I finished up my first week at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. I learned a lot about the hospital system, insurance, strengthened my OB/GYN knowledge and made some friends. The complexity of cases we handled during the week was mentally stimulating. I went from being the only African American during rounds in America to now being the only African American amongst Ghanaians here, and it’s life-changing. Being among people who look like me and are treating people who look just like them, made me so proud. Proud of everyone including myself, to be able to still stand tall and work towards my ultimate goal. I was able to make critical decisions about performing cesarean sections and was able to deliver my first baby. A moment I will never forget. I was standing there and the resident said, “okay surgeon what’s next?” I was sweating and a little puzzled but that lasted for .2 seconds and I jumped in knew every step. a few moments later, I delivered a healthy baby boy who was breached and wanted to stay in his mother's womb past his due date. I walked out of the room and felt confident and proud. As I left for the day I ran into the father who got up and gave me a hug saying “thank you” repeatedly. I saw the mother and baby boy the next day and both were doing great. From my surgeon’s perspective, her incision was “clean, dry and intact” so we were good to go. The residents and nurses truly took me in and made me feel welcomed. We’ve shared stories and traditions here in Ghana and back in the states. We even bonded on how we share the same issues when it comes to getting consults or referrals from other hospitals. Though their resources are limited they know exactly what to do and how to do it but unlike home, all of those things aren’t laid out beautifully in our Pyxis bin. I watched as doctors were responsible for starting IVs, drawing blood, and even taking it to the lab. Much different from how it is in the states. It’s definitely been a journey and that was just the first week. Now my task is to learn how to speak the native dialect because everyone comes up to me and starts talking but I just smile and say “oh no honey I’m sorry, I only speak English.” So stay tuned as I take on a new language. Until next time. ✌🏾
