Today was my first day at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. So naturally, I had to make a blog post to summarize my day. I have truly realized that being on-time in another country means to give or take 45 minutes. Thomas, our taxi driver, was at the window calling us outside. We pulled up to a smaller than I expected hospital (in the front) but once we walked through I could see where all of the patients were. Taxis after taxis zoomed in and dropped off nurses, students, patients, and family members as we waited outside for further instructions. We finished up our paperwork and then I was off to the OB/GYN ward, where I will be spending the next two weeks. As we were walking outside in the back area, there were different buildings for each ward. The males and females were separated into separate buildings and there was a separate surgical and delivery suite. Unlike many hospitals in the states, the hallways weren't lined up with cows (computers on wheels) and nor were people in a rush. Everything was very relaxed and unbelievably calm.
I joined the OB/GYN team that consisted of medical students, residents and the "big boss" who were already presenting the patients in the wards. I definitely stuck out as an American with my salmon-colored pants and floral top under my white coat, but I introduced myself confidently as "Ka'la Drayton, the visiting student with CFHI from the States". I decided to stick around with the "team on duty" to see patients across the hospital. Our first stop was the ICU. We had a patient who was thought to have "postpartum preeclampsia. malaria and/or meningitis. I was excited to see something complex other than the typical preeclampsia patient that received treatment and her and the baby are fine. So seeing this patient got my mind rolling. There were big differences that immediately stuck out to me from the ICU back home as I changed my shoes to a pair of crocs and put on a gown (outside for everyone) before I entered the ICU. There were about 5 beds in a medium-sized room each hooked up to a ventilator and monitor. At the foot of each bed was a dedicated nurse who wrote down vitals and medications over the day. I met the ICU attendings and we went over the patient's lab values that were printed on paper and continued to go over other diagnoses.
I ended my day in the emergency room seeing patients with various complaints. Met a young mother who attempted to terminate her pregnancy using common household drugs, a 40yo woman with abnormal uterine bleeding, and a woman my age with a Bartholin gland abscess. I worked with the residents to discuss treatment options for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) while inpatient and outpatient and how you decide each. Along the way, I also made friends with the nurses who made me their new American friend named Yaa. So, all in all, today was a good day. I came ready to learn and was hit with things I haven't seen since 3rd year. I'm sure my OB/GYN friends would be proud of me remembering what happens over time with Depo and the anatomy associated with the Bartholin glands....I tried.
So tomorrow and the rest of the week, I'll be bringing my scrubs to see some surgical cases (what I've been dying for) and learning more and more. Until next time peeps. ✌🏾
