The Hospital

Things I love about the Hospital

• Prayer at change of shift- At every shift change, the previous shift and the oncoming shift pray together for the patients, for the staff and for the will of the Lord to be done.
• Praise/worship singing and dancing- We have a patient life group who comes and plays African music, sings songs in both Krio and English, and dances with the patients. They also do crafts and activities with the patients at other times during the day and provide Christian reading literature
• Spending time with the patients- The pace on the wards is much slower than in the States and it allows for down time to spend time talking with the patients and getting to know them. They are all trying to teach me to speak Krio :) I'm going to try to get pictures taken of me with the patients. The are done by the communications department and are the only way pictures can be taken on the wards. I will do my best :)
• Day workers- Amazing people! They have been hired by Mercy Ships to help in every area. The day workers in the hospital serve as what is similar to aids in the States. They are translators and educators (they perform all of the patient education about hygiene, nutrition, and disease prevention). They help with meals, cleaning, and toileting of patients and help keep the unit clean. They change bedding and are a constant resource for the nurses for questions regarding culture. Some of them are nurses by profession and are working on the ship while it is here. They are wonderful to talk to and spend time with. One day worker yesterday shared with me how her husband was killed during the war in 1999 soon after they were married. She is such a strong woman who moved on and provides for her family. I enjoy spending time with the day workers.
• The relationships the patients develop with each other- Because all the beds are all in one room only a half meter away from each other, the patients become great friends. The culture is already relationship based and the patients enjoy spending time together. They sing together, they encourage each other. We had a patient who had a large goiter and was admitted to have a thyroidectomy done. The patient in the bed next to her showed her his drains and told her it would be okay. The other cool thing is that we can use the patients to help communicate with others. There are many spoken languages here in Sierra Leone. The most common one is Krio and Temne. However there are others like Loko and Mende. Most of the people can speak more than one and all of our translators can speak Krio. We had a patient who only spoke Mende and we didn't have a translator that spoke that language in our ward. However, one of the patients spoke Krio, Temne and Mende and he was able to with a Krio translator explain what we were saying to the lady. Very very cool how they all help each other out so they understand what's going on. It helps with their anxiety too- there is no feeling of "going it alone."
• The laid back atmosphere- While busy at times, I have yet to feel stressed or overwhelmed. Its just a chill atmosphere where we are taking care of the patients but have time to learn about each other as nurses and to learn about the patients. It also allows us to help each other out. If we need a hand with a dressing change, there is always someone available to help. I can't quite figure it out, especially because we all have 5+ patients and there are only like 3 of us on a shift. We also have a social committee that arranges events and activities for the hospital staff. I'm looking forward to what that brings. Next week is international enthusiam week and we have different things going on each day like dress your countries colors day and wear crazy scrubs day. Fun stuff!
• The gratefulness of the patients- The patients are so greatful for everything that is done. The are happy for life and for each new day and don't take anything for granted. Things like soap and toothpaste, which we don't give second thought to, are treasured possessions. The patients are also very resilient. While a long hospital stay in the states causes one to sometimes become depressed and/or delirious, the patients who have been with us for months are still so happy and greatful and are actually and encouragement to all the others. They hardly feel bad for themselves. The rejoice when one is discharged and are genuinely happy for them.
• The Christ centered atmosphere- Christ is always glorified on the ward. All things are done for Him and with Him in mind. An awesome way to work :) "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" Col 3:17  "..for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" Phil 2:13
• Ward church services- Every Sunday morning, there is a church service in the Wards. Haven't attended yet but am excited to. I hear it is a wonderful experience and that the patients enjoy it as well.
• Devotion time for the nurses/ hospital staff- Twice a week, there is scheduled devotion times for the whole hospital staff and then for the ward nurses. What an encouraging time in the Word, to be encouraged in our service for the Lord!! Our staff meetings are also Christ- centered. We had it yesterday and it occurs once each month. We start all meetings in prayer and then we had a devotional. Yesterdays was about seeking the face of God. Sometimes in service we can tend to lose our focus on what is important or lose focus on the reason for our work. It is during those times that we need to return to the one who gives us strength to do His work. It is when we seek His face that we then are reenergized and are more effective in all we say and do.