Frontline experience in a hospital has brought home to a group of youngsters the reality of death and the value of life.
A hundred students joined this year's summer work experience scheme organised by the United Christian Hospital.
During the six-week programme, the first of which started in June, volunteers were told about the duties of different departments in the hospital and given health care information.
They were also sent to different wards and departments to help do simple, non-medical tasks such as paperwork and chatting to patients. Every week, they recorded their feelings in a diary, which was given to the programme organisers.
Form Seven student Miffy Chan Mei-wai witnessed death for the first time when she helped in the accident and emergency department last month.
She saw an elderly woman, who had suffered a heart attack, die on the table after a resuscitation attempt failed.
'I had imagined that working in the emergency room would be very exciting, like in the movies,' the 19-year-old said.
