Philippines - Dion Richards' story

Adult nursing student, Dion Richards spent three weeks on placement in Iloilo, Philippines - “My nursing placement in Iloilo changed my life. It not only made me a better nurse but a better person.”

Dion said, “I rotated around various areas - one week on the surgical wards, intensive care and two weeks in emergency department and a day delivery room. It was great to work a variety of shifts and the department came alive at night!”

“I learnt very quickly that it was important to be prepared, open minded and to have a good attitude. There are some very real differences between low resource healthcare systems and developed ones. However, local staff did the best they could with what they had, which wasn’t very much at all.”

During weekends, Dion was able to travel and explore some of the beautiful places in the Philippines including Isla Gigantes, Lakawon Island and Antique.

Summarising her experience, Dion said, “My placement helped me acknowledge an inner strength I didn’t realise I had. I developed courage, allowing me to face any nursing situation with ease. If you can practise nursing here, you’ll have the power to practise nursing anywhere. Through this experience, I came to realise the type of nurse (and the type of person) I wanted to be, and where I would like my career to take me.”