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Elaine Yau

Name: Bobo Po Yuen-kiAge: 25Occupation: Nurse

Young Post: What are your duties?

Po: I work in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at  Princess Margaret Hospital.

I have to  sort patients  according to the urgency of their ailments.

I also make a preliminary diagnosis of their medical problems.

After that, I  help the doctors treat the patients.

YP: Do you  deal with  life-and-death cases?

P: Yes. Before the arrival of an ambulance carrying an accident or suicide victim,  the ambulance workers call  and ask us to stand by.

The victim  is then rushed into the resuscitation room.

I may have to perform CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) on him.

YP:  How does your contact with suicide victims affect you?

P:  When dying young suicide victims arrive at the hospital, what upsets me most is not their gory wounds, but the reaction of their families.

When they hear the bad news, some parents  refuse to accept the reality and keep begging us to save their sons or daughters. Their  cries of  pain make me really sad.

I just  can't understand why  young people can  waste their lives like that.

Many  kill themselves because of love troubles. Their selfish acts bring endless suffering to their families and friends.

YP:  You often have to take care of critically ill people. How does that affect your outlook on life?

P: Frequent contact with dying patients may desensitise people to death and suffering.

But I still feel very upset when I see people who die young, or who suffer excruciating pain before

passing away.

Many patients who suffer from incurable diseases would rather die than live on life support.

I've seen terminally-ill patients writhing in agony on their beds.  They  and their families suffer a lot. So I  actually support the idea of euthanasia.

YP: Is being a nurse a  difficult job?

P: Working in the A&E Department can be very stressful.

While a nurse working in normal wards gets to know her  patients well after taking care of them, a nurse in the emergency room is faced with a stranger every time.

I don't know anything about my patient. I don't have  their medical records and I don't know the cause of their illness.

I work under intense pressure and help doctors save  lives.

YP:  Among your many duties, which do you fear most?

P: I get scared when I see pregnant women giving birth.  They are in so much pain!

YP:  You meet all kinds of people working in the emergency department.  Do some people  abuse emergency services?

P: We have people who come to the emergency department to ask for a doctor's  note for sick leave.  But some of them are perfectly fine.

They writhe in pain  when the doctors are nearby, but return to normal once they leave.

They want the doctors to pay more attention to them.

I feel very angry  when I see this kind of patient.

They are depriving those who are really ill of medical help.

RESUME

2000: Completed Form Seven studies

2004: Completed a degree course in nursing from   Polytechnic University

2004:  Employed at the Princess Margaret Hospital as a registered nurse with the medical department

2006: Transferred to the A&E Department

How to get there

Programme: Bachelor of Nursing

School:  Chinese University

Duration: Four years

Characteristics: Students  learn about anatomy, physiology, psychology and sociology, and how to take care of people of different ages. They  also study the inner workings of the local healthcare sector. Students need to complete practical training in hospitals, social centres or nursing homes.

Enquiries: http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/med/nur/ nursing/prog_undergrad1.html

Programme: Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Nursing

School:  Polytechnic University

Duration: Four years

Characteristics: The course  includes modules such as maternal care, child and adult care, advanced nursing, mental health nursing and community health nursing. Field practice is arranged in a variety of health care settings including hospitals, old age homes, day care centres and other community centres.

Enquiries: http://www18.polyu.edu.hk/e-prospectus/ft/home.jsp

The path

After  training at a qualified tertiary institution, nursing graduates  become a registered nurse. They can find work at government and private hospitals across the city. A registered nurse with a government hospital has an entry salary of about HK$17,000 plus allowances. With years of experience and superb performance, a nurse with a masters degree may become a sister, the head  nurse. A sister may proceed to the post of ward manager,  and be responsible for the administration of a ward.



Saving lives