Mia Fitzgerald

I was inspired to undertake an overseas placement as I thought it would be an incredible chance to gain exposure to a different healthcare system. I knew it would be eye-opening to see how healthcare is provided in a different country and how staff deal with limited resources.  

I have always been under the impression you stop making connections and new friends at a certain age. So, I thought undertaking a placement overseas would be a great way to meet like-minded people and make connections around the world. 

It was amazing to have connected with so many people who live all over the world – I have truly made friends for life. 

I was very taken aback when we first visited my placement hospital. I saw the Emergency treatment unit first; it was very busy but run incredibly well. It was evident that the staff were organised and worked fast to triage patients. 

Walking around the hospital the sense of community and care for each other was very present compared to in the UK where everyone feels quite distant and less caring towards one another.

The wards themselves were quite similar to the ones we have here in the UK in regards to the layout. It was noticeable that the resources they had were very limited but I saw very similar outcomes, as the staff were very efficient in how they used and reused what they had access to. 

I gained an abundance of new skills and knowledge that I didn’t have prior to this experience. I had the opportunity to visit five different clinical areas which would’ve been quite challenging to organise back at home. 

I spent two weeks in Obstetrics and gynaecology (OB/GYN), two weeks in the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), one week in the paediatric emergency department (PAEDS ED), one week in paediatric surgery, and my final week in the medical intensive care unit (MICU). 

All these areas taught me different things and allowed me to gain exposure to different skills and incidents that you don’t often see in the UK. For example, I got to treat a child with osteogenesis imperfecta in ED, which isn’t a common condition seen in the UK. 

I also got clinical experience dealing with adult patients. As I specialise as a child nurse I don’t get exposure to adult patients at home. 

I was also able to get hands-on in the NICU where I practiced skills within my scope of practice. I was able to help clean, feed and hold the babies here. 

My most memorable experience of my seven-week elective was the time I spent in the obstetrics and gynaecology ward. I could not believe I had the privilege to watch multiple vaginal births as well as c-sections and many other surgeries.  

I’d always wished for an opportunity like this to come around for years, but it is very difficult to organise this exposure at home. Having the opportunity to gain that exposure in Sri Lanka was such an unbelievable privilege. 

It made me quite emotional when I watched each birth, as you’re watching life come into this world right in front of your eyes. 

The healthcare system in Sri Lanka was very underfunded and lacked resources, but the outcomes ended up being very similar to the UK. 

I found that every procedure was done a lot quicker in Sri Lanka compared to back at home as they don’t have the resources to deal with infections if they were to arise.

I was very fortunate to have chosen Sri Lanka for my elective placement. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, and my housemates and I had the opportunity to visit many places on the weekends. 

Locally we visited the Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha Statue, and the Ambuluwawa Tower as well as the Temple of the Tooth. We also had the chance to watch the local cultural dance show. 

The whole house also took a trip to the white-water rafting centre where we travelled 5km down the river tackling insane rapids. 

As we had the freedom to travel at the weekend, we visited a new area of Sri Lanka every week. 

We visited Sigiriya where we climbed the rock and went wild swimming. 

We then went to Ella where we attended a cooking class, climbed Little Adam’s Peak and had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of getting the 6-hour train through the countryside back to Kandy where we were based. 

There was also a full moon festival taking place whilst we visited Ella, so we stood and watched for hours as the whole village gathered to perform. 

Trincomalee was next, here we went surfing, spent a lot of time soaking up the sun and walked through the amazing seaside town looking in all the shops. 

We went to Yala next which was an unforgettable trip. We saw wild peacocks, buffalo, deer, boars, chipmunks, black-faced monkeys, crocodiles, mongoose, leopards, sun bears, elephants, eagles, foxes and storks. 

The next day we travelled to Arugam Bay, another seaside town, where we went paddle boarding in the sea. 

Galle and Mirissa were next. I loved the fishing town Galle, and staying inside the fort – a very historical artefact that we were lucky to see. 

We also went to a turtle sanctuary in Galle where we saw the wonderful conservation work they do. 

Mirissa was beautiful, to me this was the ‘Maldives’ of Sri Lanka. The crystal clear waters and palm trees were a dream. We also visited the infamous Coconut Tree Hill here! 

The final trip of my seven-week experience was to Columbo and Negeombo. It was very different experiencing a city compared to all the beaches we had been visiting, but Colombo was filled with an abundance of cultural attractions which I enjoyed. 

I finished my trip in Negombo where I swam in the luxurious Sri Lankan Sea once more before heading to the airport. 

The whole experience was incredible, Sri Lanka holds so much beauty, in its culture, places and people. I am so very fortunate that I got to experience all of this with such amazing friends courtesy of Work the World. 

There have been so many benefits to undertaking this placement. Firstly I have grown as a person; I have become more confident both socially as well as clinically. I have enhanced my communication skills as we had to communicate with a language barrier. 

I have also been exposed to a whole new way of living, therefore have a new sense of gratitude for the services I have easily available to me here in the UK.

I also had the amazing opportunity to make friends with people who are a bit older than me. Seeing them travelling and continuing to make friends showed me that there is no age limit for anything. 

I can travel and explore the world for the rest of my life whilst continuing to make friends. The Work the World experience is available and accessible to everyone. 

If you’re considering undertaking a Work the World placement, just do it! Immerse yourself in the experience as much as possible. Push yourself clinically and socially. Make new friends and go explore the destination you’re in. 

Money also comes and goes, you will never have an experience like this again, so explore as much as you can!