Posts tagged nurse

Photo by Peter Casaer “Today I saw the worst case of breast cancer I have ever seen” “Sometimes, the seeming futility of this job overwhelms me. We see so many diseases – both chronic and acute – that we are unable to do anything about. When I considered coming to Afghanistan, I felt I was prepared to see malnutrition, wounded patients, trauma, etc. I did not realize the amount of chronic diseases and other conditions that we would be helpless to treat. At home, this woman would have had a mammogram and ultrasound when she first noticed a lump in her breast. She would have received free health care that would have, in all likelihood, saved her life. We have no chemotherapy, radiation therapy, mammography, or indeed oncologists here in Helmand [Afghanistan].” Read more at http://blogs.msf.org/afghanistan/2013/06/what-if/

Photo by Peter Casaer

“Today I saw the worst case of breast cancer I have ever seen”

“Sometimes, the seeming futility of this job overwhelms me. We see so many diseases – both chronic and acute – that we are unable to do anything about. When I considered coming to Afghanistan, I felt I was prepared to see malnutrition, wounded patients, trauma, etc. I did not realize the amount of chronic diseases and other conditions that we would be helpless to treat. At home, this woman would have had a mammogram and ultrasound when she first noticed a lump in her breast. She would have received free health care that would have, in all likelihood, saved her life. We have no chemotherapy, radiation therapy, mammography, or indeed oncologists here in Helmand [Afghanistan].”

Read more at http://blogs.msf.org/afghanistan/2013/06/what-if/

We are all exhausted. Most of us started the day tired after a long week and I wasn’t the only one planning a low-key weekend.

Worn out though we are, there are few complaints. This is what we are here for after all. And we would do it all again tomorrow if we had to.

It’s your birthday, you plan to relax, then the call comes in - there are many people wounded by gun shots down the river. Read how MSF nurse Emma and her team in South Sudan leap into action.  

I have never seen burn patients like we have had here over the winter. Often the burn victims are, again, women and children, as the women prepare the meals over open flame stoves and the children play around their mothers. We often had multiple victims from the same families. While we do our best, we lost quite a few of the patients to infections or they were simply too badly burned to survive. All we can really do is provide sterile dressings, increased calorie foods, and hydration. It has been hard to watch, and I am glad this season is pretty much behind us.

Certainly, the most difficult part of this mission, for me, has been the child deaths. Of course, everyone dies, but I am not accustomed to so many pediatric deaths.

MSF nurse Georgann writes about her work in Boost hospital, Afghanistan which has seen an increase in burn patients over the last few months. Please leave your comments and questions for Georgann below her blog post.
There is one particularly heart-breaking case on my mind at present – that of a very young woman in our ICU who came some days ago in severely obstructed labour – we’re talking days and days of failure to deliver here. Eventually her uterus ruptured necessitating in an emergency hysterectomy during the Cesarean.
Emma finds her perceptions of her own femininity  are put into perspective by a young, female patient with a tragic childbirth experience. Emma’s working as a nurse with MSF in South Sudan. Please leave your questions and comments for Emma in the box below her blog post.
In her final post, Kate says a big thank you to everyone who read and commented on her blog. Please leave your questions and comments for Kate in the comments box below her blog post.

In her final post, Kate says a big thank you to everyone who read and commented on her blog. Please leave your questions and comments for Kate in the comments box below her blog post.

How you feel about coming home also depends on how you left your mission. If the population you were caring for are safe, if your work will continue, if you made a difference and if you can rest assured that the people you have grown to care for will continue to receive the assistance they need, it balances out. If you left in unsettled circumstances, unsure of the security of the population, tasks unfinished and without a replacement to see them through, it’s tough. It leaves you to wonder ‘what was the point?’ and ‘why did I bother?’. Have we done more damage by giving hope and then taking it away, than by not offering hope in the first place?
MSF nurse, Kate, on reconciling the mixed emotions of coming home from an MSF mission. Please leave your comments and questions for Kate below her blog post. 

The combination stressors of unfamiliar climate and diet, not to mention the ideals that lead you into this sort of work in the first place make a lot of people push themselves hard at their jobs – unsurprisingly illness and periods of emotional burnout are not uncommon among the expat workers… only time will tell how I fare. For now I’m going to follow the advice that I’ve been given and hope and pray that my immune system holds up!

