Day Two 5/25/2010:

I am working in the Out Patient Department (OPD) for now and I will switch to maternity, then surgery. The OPD is very crazy and busy, they have about 150 people coming in and most times only 2 doctors on staff. So for my first day I was basically just thrown into the pit and started working. I am doing want all the nurses are doing, so I work in the cubical type space (3 pieces of dirty white work), with a card table and 3 chairs, along with my blood pressure equipment, thermometer, cotton balls and a pen. So for about 5 hours I just did vitals and it was overwhelming to say the least. I haven’t actually done BP measurements in about 3 years and it is so loud in there and there are people all around you that is so hard to hear the beats of the heart, plus according to all the nurses I write like an American. So instead of saying “difficulty breathing” I put “trouble breathing.” So it was crazy and I feel totally unqualified to do this job since I didn’t actually do my undergrad study in nursing. It’s weird how I am totally unqualified to do this job in America, but very qualified to do this job here.

Along with being a nurse, I was taken aback by the sanitary conditions that are practiced there. As you can see in some of my pictures, the hospital is far from sterile and clean. I had one thermometer to use for all my patients and I only had dry cotton balls to clean them off with. I don’t know why I was so surprised, but I was and I was grossed out by the lack of just clean equipment. I know they are doing their best, but it just sooooo different from any of the hospitals in the states. Which is exactly why I came, after just one hour in this place I realize how damn lucky we are. So my day came to close and I really just wanted to cry because I was so stressed out and overwhelmed and I don’t like being bad at things (I am getting better at taking BP), but the nurse I am working with is just so sweet, so it definitely makes things better.

I came home, ate dinner and went to bed at 8:30pm.