![]()
The minute, and I do mean the very minute, I heard about the
Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital "Doctor for a Day" programme, I signed Poppy up.
The CEO of the one-year old hospital says this programme was launched to aim to help young children appreciate the healthcare industry and inspire them to be medical professionals when they grow up. I say it's the
best marketing plan ever. And not in a bad way. How cute would it be, in 20 years' time, when a bunch of new medical interns find out that they'd been inspired by this very programme as kids?
Did I mention that it was
absolutely free? I did not. It was absolutely free. So, truthfully, I did not know what to expect. Which is why everything was a bonus!
We were impressed from the very moment we identified ourselves at the registration counter. Poppy was given her scrubs, and a sticker, and sent to the briefing room. There, the little doctors were briefed by the big doctors, handed their hair nets (LOL alert!) and learnt to wash their hands.
Sessions begin at 20-minute intervals, and each group spends some time in each room before moving on to the next. After the briefing room, the kids, sorry, little doctors, got directed to the General Practitioner. When I saw that the set up was a table in the middle of the room, boardroom style, I was a bit worried. Poppy's group was made up of 5 kids, aged 4.5 to about 9. How would they react to a talk in that set up?
But my fears very quickly dissolved. It was very hands on, and interactive. There, they learnt how to use the stethoscope and thermometer. They also tested out the blood pressure machine and really found it funny; I'm guessing it was the first time for most of them :)
At the Accident and Emergency room, they learnt about cuts and bruises, and how to play safely. They ended up cleaning up each other's imaginary cuts, applying plasters, and bandaging each other too. Wow.
![]()
The facilitators worked seamlessly. One was the main presenter, and he had 2 supporting facilitators who brought out the props at the exact moment, and handed them out to the children at the precise time. I was going to say "Wow they work so well together, kind of like surgeons in an operating theatre!". Guess what - they
are real doctors, not hired performers.
You know how sometimes you're at an event and you can just tell that the folks have been around from the start, and are really tired? Nope, not these guys. Professionals through and through. Poppy was in group 16, which meant that they'd probably been through 16 groups of kids. But yet, they played injured patients in wheelchairs with gusto, and asked each child their hobbies and taught them road safety with enthusiasm. Kudos to you guys. You rock.
Every mum panics a little when she hears a baby cry. It may not be hers, but still, her heart does a little jolt. And that's what I felt, even though my baby was not with me. Turns out the next room was the mock nursery, and everything was thought of so well, that there were even recordings of baby cries.
But, baby cries or not, the little doctors managed superbly - they changed the babies' diapers and gave them a bottle feed calmly and cooly. And need I mention the cute factor ranked very high in this room?
The kids really got into character, thanks to the outfits they wore. In the operating theatre, they were also given gloves and masks. Here, they were introduced to Mr Smoke-a-Lot, and they took turns removing black spots from his lungs. Um, yes, it was a dummy. I hope.
I know some parents would have preferred to be in there with their kids but speaking from the perspective of one who sometimes conducts kids activities, the kids learn much better without their parents hovering around, 'helping them'. We were blocked off with queue poles, and I was totally fine with it. I wished I had a better zoom on my phone, but I'm glad the kids enjoyed themselves without having to stop and pose for pictures for us pesky parents every 3 minutes or so :)
Poppy loved it. Loved it all. Over dinner, she kept bandaging my wrist over and over. I asked, "So what do you want to be when you grow up?" She answered without hesitation, "A doctor," and then after the tiniest of moments, she followed it with, "Maybe a helicopter driver." Always good to keep our options open, fellas.
From a parent's perspective, it was an enjoyable experience too. It's great that little lessons were weaved subtly into the programme ('smoking is bad', 'never play near the road' etc). Everything flowed seamlessly, everyone knew their parts, there wasn't any chaos, and everyone was smiling. As someone who has worked in the Events line, take my word for it - it was a very successful event. I was very very impressed.
An entire ward was dedicated to this programme. 5 rooms on opposite sides of the corridor were converted into activity rooms for the kids, and there was also a photo studio where the doctors on duty could have their pictures taken. And ladies and gentlemen, would you please look at how the rooms are set up? Remember that these are regular hospital rooms. Look at the amount of effort that's been put in to decorate each room. 1,000 points for effort!
I'm so glad we went for this, and so glad that the hospital arranged for this. I hope the staff enjoyed themselves as well! If any of you is reading this, thank you for your efforts and your smiles, you did an amazing job! Thumbs up!!
![]()
PS after our programme ended, we headed downstairs where Poppy was really looking forward to getting a balloon. Turns out everything was closing up, and I was faced with a very disappointed little girl. She didn't scream or yell or whine; she merely looked disappointed. Mums, you know that look. So I did what most mums would do. I asked very nicely if we could be the absolute last person in queue for a balloon. Turns out there were already a couple of absolute lasts. But here's where it gets interesting: One of the staff gave Poppy her own balloon. One of those nice twisty ones. And it was sculptured into um, a nurse, I think. And Poppy was thrilled.
I don't know about you but if this lady was training to be a nurse, I'd say that she's got the right attitude. Compassion? Check. Empathy? Check. Kindness? Check.
Brand new swanky hospital (with rooms that start at $374 per night - did I not mention it was an excellent marketing plan?) it may be, but one thing's for sure - it sure does have the right kind of staff.
.JPG)
.jpeg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.JPG)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.JPG)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.JPG)
.jpeg)
