A few words from our visiting fellows:
Justin Kua
United Kingdom
tl;dr – A fantastic, energetic, passionate and friendly anaesthetic department offering several fellowship opportunities with lots of clinical experience and on-the-job learning. I wholeheartedly recommend joining the Prince of Wales anaesthetic crew who will undoubtedly provide a delightful and memorable experience.
Upon completion of anaesthetic training in London, I decided to pursue subspecialty training in cardiac anaesthesia and was successful in securing a bespoke 6-month cardiac fellowship at PWH. Starting in a new place of work can be daunting, but from day one, I was immersed in a friendly and collaborative perioperative environment and a welcoming and supportive anaesthetic department. Over the course of my fellowship, I gained anaesthetic experience in a range of cardiac surgeries and interventions from standard cases to newer techniques being established at PWH (e.g. transcatheter MVR, Convergent Procedure for AF). It was interesting to see the similarities and differences in practice from what I experienced during my UK-based training, and this made for many fruitful discussions. With the help of the cardiac anaesthetic consultants, I was also able to train and build up my logbook for accreditation in transthoracic echocardiography. In addition to cardiac cases, I participated in anaesthesia for a wide variety of other surgical specialties such as thoracic, neuro, general, orthopaedic, and O&G surgery as well as emergency and trauma cases. This allowed me to upkeep my skills and kindled my other passion for regional anaesthesia which I regularly integrated into my clinical practice. I especially enjoyed teaching the many knowledgeable, inquisitive and bubbly anaesthetic residents who formed an integral part of the department, alongside the consultants, nurses and other allied healthcare professionals.
It’s not all clinical work though! There are plenty of departmental social events that one can participate in. Weekly ‘Coffee Corner’ is a fantastic wellbeing initiative where members of the department enjoyed friendly banter over hot drinks and dim sum. More sporty members of the department occasionally organise commuting runs to work, whilst others prefer to band together for an adventurous weekend hike along one of HK’s many trails. When the sun is out, why not join the department for a boat party? A few cheeky gatherings are peppered throughout the year, especially during the festive seasons. Perhaps even experience having a hot pot or a game or two of mahjong! Needless to say, HK is a great place to explore and it’s just as easy to take a train across to China or a short flight to Japan or South Korea when you want some time away from work.
It was an honour to work as part of the PWH team, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Siti Dubaidah
Malaysia
I still remember how nervous I was on my first day of the fellowship. But from that very first case, the anaesthesia team at PWH made me feel welcome. My cardiac consultants weren’t just brilliant clinicians, they took time to explain their thought processes and turned every case into a learning opportunity. What surprised me most was how much I grew in just six months. The program pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best possible way. If you’re looking for a fellowship where you’ll be challenged, supported, and transformed as an anesthetist, this is it. I’ll always be grateful for my time here.
Charlotte Dirven
Belgium
LeiHo,
I am a specialist trainee in anesthesia at the Cliniques Universitaires de Saint-Luc, Brussels (Université Catholique de Louvain), Belgium. I am in my final year of training and had the opportunity to spend six wonderful months in the anaesthesiology dept of Prince Of Wales Hospital, NT, Hong Kong. First of all, I appreciated the kindness and benevolence of the anesthesia team. Everyone was very welcoming and I was well helped by the department’s secretaries for all my administrative stuff. This was a stressful part for me and I was finally amazed by the speed and efficiency of the Hong Kong Administration in the medical sector. Although our cultures are different, anesthesia is quite universal and I was able to quickly find my way around. I found it was very interesting for me to see different ways of practicing it, even for some small details who actually can make tiny differences . Everyone has their own technique and it was quite interesting to discover some new ones, and this at every stage of our traineeship. I will cherish those new little addings in my future career.
What also interested and challenged me, was the different pathologies encountered. I was also able to observe and learn to juggle with the anesthesiological differences and their management between Asian patients versus Caucasians (intubations difficulties, neuraxial anesthesia, the modified pharmacokinetics of some molecules, and also the behavorial differences…)
I had the opportunity to work in quiet all surgical sectors with the adequate supervision, each time, and I always could relay on my fellow assistants for some tips or some translations.
Regarding the language, the entire medical team is fluent in English and I have always been helped to converse with patients who only spoke Cantonese in the operating rooms, as well as in the medical wards. On this point some days were more challenging than others (according to patient’s past health and actual medical problems) but that’s part of the experience, and I think I always got away with it.
Also, I loved living in Hong Kong so much. This region has a lot to offer and my weekends were so full by many explorations. HK fascinated me with its traditional aspect combined to its great modernity and open-mindedness.
I am very happy to have had the opportunity to do my overseas internship in Hong Kong.
I wouldn’t hesitate for a second if I had to do it again.
Joe Ong
Australia
I went to Prince of Wales Hospital as a senior trainee having completed my ANZCA fellowship exams. I wanted to broaden my anesthesia experience as I have otherwise completed the rest of my training in Australia. The Prince of Wales anaesthesia department were very welcoming and supportive. My supervisor help tailor my experience with more hepatobiliary and cardiac anaesthesia. All the medical records were in English and I had plenty of translation help as most healthcare staff members are bilingual. I also managed to write up a case report on an interesting airway case performed under VV-ECMO. I am extremely grateful for my time at Prince of Wales. I also had a lot of fun experiencing the sights and culinary highlights of Hong Kong.
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