I had days to complete my registration in the hospital.
Tests to run and medical examination to undergo.
I found new people whom I connected with and worked with to get the process done faster.
In between, we made time to laugh at the experience we were having.
Finally the registration was done, we had orientation and waited to be posted.
I watched as others got their posting letter given to them. in my heart, I wondered what posting I wanted to start with first.
Surgery? O&G? Medicine? Paediatrics?
After some pause, I got my letter.
I was posted to Surgery.
I felt satisfied and open to the experience.
I got my unit posting and it was Pediatric Surgery.
I would come to find out it was known to be one of the most dreaded unit in Surgery.
“You are to start your posting immediately. Call your senior registrar so he can inform you of what to do next” The Chief registrar informed me as I left his office.
I was completely unprepared. I had my ward coat but it was not in the best shape, my feet were not prepared as well. I was not wearing the most appropriate footwear but I had ben asked to resume and I was going to do that.
That day began my journey into a sea of experiences.
Am I taking your time?
24 HRS LONGER
The reason Pediatrics Surgery was dreaded was because of its tendency to demand isolation from the rest of the hospital, the frequency of surgeries, the urgencies of surgeries and the hours the surgeries took.
I met an older house officer who stayed with me for 4 days and who put me through what I needed to know and do in the unit. I was supposed to stay for 14 days and after 4 days with company, I was left alone.
Being alone meant I was going to be on a 24 hours call until another person joined me. My partner who just left had spent about 10 days alone before I came and he looked like a zombie.
Being on a continuous 24 hours call meant living in the call room as it meant I had to be available at any given time.
Being the only house officer meant that I was supposed to be available at any time of the day and that meant that some days I should not go beyond the walls of the ward and the call room.
My heart was open and ready to learn and experience and it helped my approach as well.
My aim was to keep a light hearted approach to situations and as the reality of the demands of the unit dawned on me, I need space to air out some stress, however I adjusted quickly and found every bit of the moment enjoyable. I did not fond myself dreading the unit instead I enjoyed every aspect of it. The surgeries were delicate but I was intrigued by the precious details and meticulousness of the procedures carried out.
The parents I met in this unit were among some of the most patient people I have ever met so far throughout this experience. Despite the delicate nature of their children’s condition, most of them maintained a very polite attitude and listened whenever I counselled them.
I also found myself getting attached to some of the children. There was a particular healthy child who came in for a hypospadias repair. He was such a social and warm child who got my attention and who also fancied me. He made a quick recovery and seeing him all through the period he was in the ward was very comforting.
One of the things that stod out was: The nature of the innoence of children made them so forgiving, however earning that trust did not come easy.
I was unable to set lines or collect samples because it was my first posting and it was difficult to do that easily with children.
My consultant was like “It would have been better if you had staretd with adults before comimg here”.
However I still made some efforts which were not successful and instead called the Registrars above me to help. I did not feel pressured because it was already deemed a difficult task to do these procedures on children and I felt I still had Pediatrics to practice more.
There were protocols and I also needed to handle certain “properties” of the unit, This is where the Saka bag came into play. This bag held surgical items that we could need if there happened to be an emergency at any time and I had to carry that bag all the time.
SAKA BAG
The weight of this bag was no joke.
I observed surgeries and asked questions. There were times I was asked, sometimes I recalled and other times I failed. However in all I learnt at thee end of the day and most of what I was taught stuck to my head most probably the way it was taught made it easier to remember.
After spending 5 days alone, I got a partner and this meant I could share the work with someone else. It was relieving for me to expereince some space of fresh air and to do personal things that I had halted.
Now, because this is a summary of my experience and because I am careful of breaching privacies of the patients I had interacted with I will basically share major lessons from this posting with you.
On the last day of my posting, I prepared to present with my unit during the clinical meeting. I stayed up all night to read on the topic and modified the slides with my seniors but….. I was unable to present.
Do you want to know why?
I’ll share with you in the next part of this series.
Until then stay safe and God bless.
#W.O.L.A.P
Deeperlook 