Exploring Croatia: A Journey to Remember

Croatia is renowned for its warm and hospitable locals who are always eager to assist and engage with foreigners. The country is home to a plethora of remarkable landmarks, captivating cities, and stunning beaches. The Croatian people are not only friendly but also highly intelligent and well-educated individuals. They possess a wealth of knowledge and can effortlessly converse about the latest literary masterpieces, popular movies, and music trends. I had the pleasure of engaging in thought-provoking discussions with a few Croatians during my visit. During my trip, I had the privilege of being accompanied by two college students who graciously acted as my personal tour guides.

Their extensive understanding of the world and our planet Earth left a lasting impression on me. To my surprise, they insisted on paying for our meal when the bill arrived, showcasing their generosity and kindness. One of the highlights of my journey was visiting the historic Bloody Bridge, where I delved into the rich history of an ancient church. It was fascinating to learn about the longstanding issue of wealth disparity, even within the confines of the church's traditions. Fortunately, in today's society, individuals have the opportunity to read and comprehend the Bible, bridging the gap between the rich and the less fortunate. The hospitality I experienced at the Hilton Canopy in Zagreb was truly exceptional and left an indelible mark on my memory.

The kindness shown by a stranger is always the most heartwarming and unforgettable aspect of any travel experience.

My Experience At Psychiatric Hospital

My Experience at Psychiatric Hospital I was attracted to psychiatry by my experience as a nurse Trainee (Internship) at the GH hospital. It is crucial to maintain regular contact with psychiatric patients in order to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences, rather than being solely captivated by the allure of more exotic conditions. During my time at the psychiatric hospital, I had the opportunity to give a report on a patient with schizophrenia during a visit by the head physician. One particular patient had been confined to a room for 12 years, surviving solely on sweets and displaying a visibly unhealthy appearance, almost skeletal in nature. Throughout my training, I encountered numerous patients with various mental illnesses, and these experiences greatly expanded my knowledge of individuals living with schizophrenia. I became more attuned to their symptoms, as well as their unique facial expressions and gestures. Although their world seemed unfamiliar to me, I found myself constantly thinking about them and pondering the reasons behind psychosis and schizophrenia. It became clear to me that no one deserves to suffer from these mental illnesses, as the pain they endure is invisible and incomprehensible to others. While a physical wound is visible to all, the same cannot be said for the internal struggles of those with schizophrenia. Furthermore, I firmly believe that we should not dismiss the beliefs held by patients regarding the cause and nature of their illness. Research has shown that the greater the divide between a patient's understanding of their illness and that of their physician, the less likely they are to adhere to treatment plans and experience positive outcomes. I had resumed work by 7:am and close 3:15 pm Monday to Friday, including weekend sometime. The Workflows start with duty handover from the nurses in night duty to the morning duty nurses. (7:00 to 7:30 am). After the handover, the nurses on morning duty make a room tours to check on the patients and greet them. During this tour, the patient‘s room will be control, observing if there is anything on the floor and if the rooms are in order. The patients have buffet during breakfast, and everyone prepare his/her breakfast. Breakfast is from 7:00 to 8:00 am) but the patients can always eat anytime they want. Giving Medicine is 8:15 am and the patients become their medication at front of the station office. Around 8:30 is greeting, all the patients with nurses, physiotherapy and occupational therapist will be present to greet the patients and this is like daily structure for the patients… Each patients have a group where they belong for their planned therapy (for example, Group A is music therapy, Group B is gymnastics etc. ) There is therapy for 11:00 and there is therapy for 3:pm depending on the plan for each day. Every Tuesday is senior physician visit. Which start 9:30 to end around 11:00… Here the senior physician we examine the patients by asking them questions and taking observation of their mimic and gestures and as well as the patients response to his questions. Around 12:00 to 12:20 pm is lunchtime and the patients line up to pick the food at front of the station office upon on the call of their names. There are two dining rooms where the patients sits and eat their meals and a nurse must be there to eat with them for 20 minutes this is called (Exposition training). After eating the patients will bring their plate out and whoever has a duty among the patients will then clean both dining rooms. Around 1:00 to 2:pm is handover from morning nurse to afternoon duties nurse. my experience at psychiatric hospital was amazing. Unlike the commonly held view that psychiatric patients are dangerous and aggressive. I find them to be exceptionally beautiful in their own way and unique. Not all psychiatric patients are violent and unstable. In fact I have had wonderful conversations with some of the patients and working with them has really reshape my thinking process in life. Observing the patients remain curious about their mimic and gestures is aspects of everyday life changes in psychiatry. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of maintaining contact with everyday psychiatric patients, and not being lured exclusively by the glamour of exotic conditions. When I was granted the opportunity to give a report about a patient with schizophrenia during 'head physician visit‘ one of the patients with schizophrenia whom has be in only the room for 12 years without eating, he only eats sweets and he doesn’t look healthy, one can nearly see his skeleton (bones)… However, during my training at psychiatric hospital I saw a lot of patients with different mental illness and my observation at the hospital has really broaden my mind on people living with schizophrenia: such as their symptoms, Mimic and Gestures. And their ways of life. Although it looks like a different world to me, as I always observed most of the patients. My thoughts was always with them. As I kept on thinking why psychosis or schizophrenia, nobody deserves to have this mental illness, in the sense that no one can feel the pain of these patients. For example, When an individual have a wound every one can see the wound but a person suffering from schizophrenia, no one can really examine their illness because it is unseen and a strange mental feelings/condition. My opinion! Also, I do think we should not dismiss the patient's belief about the cause and nature of their illness. It has been shown that the greater the disparity between the patient's and the physician's understanding of the patient's illness, the less likely the patient is to adhere to the prescribed treatment.The same caveat applies to the family carers' beliefs about the patient's illness, even if they depart widely from your our own understanding. Finally, maintaining safety; I am not saying/writing this to raise one anxieties, but to convey the important advice I received from a senior colleague during my practical. What he said was ‘never let the patient get between you and the exit door and in an emergency situation press the emergency bells as fast as possible and don’t let the patient get you.