It was my first day of work immersion, and everything felt new and exciting. I woke up early, ate early, and left the house early because I didn’t want to be late. I was so excited that I ended up being the first one to arrive at the venue. When everyone else arrived, we went to the front desk to look for Ma’am Abigail. At that moment, everything felt confusing, and we were all nervous. The people around us looked so busy and professional that we felt a bit intimidated. But when we finally found Ma’am Abigail, we all felt relieved.
While waiting for her instructions, we sat outside for a while. Later on, she told us to group ourselves into two and assigned us to our immersion areas. Luckily, I chose Lorene as my partner, and we were assigned to the Birthing Center. When we arrived there, we were warmly welcomed by Ma’am Dahlia, the head of the Birthing Center. At first, I was really intimidated by her, but as time passed and we got to know her better, I started to feel comfortable and welcome. She was actually very kind.She even gave us snacks even though we hadn’t done much yet.
During the morning, our tasks were light. We mostly cleaned the floor and just helped with small things. We also had a little chitchat with the midwife at the front desk. He was nice and easy to talk to, which made the atmosphere more relaxed. The morning felt calm and chill, so time passed slowly but comfortably.
The afternoon was the exciting yet exhausting part of the day. We were tasked to make OS (sterile gauze) for the Birthing Center. At first, I thought it would be difficult, but it wasn’t that hard. We just used plaster and folded the gauze like a small towel. However, our backs started to hurt because we were sitting for a long time while folding. After that, we wrapped the gauze in paper so it could be sterilized since all equipment and tools used in the Birthing Center must be clean and safe. While working, we had small conversations with Ma’am Dahlia, and because of that, time went by really fast. Before we knew it, we were already done with our tasks for Day 1.
At the end of the day, I realized that not everything in the work field is hard, but it can be exhausting. Work immersion is still new to me, and my body is still adjusting. Maybe as the days go by, especially during the 10 days of immersion, I’ll get more used to it. I also learned that being on time, prepared, and responsible is very important, especially in the medical field where people’s lives are involved.
Overall, Day 1 was a fun experience.It's not too busy, just chill, and enjoyable. I’ll try my best to adjust and make the most out of my work immersion. Hopefully, the next days will be just as meaningful. We’ll see, I guess.