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Sierra Leone
Making a Difference - 3 MECNs Journey to Sierra Leone
Since her early childhood, second year MECN student Desiree Thomas had a dream. Someday, she would travel to the Republic of Sierra Leone -- where her parents were born and she still has family - and work to raise awareness of the state of healthcare.
"I didn't think it would happen for some time, much later into my career" said Desiree. "But I was visiting relatives in September and started doing some reconnaissance. Pretty soon the trip started to just come together."
She invited two of her fellow MECN students, Robert Maxwell and Brandon Holiwell, to join her and in December the three set off to spend two weeks at Choithom Hospital - a private hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
During their stay, the three had a wide variety of experiences.
The first day they toured the various departments and found the hospital was structured much as it is here in the United States. Each patient had his/her own room and the rooms opened to an outside courtyard.
Malaria, diabetes and hypertension were the primary medical conditions treated at the hospital. One of the physicians mentioned that "malaria is our bread and butter" when describing the public health problem. "It impacts everyone - travelers to locals."
Brandon spent most of his time in the ICU. "We saw diseases we don't see here - such as malaria and tuberculosis." Holiwell worked with a patient who had malaria and got to witness first hand the progression in recovering from the tropical disease. Robert got some wound care experience and Desiree spent one day in the OR observing a surgery treating a patient with a severed ulnar nerve. She also spent time providing basic patient care services and learning from the nursing staff in the pediatric, Med-Surg, OB/GYN and Ultrasound departments.
The trio also shared their education and experience with the hospital staff. "We gave presentations on infection control, delivering quality care, nursing responsibility and communication skills," said Robert. "They were very receptive."
They observed some interesting differences from care and culture here in the United States: "For example, pain is to be tolerated - it is not a vital sign," observed Brandon.
Nursing is different as well. Most nurses only have associate degrees. They work as a group - everyone is responsible for every patient. There are three shifts - day shift was 6 hours each and the night shift is 12 hours. Nurses work six days a week.
"Being in a setting where resources aren't in abundance, I have a new found appreciation for what we have - technology and education," said Holiwell. Added Maxwell: "This experience reinforced the need for good documentation and physical assessment skills."
"I had many memorable moments during the trip, but I will never forget administering wound care on a patient with extensive burns. Pain is the fifth vital sign." said Maxwell
And how was it visiting a country with a very negative media portrayal? "We found everyone to be very friendly and helpful,' they all agreed. "The city of Freetown seemed like a big community." Interestingly, Sierra Leone is considered one of the most religiously tolerant nations in the world - a fact that surprised and interested the three as well.
Holiwell and Maxwell returned home after the two weeks, but Desiree stayed on to work in a Well Woman clinic. "I saw 35 patients between the ages of 13 and 75. The clinic is focused on raising awareness of breast cancer and during breast examinations, I found several lumps."
Reflecting on the trip they all agreed they would definitely go back. "All in all it was a good trip. I knew part of my dream was accomplished when Robert and Brandon stated they would definitely be back in the future. That reiterated to me that this was only the beginning of my efforts in Freetown," concluded Desiree.
