly, my trip ended with a 2 week break to travel and explore! 

I arrived in Sydney where I met Ashley at our new home for the next few weeks. We started our trip with an orientation day at the Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery building at the University of Sydney. During this orientation, we each received our uniform and completed a clinical skills session. We got to learn about the use of the ‘Between the Flags’ tool, EMR and CIAP, which is used throughout Australia to research, document and assess patients. This session allowed us to prepare for placement and work in their incredible clinical skills lab! We also received an orientation in the hospital, where we met our facilitator Rosie and visited the ward prior to placement. We also got an opportunity to see the public and private hospital. This allowed us to see many clinical areas such as the children’s ward, the burn unit, ED, ICU and the NICU. 

The following week, we started our placement on Ward 6D, which was a general cardiology ward. We worked the morning shift, which ran from 7am to 3:30pm Monday to Friday. The staff were very kind and had plenty of time for students. This allowed us more opportunities to take part in skills and ask questions. We became very familiar with the ward routine and how the Australian healthcare system operates. We learnt a lot about cardiac conditions, diagnostic tests, medications, cardiac surgeries and pre/post-operative care. The ward also contained 6 CCU beds, where we had the opportunity to care for patients after an MI or who had a dangerous arrhythmia, such as VT. Our facilitator visited us everyday, where we had the chance to read through a patient's medical history and imaging. This helped us view the patients care through a multidisciplinary approach. Finally, at the end of each week, we met with other Sydney nursing students for a debrief and practised providing handover for one of our patients. 

This trip also allowed for lots of travel and activities! Ashley and I did many things together in between shifts and on the weekends. We went to the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Taronga zoo and even watched a firework show at Darling Harbour! After we completed our clinical placement, I remained in Sydney for 2 weeks staying with my family. This gave me an opportunity to explore Sydney independently and with family! I visited many attractions such as the aquarium, Sydney’s Tower Eye, the Blue Mountains and went to an outdoor cinema! Some of my personal highlights were the Bondi to Coogee costal walk, swimming at Bondi Beach, climbing the Harbour Bridge, visiting Manly and skydiving in Port Macquarie! I also met with USYD students, Charlotte and Aaron for dinner. They had previously travelled to Dublin a few months prior to complete a clinical placement with Trinity College. This was a lovely opportunity to spend the evening together and exchange our experiences with one another! 

This truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity, where I got to learn so much clinically and personally about myself. This experience exceeded my expectations and I will continue to hold this trip very close to my heart. I would highly encourage every student to apply for this scholarship! 

My two-week summer programme at The University of Hong Kong was an incredible experience and something I know I will remember for the rest of my life. I flew over to Hong Kong in July, not really knowing what to expect and came away with so many new experiences, memories and friendships. 

A big part of the programme was getting to see healthcare in Hong Kong from lots of different perspectives. We worked on an SDG 3 community assessment and made our own windshield survey for a small fishing village. It was an interesting way of looking at the health and wellbeing of different communities. We also explored HKU, including the Medical Library and TechMezz Library where we tried virtual reality anatomy dissections. At the School of Chinese Medicine, we learned about acupuncture and even experienced cupping which was something I had never done before.  

We visited different community settings including a nursing home and learned more about the services available to older residents. One of my favourite experiences was AKA Time Travel, where we experienced what everyday life can be like for someone with reduced mobility or visual impairment. We were blindfolded and had to be guided across the road to a shop to buy a snack. It was surprisingly challenging and really made me think about how difficult simple everyday tasks can become. It helped me to understand the importance of empathy and seeing things from the patient’s perspective.  

We also visited HK Adventist Hospital where we attended talks from doctors, nurses and the hospital director. Alongside this, we went to visit The United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service and saw a wide range of services they provide, including dentistry, optometry, Chinese medicine, herbal medicine and x-rays. 

Another highlight was using the HKU Simulation Centre. We worked with high fidelity simulators, virtual reality community learning and GenAI patient simulations. 

Outside of the programme, I spent time with new friends I made during the programme. We visited many amazing places such as Wong Tai Sin Temple, braved the rain to Victoria Harbour and rode the tram to see the amazing views from Victoria Peak. We ate countless delicious meals and food such as char siu pork, egg tarts, wontons and lots more in restaurants unique to Hong Kong. I also went on some solo trips too to The Ladie’s Market and The K11 but there’s too many to name. 

Overall, this was way more than just a university programme. I have made so many memories I will truly never forget and friends I will have for life. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity and would highly recommend anyone to apply for the scholarship.  

~ Emma Sheeran-Purcell, 4th Year Children’s and General Nursing