Vision College Alumni: Success Story, Izuan Halik

Vision College Alumni: Success Story, Izuan Halik

Izuan Halik
Sonographer in Maternity Department
West London, England

Choosing a career when you are still in High school is a difficult task. My interests for my future career kept changing over and over again, but I was always drawn to a medical health related profession.

After I finished my degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Malaya (UM) I was still rather unsure about which career path to pursue until I was introduced to Vision College 7 years ago by my friend Ashley, who was a First Year Student and one of the first to attend the Post Graduate Diploma Studies in
Postgraduate Diploma of Medical Ultrasonography, PgDMU (Asia).

Ashley invited me to come to an Open Day event and I was captured with interest right away. I was accepted to participate the course in November 2005 and it properly was the most important decision in my life and I will never regret this decision which has changed my life in so many positive aspects.

Vision College back then was still very small which was ideal for a small number of students; I am aware that Vision College has extended into a renowned facility since, still providing excellent teaching and education. Back in my days it already had a very well equipped in-house diagnostic centre with up to date ultrasonic devices and systems. The lecturers were always very friendly and helpful and to this day I fondly remember the Ultrasound Supervisors, Mr Alan and Ms Yip, and also guest lecturers like Mr Roger Gent.

The college had a small library with adequate reference books. The educational approach consisted of problem/evidence based learning, one-to-one approach, and practical teaching which has helped me very much to gain the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding for my chosen professional career and the hands-on practice with actual patients has taught me to understand the relationship between a member of the public and a health professional.

My career in Ultrasonography has provided me with a profession that I enjoy with great passion. The challenges that I am facing on a daily basis keep me interested to broaden my knowledge by attending ultrasonographic courses and study days as well as reading medical and profession related journals.

As a Sonographer I am not only responsible for producing a diagnostic image but also interpreting and reporting it, making my findings part of the further treatment for a patient.

Up close patient contact, history taking, equipment optimisation and problem solving skills are required for every examination. It is a task of detective work with each patient presenting with a unique clinical question that requires a solution from the scanned image.

Afters pending some years in General Ultrasound and working as an Application Specialist I focused on Obstetric Sonography as my chosen field of speciality and expertise. Today, I am working as a Maternity Sonographer in one of the busiest Maternity Departments in West London, England. I work with colleagues who have many years of experience and together we make a great team. My Senior Sonographer helps and supports me when needed and gives me courage and support to expand my career steps.

London is a great city. Being one of the most multicultural and diverse among the European cities I encounter patients of many different cultural beliefs and backgrounds on a daily basis which has helped improving my interpersonal skills in treating every patient equal and with the same respect and dignity. It has helped me on my personal path in life to rise above criticism, despite this being positive or negative, but to see this as feedback and to learn from this, making me a better person as a professional and in private life.

Vision College has played a big part in the developing of the person I am today and helped me along with a sound and thorough education for which I am very grateful. It has opened many opportunities for me and I am still exploring.

Nurses's Day

Nurses all over the world celebrate Nurses' Day from May 6-12 each year. Although a National Nurses’ Day was first proposed in America in 1953, it wasn’t until 1974 that the ball got rolling, when the International Council of Nurses proclaimed May 12th International Nurses’ Day. May 12th is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is an English Nurse and is the founder of modern nursing. As of 1998 (updated), 8th May was designated as annual National Student Nurses' Day.

In the United Kingdom, each year a service is held in Westminster Abbey in London.
During the Service, a symbolic lamp is taken from the Nurses' Chapel in the Abbey and handed from one nurse to another, then to the Dean, who places it on the High Altar.

This signifies the passing of knowledge from one nurse to another. At St Margaret's Church at East Wellow in Hampshire, where Florence Nightingale is buried, a service is also held on the Sunday after her birthday.

The week-long celebration is designed to accommodate the variety of schedules nurses are required to work. Activities during National Nurses Week typically include banquets and recognition dinners, state and city proclamations, continuing education seminars, and other community events.  Nurses are typically honored with gifts, dinners, and flowers by friends and family members, coworkers such as doctors and administrators, and patients who want to show their appreciation.

Every year, the International council of Nurses will select a theme. For International Nurses’ Day 2012, the theme is “Closing the Gap: From Evidence to Action”. This is to highlight the importance of evidence based practice in Nursing.

