Day 9: First day at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital
The house that we are staying at has the perfect set-up for rotating students. There is one big spacious family room where socializing, movies and reading occur. We can eat breakfast or lunch out on the porch if we like. The rooms are set-up with bunk beds (4 in each room). One guy drew the unlucky/lucky straw and gets to share a room with the 3 girls. Probably a little more unlucky because we all talk in our sleep. The outside of the house is surrounded by a brick wall and an entrance gate. Security guards are present if needed. The only major rule for us is to be home before dark.
Since it was our first day, our host took us to the hospital, where the 2 of us on "Paediatrics" sat in our morning "hand-off." Morning hand-off here is when they go over the total number of patients in each of the wards. All members of the department are present as serious cases and mortalities from the previous day are discussed. After that we went to register and learned some of the layout of the hospital after getting lost a few times. The hospital is set up with multiple corridors that connect, which makes it easy for us new students to get turned around. People are scattered on the lawn outside the wards eating, washing sheets, sleeping or just waiting.
We went to the pediatric cardiology clinic and were thrown right in. Learned a few words real fast in the language of Chichewa. For example:
How are you? = Muli bwanji?
Thank-you/Good-bye = Zicomo
Pain = kupweteka
The hardest to remember is that "yes = eee" and "no = aye."
After a little hesitation, we started attempting the words to get a history, and examining the kids. It was an AMAZING learning experience. All the things that we read about in the past, we were able to see. We got to hear heart murmurs, and see post-viral cardiomyopathy, Ventricular Septal defect (hole in heart), Rheumatic Heart Disease, Mitral Regurgitation, Follow-up on Valvuloplasty, Atrial Septal defect, etc. I saw more in 1 hr than I probably would have in an entire month in the US. Everything made me want to learn more about what I'd seen.
The pathology here is incredible. We couldn't find the PMI on one girl. The PMI is basically where you can feel the heart beat the most on a chest. Instead of being on the front left of her chest, we found it on her left side close to her back. Her heart and spine (scoliosis) were rotated inside her body.
In the afternoon we sat in on an excellent cardiology lecture, which tied everything together. We met a few of the Malawian medical students and then found our way back to the house for supper. It was interesting hearing what the others saw during their day (how surgeries work here and delivering babies) and I was excited to go back the next day. It is crazy that I'm finally here.
The house that we are staying at has the perfect set-up for rotating students. There is one big spacious family room where socializing, movies and reading occur. We can eat breakfast or lunch out on the porch if we like. The rooms are set-up with bunk beds (4 in each room). One guy drew the unlucky/lucky straw and gets to share a room with the 3 girls. Probably a little more unlucky because we all talk in our sleep. The outside of the house is surrounded by a brick wall and an entrance gate. Security guards are present if needed. The only major rule for us is to be home before dark.
Since it was our first day, our host took us to the hospital, where the 2 of us on "Paediatrics" sat in our morning "hand-off." Morning hand-off here is when they go over the total number of patients in each of the wards. All members of the department are present as serious cases and mortalities from the previous day are discussed. After that we went to register and learned some of the layout of the hospital after getting lost a few times. The hospital is set up with multiple corridors that connect, which makes it easy for us new students to get turned around. People are scattered on the lawn outside the wards eating, washing sheets, sleeping or just waiting.
We went to the pediatric cardiology clinic and were thrown right in. Learned a few words real fast in the language of Chichewa. For example:
How are you? = Muli bwanji?
Thank-you/Good-bye = Zicomo
Pain = kupweteka
The hardest to remember is that "yes = eee" and "no = aye."
After a little hesitation, we started attempting the words to get a history, and examining the kids. It was an AMAZING learning experience. All the things that we read about in the past, we were able to see. We got to hear heart murmurs, and see post-viral cardiomyopathy, Ventricular Septal defect (hole in heart), Rheumatic Heart Disease, Mitral Regurgitation, Follow-up on Valvuloplasty, Atrial Septal defect, etc. I saw more in 1 hr than I probably would have in an entire month in the US. Everything made me want to learn more about what I'd seen.
The pathology here is incredible. We couldn't find the PMI on one girl. The PMI is basically where you can feel the heart beat the most on a chest. Instead of being on the front left of her chest, we found it on her left side close to her back. Her heart and spine (scoliosis) were rotated inside her body.
In the afternoon we sat in on an excellent cardiology lecture, which tied everything together. We met a few of the Malawian medical students and then found our way back to the house for supper. It was interesting hearing what the others saw during their day (how surgeries work here and delivering babies) and I was excited to go back the next day. It is crazy that I'm finally here.
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