http://ucnursing.wordpress.com The UConn Nursing Cape Town Blog Sat, 24 Jan 2009 19:00:06 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ en hourly 1 http://www.gravatar.com/blavatar/82cf82574a7ee2479efeb670141edde9?s=96&d=http://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.png http://ucnursing.wordpress.com http://ucnursing.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/ashleys-post/ http://ucnursing.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/ashleys-post/#comments Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:06:34 +0000 Art Engler http://ucnursing.wordpress.com/?p=276 ]]>
First off, Hello to everyone that has been readying the blog; it is nice to know there are so many people at home supporting us in everything that we are doing here! I was thinking of talking about the excursion, but I now see that a few classmates have already told you all that happened. It was an amazing experience to see yet another part of this diverse country and we had a great time overall! My favorite part was definitely the safari but I also loved Durban and the peacefulness of the mountains. Once we got back to Cape Town last week it was right back to where we left off… I was ready for a vacation from my vacation. We finished our last two days of maternity and had to say good-bye to all the sisters and staff on our units. It was sad to be ending our rotation, but we are hoping to keep in touch and have a Braii (what South Africans call a cookout) before we leave in December with the sisters. Last Wednesday we had our tours of the pediatric facilities we would be working at ( I am at Themba Care on Mondays and Gatesville Hospital on Tuesday and Wednesday). Thursday we had class all day on campus at UCT with Art for the first time! I think it went really well and am super excited to see what is to come in the next few weeks here. Thursday night I went to the movies with Carolyn Baker, which was a nice break from being in the house all the time. Friday we were fortunate not to have any formal class, so a group of us took the minibuses into the city bowl and visited the Castle of Good Hope, followed by lunch and shopping. It was nice to be in the city during a week day because there is so much more going on then the weekends when we are usually there. Saturday we spent the day at the beach, which was really nice, except the water is super super cold (so I stayed on the sand, which my dad is probably very happy because he is still convinced I am going to get eaten by a shark)! After the beach we got cleaned up at home and went to Mama Africa in the city bowl for dinner… it was really good food and the live music was great too. Sunday Carrie-Ellen and I decided to take the pool cover off and clean up the back yard to get ready for our Braii with UNC next weekend. After a morning of procrastination I finally settled down to get work done for the rest of the day. Monday we started our first official day of pediatric clinical, I was at Themba Care. I believe people have talked about Themba care before on the blog, but for those of you who do not know it is an NGO which cares for babies and children with HIV/AIDS both in the inpatient care setting and by following them when they transition back into the community. Mondays they have a large staff meeting where they talk about the care each of the inpatient children are receiving so that everyone is on the same page. It was a really great way to get to know each of the children’s history and current issues, and makes the transition to a new facility much easier. I also played with and fed babies, did some vital signs, changed nappies (diapers) and was able to perform a nursing intervention for a baby with reflux by having an order written to keep the head of his crib elevated and I followed up with having his thickened diet clearly noted in the kitchen. It was a simple thing, but I know that it can greatly effect his comfort and health. Today was my first day at Gatesville Medical Center on the Pedi unit. It was somewhat quiet, but was able to help with an admission, transport a patient to an x-ray, and help hold babies during procedures (which is both helpful to staff and educational because you are able to watch each step of the procedures up close). Other than that I was able to just play and keep some patients and their families company during the day. It was a good day to get to know the unit and I am excited for the next few weeks of clinical. All in all this has been the best experience of my life and it is far from over. Thanks for all the support from home! Ashley Paulsen

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