My Little Doctor For A Day

What do you want to be when you grow up?

That's a question that you cannot avoid in the process of growing up. In fact, it is a question that you have to ask of yourself as you seek to find your calling in life. And one that you will have to answer, hopefully with some experience and a good understanding of what makes you tick.

I know my father, mother and aunts all harboured a not-so-secret desire that I would become a doctor. I'm not sure what it is about Asian parents and their collective doctor dreams! Sadly for them, I never did. I thought I would, and indeed went so far as to work on a 3-month internship at NUH after my A-Levels. It was an interesting, eye-opening experience, but in the process, I realised I didn't like hospitals, which wasn't so ideal, was it? My not-so-stellar A-Level results sealed it for me.

Now that I am a parent, I have no such desires or indeed requirements of my kids. ("You must study hard and become a doctor, or else!") But experiences, I'm all for.

It isn't everyday that a child would get to enter an actual hospital ward, put on some scrubs, handle real medical equipment and yes, be a doctor for a day. But it is precisely these elements that make Doctor For A Day by Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital so much fun. I was able, by God's grace, to snag one of the last spots (possibly THE last spot) in its run over 4 weekends, and it was with tremendous excitement that Noey and I rocked up to the spanking new hospital on a Saturday a few weeks back.

Ready to be a Doctor for a Day! He even came armed with his own "anatomy book" -- The Magic School Bus inside the Human Body! 

Unexpectedly but happily met a friend who had registered for the same session!

The whole programme was very organised, and when it was our turn, we were given scrubs for the kids to put on. Those miniaturised scrubs were the cutest things! Thereafter, the children were led into their first room -- the Briefing Room. Here, the little doctors got to meet some real, big doctors, donned some hair nets (haha!), and were taught how to wash their hands properly.

Doctor Noey reporting for duty!

This is the way we wash our hands...

After sitting in for the briefing, the parents were kindly asked to stand behind a drop rope while the little doctors moved from room to room to perform their duties. I was a little disappointed not to be able to get nearer but I think it was definitely a better experience for the kids to be unhampered by their hovering camera-toting parents and fully enjoy the activities. They learnt to use a stethoscope and thermometer in the General Practitioner's Office, then learnt about first aid and had a turn bandaging each other at the Accident & Emergency Room. Noey's favourite station was the Nursing Room where they learnt to feed and change a baby. He was super enthusiastic about this and in fact, when Meips next needed a diaper change at home, he tried to step in to do it! Of course, she wasn't so impressed but wow, I sure was with his new-found helpfulness!

First up, the GP's office!

Getting familiar with the stethoscope.

Practicing first aid and learning the art of bandaging in the A&E Room.

Now, who wants to try zapping the patient with the defibrillator?

Diaper change time in the Nursing Room.

In the Operating Theatre, a surgeon's got to have his mask and gloves!

It was 90 mins of hands-on fun. And at the end of it, the little doctors-in-training got their certificates and a class picture taken. 

Noey getting his certificate and goody bag with his very own (plastic) stethoscope.

Class picture!

It was, altogether, a very well put together event. It ran efficiently, it was fun, and the staff did a marvellous job keeping the kids engaged and excited. Even more amazingly, the whole event was free!

The only thing that marred our experience was an obnoxious parent that we had in our group. You see that little girl in red in the pic above where the kids are raising their hands for the defibrillator? She was the younger sister of another girl in our group and was underaged for the programme. (You have to be 5 years and above. She was 3.5 years old.) So she wasn't too pleased to be left out of the event but instead of taking her away -- the hospital even thoughtfully had a playroom prepared for younger kids -- her mother kept encouraging her to walk in to join in the activities. Even after the little girl had been shooed out of the room a couple of times, her mother still asked her to go in again. She herself also jumped over the rope and barged into the room a couple of times to take photos of her daughters. Parents, please, respect the rules. Insisting on your own way only shows you up in bad light and makes the experience unpleasant for everyone else.

That little hiccup aside, we had a fab time. I hear that Doctor For A Day was so well-received, there are plans to bring it back again so do follow Mt Elizabeth Novena on Facebook for the latest updates! I'm sure we'll be back again!

I was a doctor for a day!