I got the opportunity to do one of my clinical placements in Israel this summer (“Elisha” hospital, Haifa). Israel is a country in which I lived for 17 years, and was quite familiar with the circumstances. Or at least I thought I was. I left Israel 7 years ago, leaving my family and friends behind. At the time I felt overwhelmed with the dangers, fears, and prejudices based on countries of origin, and was anxious to leave. Similarly to Canada, Israel is a host to people from many countries. However, the relationships between those immigrants are not always as peaceful and friendly as they are in Canada. Personally, I have experienced the “stinky Russian” comments when I was a little girl (I came to Israel from the Soviet Union), and saw the fear people in peoples’ eyes from just looking at my Arab friends.

When starting that placement I did not know what to expect, but I was hopeful. I was hoping that even if the political tension if high, it would not be reflected on the provision of health care. Since my placement was in the neurological physiotherapy rehabilitation field, I was seeing (among others) people during their process of rehabilitation. My patients were Russian, Arab, Romanian, Iraqi, Egyptian, and Moroccan. I found that personally, the origins of my patients only mattered to me in order to know which language they prefer to communicate in, and for general light conversation to get to know them better. I was very pleasantly surprised and relieved to see that the Israeli health care providers seemed to be of the same attitude as me.

While outside the hospital walls there were still feelings of dangers, fears, and prejudices, the hospital itself seemed to be a completely different world. A world in which the person is the focus, and he/she is being perceived as a clean slate. It did not matter where they came from, what language they spoke, and what they did in the past. Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, social workers, doctors, and aids worked hard to make that person feel, live, and function better. When there was a language barrier, colleagues were called to help, and those calls were always answered.

Another pleasant surprise I had was the staff’s interprofessional approach, and their willingness to learn new and different tools to work with. This, once again, expressed those care providers’ priorities and dedication to help others. In conclusion, this experience brought hope to my heart. The heroes we see in the movies, who do everything they can to save a life, no matter whose life it is, actually do exist. They are exactly where they are supposed to be – in the health care facilities, and in the schools where they teach those health care providers. I am certain that there are many more places, hopefully more than expected, but it is encouraging to see that they are where they are supposed to be.

This was an amazing experience which taught me much. Among other things – that there is always hope, and things are rarely as bad as they seem.

Thank you very much for your support,

By: Ekaterina de Jong