Here, the nurses are called sisters…so I am Sister Sarah. I rather like my name though it makes me feel like I should be in "The Sound of Music." I've enjoyed spending the last few days in the hospital. I've been on the wards (the in-patient part of the hospital) some but mostly helping D in the OPD (out-patient department, a clinic of sorts). Even though I can't really communicate with the patients, he's had me doing little odd jobs or entering data while he speaks with patients…until today that is. Today, I saw patients! I don't mean that I laid eyes on them, but I acted sort of like a doctor and saw all of the antenatal (i.e. pregnant) patients. There was lots of pointing and acting out with gestures involved, but the main points got across. Tomorrow, I want to spend some time learning a few key phrases so that I don’t have to keep playing charades!
The nurses here look like WWII army nurses…with long white outfits and little white caps. The hospital looks a lot like a ward from this time period too. There are 2 "wards," or units as we call them, that have beds lining the walls of each room. There are also several private rooms as well as a one-bed ICU and a two-bed NICU. There is also the OT (Operation Theater…same as our Operating Room) and the labor rooms. It's amazing what they can do here with so few resources. Forgive the nurse-talk for a minute, but for my medical friends, I've seen a couple of patients that I had a feeling that if I could see their ABGs, they would have required immediate intubation. There are lots of sepsis patients that are simply managed with broad-spectrum IV antibiotics. Lots of IM injections…I don't think I've given one of those since the last time I was here. Things are very different here that what I'm used to in a State-side pediatric CVICU, but it seems to work out well for the most part. We just to the best with what we have and trust the Lord with the results.
Guess that's all for now. I've realized that some of my previous posts have been quite lengthy, so I'll try to tone it down a bit. Now it's time for bed…I got an egg-crate today that I'm really excited about. The bed I've been sleeping on was little more than a board with a sheet on it so the extra cushion is much looked forward to! Keep the comments coming…they are a real encouragement to me and help me not to be homesick! Thanks!
The nurses here look like WWII army nurses…with long white outfits and little white caps. The hospital looks a lot like a ward from this time period too. There are 2 "wards," or units as we call them, that have beds lining the walls of each room. There are also several private rooms as well as a one-bed ICU and a two-bed NICU. There is also the OT (Operation Theater…same as our Operating Room) and the labor rooms. It's amazing what they can do here with so few resources. Forgive the nurse-talk for a minute, but for my medical friends, I've seen a couple of patients that I had a feeling that if I could see their ABGs, they would have required immediate intubation. There are lots of sepsis patients that are simply managed with broad-spectrum IV antibiotics. Lots of IM injections…I don't think I've given one of those since the last time I was here. Things are very different here that what I'm used to in a State-side pediatric CVICU, but it seems to work out well for the most part. We just to the best with what we have and trust the Lord with the results.Guess that's all for now. I've realized that some of my previous posts have been quite lengthy, so I'll try to tone it down a bit. Now it's time for bed…I got an egg-crate today that I'm really excited about. The bed I've been sleeping on was little more than a board with a sheet on it so the extra cushion is much looked forward to! Keep the comments coming…they are a real encouragement to me and help me not to be homesick! Thanks!
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