all angles of the hospital

Well it’s official…. my summer internship at Our Lady of Grace Hospital is over and it was absolutely the best experience I’ve ever had. I cried like a baby saying goodbye to all of the people who have taken me under their wing and shared all their knowledge; however, I promised each and every one of them that I would return once I’m an actual doctor. The last couple days at the hospital flew by as we were faced with constant praise and contact information from all the staff we befriended. Since I don’t really have many stories to tell about the last couple day I’m going to take this opportunity to do one of my reflection blogs with the subject being: the hospital.

(The hospital's head administrator) 

As I think back to the moment I applied for this trip I try to remember what made me chose Ghana in the first place. There were so many places all over the world I could have gone but I chose one where I would clearly face a lot of challenge and adversity and I now realize that’s exactly the reason I came here. If I was going to step outside my comfort zone and do something that would change my life it was going to be something extreme and well worth it. I secretly liked when family or friends would get uncomfortable at the thought of me spending my summer in a developing nation because I was just as nervous and worried; but it was balanced out by the adrenaline that filled me when I thought about the trip. I came here expecting a challenge and one confronted me the minute I stepped in the hospital for the first time.

I left Our Lady of Grace Hospital both enlightened and frustrated every single day. There are so many aspects of the hospital that are truly amazing such as the knowledge of the doctors. The two months that I’ve been here there have only been 4 full-time medical officers, a med school intern and a surgeon to treat the 10,000 patients the hospital sees each month. The doctors here heavily rely on their five senses and the information that comes out of their patient’s mouth. They’re so well educated and experienced that they can diagnose a patient and write a treatment plan within five minutes of meeting them. There’s not a single task a doctor at OLGH will turn down during the day. They don’t consider any task too minor for their abilities and happily take on jobs such as taking a patient’s temperature or putting in a cannula. It’s both refreshing and inspiring to watch these men who are so passionate about medicine and healing others that they don’t even have time to think about passing on a task to a nurse, they just do what needs to be done. Their willingness to slow down their rounds and teach me as we went along is yet another example of the selflessness they constantly display and I’m proud to have worked with such talented individuals.

(Dr Boateng aka my partner in crime)

I would love to sit here and rave about the nursing staff at OLGH as well but I’ll have to admit, they were a major cause of my frustration at work every day. Don’t get me wrong, there’s at least two nurses in every ward that are brilliant, hard-working and everything a nurse should be but the rest need some serious help. I would say 90% of the time you can find nurses sitting down, napping or leaving work to buy food. They only check on the patients at 6am, noon and 6pm unless the family member notifies them that additional attention is needed. Often times they’ll hit crying patients in an attempt to quiet them or yell at those who don’t understand what they’re saying. During rounds the doctors will ask them about simple nursing practices and they’ll just stare at them like they have four heads. A perfect example is when Dr. Boateng asked seven different nurses how to care for a semi-conscious patient and they couldn’t even tell him what recovery position was…. scary thought considering a little girl’s life was at stake. What’s even more maddening to realize is the nurses behave this way because it’s culturally engrained and not something that can easily be changed. We learned that until a couple years ago those who didn’t get into college went to nursing school….terrifying. Thankfully, that’s been taken care of and you now need above average grades to become a nurse in Ghana but it definitely explains some of the lack of knowledge I saw. As for the laziness, it’s just their way of life here. No one is ever in a rush, there are no start times, life is just lived and sleeping on the job can be seen anywhere you look.

(The absolute best nurse in the hospital and our personal professor, Evans)

The lack of resources the hospital has was another source of frustration but doubled as the most inspiring aspect as well. The fact that OLGH is the second best facility in the Central Region proves that it really is possible to function with minimum supplies as long as the expertise and diligence is there. The hospital maintains a death rate of under 1% month after month and prides itself in the ability to treat each and every patient that walks through the door. At times there are injuries and conditions too severe for the facility but the patient is stabilized and transferred to Accra where the proper medical attention can be given.

(Alfred, our favorite lab tech) 

Above all else, my time in the hospital has solidified my dreams of becoming a pediatric doctor. Of course, I now have five different specializations I’m interested in but overall I’m completely in love with every aspect of a medical career. I have a long road of school ahead of me and I now have an even greater sense of motivation and excitement to continue my educational journey. I have every intention of returning to Our Lady of Grace Hospital once I’m a practicing physician in an attempt to give back just as much as they’ve given me throughout this summer.

Sorry this post was a little more serious and longer but I’m just trying to wrap my head around everything I’ve been through this summer! My next reflection will most likely focus on my homestay family with pictures of my favorite people in the wooooorld. Thanks for reading!