Summer Dietetics Experience HK
This is my second day helping out at the dietetic department in Hong Kong and so far so good!
As I arrived right on time at 9:15 and I put on my hideous bright yellow vest that has been tucked away in a cabinet.
I was then handed two tasks - one article and making eye-catching posters for the department's health board highlighting the key points... IN CHINESE. That's one of the hardest task I have ever received in my entire life as I didn't even have a clue how to write in Chinese. Hmm... hello google translate.
One thing I noticed is that there were no specific guidelines that you had to use - you could use American, Canadian, Australian, UK guidelines which really confused me. There is a HK government website but all the information is very outdated.
After my supervisor went through my piece of work, she disappeared which I thought she went to the wards but instead she went up to the 13th floor and bought some Hong Kong Style glazed french toast coated, no actually dripping, in golden syrup.
Per serving: 1,037 calories, 78 g fat, 559 mg cholesterol, 30 g protein, 60 g carbohydrates, 4 g fibre, 1,198 mg sodium.
She came back with forks and knives and said: "Oh my god, diabetes! Come share it with me."- ah, somethings are the same in the UK and HK. It brings me memories of pantries full of freshly baked cakes, brownies, cookies and everything we advise to patients to limit. But you know... everything in moderation!
As I was more awake today compared to Monday (the day I smacked my head on the desk because I hadn't slept the previous night), I managed to talk briefly to both the junior and senior dietitians equivalent to Band 5 and 6, respectively. We had one dietitian manager who was on annual leave. In general, senior dietitians (band 6s) do not work within a speciality but at this hospital, they are able to pick up cases that interest them.
My supervisor also welcomed me to their weekly talks and classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The previous month focused on renal and head & neck cancer and I was a tad sad missing these two as these areas are quite intriguing.
This month mostly focused on diabetes mellitus (DM), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and weight management - perfect for my dissertation topic.
I left slightly earlier today at around 4:45 PM as I had to run to my next job which was about an hour away by tram and metro from the hospital. I start at 6:00 PM so I had to eat my squished double wrapped melted cheese sandwich on the way there.
Let's just say that my extremely tight schedule and eating/running simultaneously was not a brilliant idea which ultimately gave me the stomach cramps at work. Unfortunately, there would be more days like this this month. Well I'm probably just experiencing life as a typical Hong Konger or any city dweller. RIP.
