I rounded with the doctors, handed over to the nurses, assisted the nurses under my management with dressing changes, went to bed meeting, made patient assignments for the next shift, ran to the pharmacy to seek their guidance in figuring out how to give an IV medicine orally because we don’t have the oral form of the medicine. I prayed with my patient who is discouraged that it is taking so long for her wound to heal. I discharged a few patients from my ward, admitted a few into their vacated spaces. I attended a quality assurance meeting with hospital management. I answered emails from previous surgeons. I was called into the crew clinic to consult on a case where the crew physician wasn’t certain what the patient had. I diagnosed the patient with one of the tropical diseases I had learned about in my course of tropical diseases and I prescribed treatment for the patient. I went back to the ward and welcomed a group of guests from Belgium to my ward, explaining to them what types of operations we do and explained the basics of how things work on the ship, among the visitors was Miss Belgium. I chased a few of my chocolate children/patients around the ward and down the hallways when they escaped from the ward. I kissed all the babies I could. I gave one of my longer term patients, a four year old, cheeky, little princess, a mini syringe for her to “medicate” her baby doll that she has named after one of the nurses, “medicine” for the doll’s bandage change. My little patient smiled, giggled, and ran off to play with the other little ones in the ward. I ran out to the dock to give one of my plastic surgery patients TB (tuberculosis) medicine, as she was recently diagnosed with TB and needs to learn how important compliance with treatment is so that she can be cured and not have complications, thus she has to make contact with us daily to take her medicine. I carried around one of my patient’s babies strapped to my back so that the patient could focus on her physical therapy session. I could go on forever…but that’s just a little of what I did in one shift as a nurse manager on the Africa Mercy, the huge hospital ship floating off the coast of Sierra Leone, the place I am so blessed to work and proud to call home.
2 comments:
I was at our women's retreat this weekend and one of the things we did is peel a cocoanut. When they drilled into it and poured the 'milk' into a bowl I told them that it was good to use for IV's if you were in the jungle. Everyone there knows I have 0 medical blood running through my body and laughed at me. I told them, "Really, when Laura went to school in London for tropical diseases she found out the cocoanut milk could be used for IV's! I have been praying for you. Misty
You are one busy woman! But in just a little over a month now you'll be home for some R and R... Christmas tree cutting, hot cocoa, and holiday movies :) Can't wait! Love you, Mom K.
Post a Comment