I was on the medicine project for 5 weeks in total, which included an extra week on top of my original month long placement. The fact that I extended says all you need to know: my host family were welcoming and supportive, the hospital placement was incredible and I learnt so so much, and there was a brilliant group of other volunteers who I'd see most nights. Despite being on my own for nearly 2 weeks of my placement and in my host family, I never felt lonely; Errol was brilliant company at the hospital and worked so hard to keep me included with the other Filipino nurses, and the socials put on by PA and other volunteers ensure its easy to be included in the PA community. The hospital itself was generally as basic as I was expecting; some things shocked me (eg the lack of defibrillator at the hospital, and the patients sharing hospital beds) but other things exceeded my expectations, such as the lab equipment and ventilators. I was given a huge insight into the daily routines of nurses, which as a medical student I haven't had before, which makes me appreciate how varied their work is. I also had the opportunity to carry out a lot of practical procedures, some of which I had learnt at my university (on mannequins) but some which I'm not even due to learn for another year or two. In the UK, nursing students don't even insert a cannula and IV drip into patients until they've graduated from uni, but I was taught to do it (and did, successfully!). I also learnt to suture, take blood and practiced my different injection techniques. Evidently it was an invaluable experience and will help me in my medical studies immensely, but it has also given me more perspective on the problems that we complain about within the NHS. Outside the hospital, my host family were so warm and their three children adopted me as their "ate" (big sister); the home was not luxurious but was clean, and whilst the food was very heavy on the meat and rice and lacked vegetables, I guess it was a true taste of the Philippines. Overall I would recommend this to anyone (who doesn't faint at blood) and encourage them to go into it with eyes and mind open; ask lots of questions and just throw yourself into it. Do as much as you possibly can because 5 weeks flies by. And travel the beautiful Philippines at the weekend, and after placement if possible!!
