HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE

     One of our days was spent shadowing a nurse at St. George’s Hospital. This was an excellent learning experience. We were each assigned a different ward; I was on the male surgical ward. It was very different from the hospitals in the United States. Firstly, there was no air conditioning; they just left the doors and windows open for a breeze. Secondly, on that particular floor, there were not private rooms for patients, or even two patients to a room. There were two or three open areas with six to eight patients each. They had a curtain that could be pulled for privacy during procedures, but the majority of the time it was left open. Contrary to what I thought, the patients weren’t upset by the lack of seclusion but rather comfortable. They bantered back and forth with each other and seemed to get along well. Additionally, each nurse was responsible for caring for all the patients; they were not assigned to different groups of patients. I also observed that the nurses did not wear scrubs nor did any of them have stethoscopes. Due to lack of resources and supplies, the employees did not follow the same hygiene and protection practices as we do in the United States. During the day, I had the opportunity to check a patient’s blood sugar and assist with wound care. While talking to my nurse, I discovered that they are not able to pick which ward they work in, they are assigned to one and then after a year or two, they are relocated to a new unit. My nurse was amazing and it was a great day!