All public and private hospitals in Malaysia are holding events to honor their nurses.
Malaysian Nurses’ Association will conduct a seminar annually where Malaysian nurses all over Malaysia will congregate to celebrate this symbolic event.

By Ms. Tang
Head of Nursing Programme

Buy the Ticket – Take a ride! Travel stories from Russian intern in Malaysia.

Thean Hou Teple:  Ascention

Surfing through the internet, I was trying to find something new and interesting to see in KL on weekends, I found the Thean Hou Chinese Temple. The next day at work, I asked my working collegues about this temple and they mentioned “Why do you want to go there? There’s nothing much to see!”, this encouraged me to go!
So before the weekend came, I did a search on how to get there, it was quite difficult to get there through LRT and the nearest one was at KL Sentral.  The only way to get there is by walking, which was quite alright with me.

It takes about 20 minutes by feet.  Thank god, it wasn’t too sunny that day but it was still difficult to walk for 20 minutes under 32 Celcius. When I was almost at Thean Hou Temple, I realized that I had to walk up a steep road which has a gradient of about 20 degree. At that point in time I was quite sweaty and tired. I collect back my composure and marched on.

When I first saw the temple, I was a bit disappointed. But I was wrong, when I got in, it proved that it was worth it.  First of all, as this temple is located on a highland, I could smell the clean fresh air. Secondly, when I was there, I experienced a calm and quiet atmosphere, which I find it unusual in the middle of a big city. The smell of aromatic fragrance, yellow light lamps over indoor space, symbols of buddhas. It really looked like a small China in the middle of the city.
While I was there, I spent some time inside the garden, sitting on a bench and relaxing. I also went into the temple, then walk around the Chinese Zodiac symbols and then finally went back home.

My perception of Malaysia now is more and more like “ The Whole Asia Inside One County”. This is because there is cross culture and religion, mix of nations and different native food. While my stay in Malaysia, I will definitely look for new places to see. I believe that “NEVER STOP EXPLORING!” and in Malaysia, I am sure I will be pleasantly surprised.

Vision into ISO standards

Vision College recognises the need for delivering quality education services to their students. In search for delivering quality services, Vision College has approached ISO which is the world largest standards developing organisation.

ISO has published more than 19,000 international standards from 1947 to the present day. These standards range from activities such as agriculture and construction, through mechanical engineering, to medical devices, to the newest information technology developments.

ISO was founded from 2 organisations which is the ISA (International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations), established in New York in 1926, and the UNSCC (United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee), established in 1944.

In October 1946, delegates from 25 countries, meeting at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London, decided to create a new international organization, of which the object would be "to facilitate the international coordination and unification of industrial standards". The new organization, ISO, officially began operations on 23 February 1947.

ISO launches the development of new standards in response to sectors and stakeholders that express a clearly established need for them.

Vision College has always believed in delivering quality services to their students. We wanted to streamline our processes so that the response time to the students is addressed promptly.

Having the ISO certification also makes the organisations more efficient and more standardised therefore, any cost drivers will be reduced. Due to the standardisation of the processes, issues arising will be promptly addressed as there is a process for each action from the academic side, administration side and the marketing and sales side of the organisation.

Vision College's Director, Mr. Lee receiving the certificate.

In 2011, we have received the ISO 9001:2008 certification. In 2012, we have fully implemented the ISO standards in Vision College. We look forward to delivering the best we can to our students and our stakeholders.

Visiting RSNA, Chicago, USA

Recently, at the end of November, I was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by our partner company - Gideons - to visit Chicago, USA where I would attend the world-renowned Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Congress. It is the largest medical imaging congress in the world, a high-tech mecca of medical technology where leading hardware and software companies congregate and showcase their latest ideas and technologies in medical imaging.

As Chicago was 14 hours behind Malaysian time, we were totally out-of-sync the moment we arrived at O'Hare International Airport. For the first few days, we literally became creatures of the night, sleeping in the day and becoming wide awake at night. This was a crazy experience, but thankfully, the windy nights gave us plenty of time to reflect upon life's experiences, so it was not a total waste staying up till the late hours of the morning - not that we had a choice.

The weather at Chicago was capricious. On the first day, the weather was cool. On the second and third day, it was warm. I was actually walking around with a sweater and bermuda. After that, the weather became really cold, reminding us that winter is near. You never get this change in weather as drastic as what we have in Malaysia. No wonder Chicago is also called the Windy City.

