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#Expanded perspective, regained confidence #Medical internship, life improvement #Calmness and praise, international communication
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This program taught me something even greater than medical knowledge: it taught me how to improve my life. Each day was very healing, and through regaining lost confidence, a stronger drive to challenge myself, and a broadened perspective, I began to dream of bigger goals.
Overseas medical internship program in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for professional healthcare workers Jo Gwan-hyungA gapper''s review |
# I''m a gapper who embarked on my first gap year to gain new experiences and set a new milestone in life.
Hello, nice to meet you!
I completed my third year of nursing and, to experience things I couldn''t before new experiences and new milestones in lifeI am a gapper who took my first gap year as an internship to establish them.
Actually, before choosing this program, I was more interested in medical volunteer work. I have always been very interested in medical activities in remote areas lacking medical infrastructure, but activities through school or outside organizations had many conditions and restrictions, so I was looking for opportunities to participate individually when I came across ''Korea Gap Year'' I learned about. At the same time I learned about the concept of a gap year, and that compared to medical volunteer work, a medical internship allows you to learn and take on more professional dutiesthatI realized this, so I couldn''t help but choose it.
Honestly, I''m not sure how I decided to take on such a big challenge. However, for my own growth and change, I boldly decided to dive in rather than just think about itI did.In fact, it was my first time leaving the country..I had never even been on a typical overseas trip.As my first trip abroad, it was a continuous series of surprises starting with the airplane. It was my first time in a world without Korean, and especially during transfers there were transfer gates everywhere so I didn''t know where to go; Hong Kong International Airport was so huge I thought I might not make my connection in time. After arriving, I wondered, could I really survive here for a month?
Above all, communication with foreigners was my biggest obstacle.Because I couldn''t even communicate properly in basic English.. As a result, I remember worrying the coordinator on the final check day, saying that food and living weren''t a concern but that ''communication'' was what I feared most.
But it was all only temporary; within a week I adapted to everything, naturally blended into this place, and actually felt more comfortable than in Korea..Tuk-tuks were more comfortable than buses and were always full of the excitement of wondering which food to try next. On weekends I often took the night bus to travel to other places.
As I''m writing this review now, I really did it!
Mr. Jo, who wanted new experiences in life, decided on a project with a professional consultant and chose to start a gap year.If you dream of a new start but find it hard to begin alone, I strongly recommend 1:1 consulting with a gap year specialist!
A sure way to change your life: Gap Year 1:1 Consulting
I needed a catalyst to escape being a frog in a well and completely transform myself.
My mental state before leaving for the gap year could be described as completely worn out.It was no exaggeration.
As a mature student who started nursing later than others, I was more than worried and constantly questioned, ''Is this the right path?'' or ''Would it be better to go back to how things were?'' As a result...I began to see myself as a frog in a well, and naturally my interests and horizons narrowed.
This phenomenon had a significant psychological impact on me.It narrowed my own perspective and diminished my confidence.Because, unlike others, I started with my ''battery'' already depleted, negative and critical thoughts about myself dominated my mind, and it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say my spirit was completely drained.
Therefore,I needed a new turning point, and even if it meant hardship, I needed an opportunity to completely change myself..Therefore Idecided to boldly set myself a big mission that others wouldn''t easily attempt and took on the challenge.
"Calmness over haste, praise over criticism."
I once had a conversation with a nurse I worked with about the Cambodian people,''Chill''— the word neatly summed it up and we all laughed; though it was funny at the time, I felt as if I''d been hit hard on the back of the head.
If you think about our country''s past and present, what is something that gradually disappeared from everyone without us realizing it?It was smiles and a sense of ease.Cambodia felt close to Korea in the ''80s and ''90s, and the people there were full of qualities that made me nostalgic for our old days.
"Calmness over haste, praise over criticism."
What struck me most during this project was that my heart felt cleansed even more than what I learned and practiced in the internship.I think that those who have always lived busy, sensitive, and hectic lives will feel that emotion and realization more deeply.
# I gained international communication experience by interacting with locals.
Living in shared accommodation, the first people you interact with are volunteers from other countries; I met and connected with several people, from fellow Koreans to Americans and French. I went for walks and trips with some Koreans and Americans, and I even became friends with local nurses I met at the hospital. We still keep in touch!
Of course, the biggest difficulty in daily life was communication. The locals, like me, had limited English, so we endured it with a sense of camaraderie in trying, but the volunteers at the accommodation spoke fluent English, so it was hard to keep up with their conversations.
So I focused on becoming closer with the locals rather than with the volunteers..Since I was separated from the start and our schedules and routes didn''t overlap, it wasn''t easy to interact with the volunteers, so I gained international communication experience with the locals.
I learned a major lesson in improving my life through my gap year.
Before participating in the gap year, I was boxed in and had a very narrow perspective.. Also, I was worn out by life and had been living in a way that tightened the noose on myself, but this program, more than medical learning,the greater lesson of improving my life. Each day was very healing, and through recovering lost confidence, a greater sense of challenge, and a broadened perspective, I began to dream of bigger goals.
Through medical experiences I couldn''t have had in Korea, I was able to solidify my career path.
The most important part of the gap year program is the activities at the hospital! Basically you wear scrubs for your work, and if you don''t have any they lend them to you. They even put your name on them!
