Learning The Ropes

 

Being at the hospital has helped me feel less lonely. Every morning me and Sister Peace are picked up by our driver, Sandee, who always greets me with a smile and a wink. I’m greeted by nurses and other hospital staff every time I enter the hospital. Eating breakfast at the canteen has helped too. The cook gives me a hot meal and a smile. I no longer feel as isolated as I used to.

 

I’m already starting to shadow the nurses and learn how they do things at Holy Spirit Church. I knew things would be different in African hospitals even before I applied to LMH as a volunteer. So, it was no surprise to see nurses charting with paper and getting written orders from doctors. And of course, I knew resources would be limited and equipment would be used differently. But being trained in the States can make you a bit squeamish when it comes to certain things. My fellow nurses back in the States better strap in, I’m about to tell some stories that will make you squirm in your seats.

 

I’ve mostly been observing the nurses’ day-to-day routine and giving medications is a part of that. I watched one nurse take out a syringe and use it over and over to administer a medication to a patient. Then she accidentally dropped it on the ground. She picked it up and was about to use it to draw up more medication when I asked, “Do you not throw it away?” She replied, “No, our resources are limited. We use the same syringe for the patient until the end of the day.” I nodded, hoping my eyes weren’t betraying the internal screaming in my mind. I get it. I really do.

 

Other things shock me in completely different ways. I watched a nurse tell a 3-year-old boy to open his mouth. He then obeyed without complaint, she put medication in his mouth, and wonders of wonders, he swallowed. I can count the number of times I’ve seen a child that age take medicine willingly on one hand. I’m sure not every child who comes to Holy Spirit Hospital will be so accommodating, but still it was a beautiful sight to behold. I have never been this excited to start working at a hospital.

 

I love talking with the staff and learning from everyone. No matter where you go, it seems that what nurses talk about is the same. I was sitting with the nurses at the station and overheard a conversation in Krio that I could actually interpret. The basic discussion was about a pen. My fellow nurses out there will understand how necessary a pen is to a nurse working on the floor, and how often said pen gets lost either by leaving it lying around or by people “borrowing” it. One nurse I was sitting next to kept begging Sister Peace to let her borrow her pen and Sister Peace kept denying she had a pen. Both were laughing and nudging each other until the first nurse managed to cajole Sister Peace into letting her use her non-existent pen. It was a good pen too. I could see why the first nurse wanted to use it. It made me laugh because I’ve had the exact same discussion with colleges at my old job. Letting your fellow nurse borrow your pen is the epitome of trust in a nursing environment. It’s nice to see something familiar in a place that is different from what I’m used to.

 

The nurses have already taught me how to write morning reports in a paper chart and change of shift reports. Some protocols and medical abbreviations are different than what we use in the States, but it’s almost like learning words in Krio; some are similar while others are very different. I’m glad I’m starting slowly. I don’t feel overwhelmed yet. So far I’ve kept my promise to Dr. Turay and I’ve been patient with myself in the hospital. I realize I don’t know everything I need to know yet. One event today reminded me of that. While the doctors and nurses were rounding on the patients, one doctor asked me if I knew how to tell if a patient with a fever was more likely to have malaria or typhoid. I told him honestly, I wouldn’t be able to tell. He then explained that malaria patients tend to have intermediate fevers while patients with typhoid will have fevers that keep increasing gradually. I’m glad that I know that now. Any piece of information I get, I’m going to do my best to remember. I don’t feel bad that I didn’t know the answer. I’ve never worked with malaria or typhoid patients. They’re not very common in the states. I read up on common diseases in tropical climates, but it takes working in the field to truly learn and I’m grateful for the chance to learn. The staff in Holy Spirit are so nice. The nurses here are patient and do not let a new nurse drown in information. But they make sure new nurses learn lessons at every opportunity. From what I’ve seen so far, I think I will be happy at Holy Spirit.