The reason as to why I chose to do my practical in Singapore was because I am a Singaporean and my journey in Australia after four long years is about to come to an end. Thus I decided to have an insight to the world of physiotherapy back home. I was very excited and was looking forward to this experience. Initially i was a little apprehensive about commencing this practical as I had no notion of how the health care system functioned in Singapore having done all my practicals in Perth thus far. This practical was also an experience as it was a paediatrics practical and I have not had the opportunity to work with children before.
Upon arrival at this hospital, I was slightly taken aback at how unfriendly the staff was towards me. It seemed as though everyone was too busy and caught up with their own work. This was a different experience for me as in Perth; most staff are very friendly and accommodative to students. A possibility to this is most certainly the cultural difference as Singaporeans tend to be more conservative. However as time went by they did warm up to me.
Physiotherapy in Singapore is still not well established and as a result, the patients that had come to the physio department sometimes seemed unaware of their purpose and only attended as they were told to do so by a doctor from the hospital. A lot of times educating the patients as to the benefits of physiotherapy seemed essential and important so as to produce a positive effect with the therapy they were to receive.
Working with children has also been very challenging as it is difficult to command a child without a rebellion. Thus the sessions had to be ‘fun’ and at the same time productive. This kept me on my toes as I had to come up with various activities to encourage the children to engage in their rehab. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of working with children. It most certainly was very rewarding.
This prac was definitely an interesting and eye-opening experience as it gave me a glimpse at what physiotherapy is like in Singapore. I must say after being in Australia for so long I seem to have needed time adjusting to the way things work in this pseudo westernised country that is still very much preserving traditional school of thought.
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5 comments:
Hey Gaya,
good post. it's interesting to know how australia compares to other countries. Coming from Hong Kong, i've always been intrested in knowing how it would be like working in a public hospitals there.
I think Australia in general are very educated about Physiotherapy compared to other countries.
I know people from Hong Kong rarely goes to a physio because
- expensive
- don't really know what they do
But i think there is certainly increasing knowledge.
Even though we have done a 4 year degree, there is so much more to learn. Culture, communication and different treatments.
hey Gaya,
Interesting to read about your thoughts on how your Singapore prac went. Having grown up in Singapore for a few years myself, I kind of know what you mean about being different to Australia.
Both of my parents worked at the National university of Singapore hospital, of which I was a regular visitor of to see them at work and eventhough I was only a 7 year old kid, I can still distinctly remember some differences between Asutralia and Singapore about how each hospital is run and how the Dr's have most of the say in Singapore.
Hopefully in the upcoming years, this approach will change and we'll see more of a allied health health team approach to looking after patients.
thank you for an incite into physio overseas. having worked in mainly perth hospitals and getting the same reception/attitude from patients and staff i've come to take it for granted! im hoping to work overseas in a few years so its good to get an incite into different cultures and values. in the hospital you were working, did you have to pay extra for physio or was it included? if it was extra then i think you would have had an additional pressure making sure you were being effective throughout your sessions and to ensure cooperation for HEP.
such an interesting post, its really sad to realise that as much as we complain about the health system here and all of its inconsistencies, really we are so lucky. So many other countries dont have the same access and understanding of healthcare that we do. It is also interesting to realise how much a culture's beleifs have an effect on their healthcare systems. I really enjoyed this blog and hopefully can experience the singaporean hospitals first hand one day!
Together we can all make a difference all around the world!!
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