I worked in the emergency room and the ICU, Even though I was still just a student, there they taught me and treated me like a staff member at the same time. Therefore, you can actually perform all the tasks that real nurses do yourself..Especially when a patient arrives, they immediately take me along, show me, and encourage me to try.
At first, of course, everything felt hesitant. Even IVs had only been practiced a few times among students, so being told to place one in a patient was daunting. Even the tools used are somewhat different from those in our country and unfamiliar. Personally, handling them was more difficult.But during the internship I had over a hundred IV experiences alone, administered medications including narcotics, performed ABGAs, indwelling catheterization, and even CPR!As a student, I was able to gain tremendous experiences I would never otherwise have had, which helped solidify my career path.
I wondered how this was possible, but the nursing college curriculum here is conducted in practice through an internship system, so I was able to participate as part of that process. Of course, due to the poor medical infrastructure, there may be areas that are lacking or omitted compared to the concepts we know. However, in certain areas they can be stricter than us, so, I think you should accept it with a broad perspective, taking into account that it''s tailored to the country''s circumstances.
I had the most unforgettable moments of my life.
The medical staff at the hospital lived as family, not merely colleagues, and they welcomed me as a new family member. Their kindness and warmth moved me so much that I realized how short a month is, and I strongly felt like I didn''t want to return home and wanted to stay.
With the nurses I worked with,friendswe became friends and we''re still in contact! On my last day they threw me an all-night farewell party and even insisted on seeing me off, following me to the airport on my departure day. And I promised them I would definitely come back..
It was truly the most unforgettable moment of my life.. Not something that ended as just an experience, It was a precious time where I gained another family.I definitely want to go again in the future. Since I went this time for an internship, how about going next time for volunteer work? 😆
# What I want to say to prospective gappers for the Cambodia medical internship?
I was so scared until the day before departure that I even hesitated to cancel, and having accomplished it and achieved great growth, there''s just one piece of advice I want to give to other prospective gappers who may be worrying a lot.
Just go for it! Because life isn''t simple, even when things seem impossible, something keeps changing and continuously growing. Don''t forget: the more unfamiliar the environment, the more warmly it will welcome you.
Are you perhaps scared or hesitating because your English is lacking?In the end, people connect on a human level, so as long as you have basic language skills, anyone can communicate with foreigners — don''t worry.
# Cambodia medical internship — here''s a day in my life!
When you first arrive in Cambodia, during the weekend you willreceive orientation and a city tourthrough which you''ll observe local life and naturally prepare to blend in. In my case, timing wasn''t ideal so I postponed the city tour, but I still worked on adapting to the local environment by taking walks, following my original goals.
Life on-site is very different between weekdays and weekends.
The hospital I worked athad an 8:00 start and a 6-hour workday as a rule, with a 2- or 3-hour lunch so you could finish at 4 or 5 PMThat''s how it was. But since schedule adjustments with the head of the departmentwere possible,I agreed to reduce my lunch to one hour in exchange for leaving at 3 PM. After that, you''re free to do whatever you want!
Weekends are completely free. You can rest at your accommodation or travel. To make the most of my time, I traveled to other regions every week.
The local coordinator and many people would recommend or plan trips to other regions, but as a closer-feeling healing route, at night I recommend going toIndependence Monument ParkI recommend going to "Independence Monument Park" at night. The open space and night view alone make it a great healing spot, and it''s perfect for exercise and light activities. You can see people walking or jogging there; I used to go out and exercise there every night.
Because my purpose was walking and exercise, it felt like a waste to use public transportation, so I walked. Cambodia doesn''t have sidewalks. So be careful with traffic, and there are small sidewalks at temples or along major roads, so you should move along those areas.
# My personal Cambodia medical internship gap-year preparation TIP!
Preparations before departure weren''t difficult because I followed the manual provided by Korea Gap Year..More than that, my biggest personal concern was communicating in English, so to improve that ability I trained in various ways such as English conversation programs at the university.
However, there was an incident where my visa preparation was put on hold and I was quite flustered, but in such cases, don''t hesitate to to seek help from the gap-year coordinator. My situation was only delayed and passed without major problems, but they provided contingency plans and were a great emotional support during that brief moment.
And one thing I must urge: be sure to use the relevant apps when using public transportation. You''ll encounter many street touts; drivers often don''t know the fair price and will call out a rough estimate, so you may unintentionally be overcharged—be careful!
# My personal Cambodia medical internship gap-year preparation TIP! My Cambodia overseas medical internship gap-year is!
Experience ★★★★★
: An experience bigger than imagined, an experience more unexpected than expected. A moment that yields new elements of life beyond ordinary experiences.
Learning ★★★★★
: You can feel a greater learning about yourself than about medicine.For students, practical-level skills; for others, life insights.
Environment ★★★★★
: People are so friendly and try to accommodate you to the point you might wonder if they''re matching your status. Apart from systemic national shortcomings, there are no real difficulties.
Safety ★★★★★
: I can say this confidently: Korea, Japan, Cambodia — three safe countries. Don''t believe the nonsense about crime circulated from outside.
Leisure ★★★★★
: You can spend leisure time wherever you want. I also recommend trying as many experiences as possible at your accommodation.
Jo Gwan-hyungwho visited Cambodia Phnom Penh medical internship project Want to know more?!
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