 

One of the most interesting sights of Chicago is its architecture. Since Chicago's fame dates back to the 19th century, and has attracted many architectural talents. There are many majestic and grand buildings which define the cityscape of Chicago. I took pictures of the Wrigley Building, the Chicago Tribune Building (where they filmed the recent blockbuster - Transformers: Dark of the Moon) and also Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the Skydeck Chicago on top of Willis Tower. The Skydeck has the unique observation deck where you can step on it and it felt like you are floating in the air. It was a wowing experience and I was very nervous about the height when I first stepped on the observation deck. Still, after a while, I got used to it. This is one attraction that is definitely not suitable for the acrophobics.

The RSNA was a bustling exhibition attracting people from the entire spectrum of the radiology field. I managed to take a picture with the Neusoft 64-slice CT Scan which will be launched in 2012. 

It is an exciting environment where I had the opportunity to meet a few old friends and also to make new friendships. As with all trips, just when you got used to the place, it was sadly time to head back. See you another time, Chicago!

First Exhibition in Dhaka

Being in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is quite a sobering experience and a good exposure. The population in Dhaka itself is 11.875 million people and in Selangor is 5.5 million people. The size of Dhaka is 1,463km square and Selangor is 8,104km square. Therefore, the feeling that you get there is a bit more congested as compare to Selangor.

Rickshaw and CnG

I experienced riding on a rickshaw and also a C n G which are some of the public transport facility. It was quite enjoyable. The weather there was quite nice and the people there are very friendly.

 

Dhaka was famous for making garments, making ropes and planting grains. Their agriculture sector contributes 19.1% of their GDP. They plant products like rice, jute, tea, sugar, wheat. Their manufacturing sector contributes about 28.6% of their GDP. They manufacture items such as garments and knitwear, jute goods, frozen fish and seafood, textiles, fertilizer, sugar, tea, leather, ship-breaking for scrap, pharmaceuticals, ceramic tableware, newsprint.

The exhibition that I participated was in relation to the Malaysia My Second Home Programme. It is a programme whereby foreigners are able to get a 10 years visa in Malaysia if they place a sum of money in a fix deposit in Malaysia. There is always confusion that a foreigner is required to purchase a property in Malaysia to obtain the visa, which is not true.

Me with my friends in MM2H exhibition

 There were quite a number of people from Malaysia My Second Home and from the education and healthcare industry. Going for exhibitions is quite enjoyable because I get to meet new friends from different industry and cultures. 

By Lee Wee Giap

Human Resource Director

Vision College

Day to day at Vision College

        I can’t believe that one day I will become a lecturer. That is my first job after finishing my studies is at Vision College. I’m so happy but at the same time I was hit by my nervousness when teaching in front of students. On my first class, I don’t know what should I do, how to deliver a good lecture and how to attract students' attention. But all the staffs in Vision always give me support and tips how to improve my teaching skills. Therefore, I improve my skills and at the same time enhance my knowledge day after day.

Taken with my friendly colleagues at Royal Golf Club 

    I’m happy working in Vision College. Small number of students in class, make me feel very close to the students. Besides teaching, I become my student’s listener and advisor to their problems. I consider my students as my sister and brother because some of them came far away from their family. They had no one to listen and share their problems. Therefore, I take the responsibility not only as their lecturer, to guide and help them in their studies, but also as a sister to them by giving motivation and support.

with the pretty ladies from Vision College 

       As a lecturer, I want my class to be cheerful and joyful rather than a dull and bored class. I make some joke and fun activities in my class so that my students won’t be bored and sleepy. Besides lecture, I create many activities such as crossword puzzle, wheel of fortune, hang-man, drama, etc. From these activities, I encourage my students to participate and therefore enjoy learning in the class.

      Besides being a lecturer, I am also an advisor for Community Club in Vision College. This club provides opportunities to improve one’s leadership skills, networking opportunities, performs community service and offers various fun social opportunities. The main activity for this Community Club is blood donation campaign. Every year, this club will organize a blood donation campaign in Vision College. The purpose of this campaign is to heighten blood donation awareness and increase the amount of supply in the blood bank. With this activities, students can fill their spare time with the beneficial activities and give them a new knowledge.

         For me Vision College give me a lot of experience in the work field. I wish this college growth professionally in the health science fields in the future 

as the motto said ‘Inspiring Healthcare Professionals’.

By Roshalina Rahim

Lecturer 

Diploma of Medical Imaging