“Hello, Emma? Welcome to Nasir, paradise!”

Meet British nurse Emma who has just started her first MSF mission in South Sudan, working with outpatients, childhood immunization and community outreach programs. Please leave your questions and comments for Emma below her blog post. 
On Thursday, we held a sort of clinic in the Ninenyang Health Centre as they are out of drugs and have a malaria crisis. It was a really hard day. The weather’s been heating up again and it was over 40°C in the shade. When people heard we were there they literally came running, babies in arms!
MSF nurse, Kate, and team are having a tough time in Mattar, Ethiopia, but are determined to provide healthcare where they can. Please leave your questions and comments for Kate in the comments below her blog post.
Photo: Francis Gatluak, one-time MSF patient, now the manager of the tuberculosis program at MSF’s hospital in Leer, South Sudan. South Sudan 2012 © John Stanmyer/VII Photo The Patient Becomes the Healer Three decades ago, when Francis Gatluak was a boy, civil war forced his family to flee their small village in Unity State, in the northern reaches of what is now South Sudan. He was diagnosed with kala azar, a disease that thrives in poor, unstable areas with limited health care.   Francis endured the difficult SSG treatment at MSF’s nearby camp, and recovered. Since he spoke some English, the staff asked him if he would stay and work with them as a translator. He did this for a few months, developing a desire to do more. “I started to learn about how I can help the patient,” he says. “If there are people who can give medication, I can also help to do the job, and help the community.” Today, he is a nurse in his twenty-third year working with MSF. He has gone on MSF assignments in other African countries and recently returned to the Leer hospital, where he is now in charge of the tuberculosis ward. And he recently traveled to Washington, DC, to speak on the organization’s behalf when MSF was awarded the highly-esteemed 2012 J. William Fulbright Award for International Understanding.

Photo: Francis Gatluak, one-time MSF patient, now the manager of the tuberculosis program at MSF’s hospital in Leer, South Sudan. South Sudan 2012 © John Stanmyer/VII Photo

The Patient Becomes the Healer

Three decades ago, when Francis Gatluak was a boy, civil war forced his family to flee their small village in Unity State, in the northern reaches of what is now South Sudan. He was diagnosed with kala azar, a disease that thrives in poor, unstable areas with limited health care.  

Francis endured the difficult SSG treatment at MSF’s nearby camp, and recovered. Since he spoke some English, the staff asked him if he would stay and work with them as a translator. He did this for a few months, developing a desire to do more. “I started to learn about how I can help the patient,” he says. “If there are people who can give medication, I can also help to do the job, and help the community.”


Today, he is a nurse in his twenty-third year working with MSF. He has gone on MSF assignments in other African countries and recently returned to the Leer hospital, where he is now in charge of the tuberculosis ward. And he recently traveled to Washington, DC, to speak on the organization’s behalf when MSF was awarded the highly-esteemed 2012 J. William Fulbright Award for International Understanding.

We don’t take sides; we care for people on all sides of this war. For neighbors shot for cutting down a tree; for children shot for being in the wrong place at the wrong time; for people injured by a blast while going down the street for bread; for entire families who have had grenades thrown at them.
MSF Nurse Brett Adamson, on treating victims of the war in Afghanistan.
Photo: Mud roads in Mattar, Ethiopia make transport of patients and supplies difficult. © Kate Chapman, MSF. MSF nurse, Kate, on overcoming hurdles to get her patients to treatment: “On Wednesday, the river had risen so much that the area where we land the boat in town had broken its banks and flooded half the town. This left our only landing point around 800 meters from the road on the main dock, wedged between the many huge open top, steel cargo boats being loaded with contraband destined for South Sudan. The clinic in Adura had been busy with over 150 patients. On the way back we had one patient for transfer in the car, an old lady with TB. We came across some men carrying a very unwell looking man. We stopped, found him to be critical, packed him in the car and made our way back to Mattar. I called ahead to our base and asked them to send the boat with a stretcher and to meet us on the road. Of course no one was there when we arrived so leaving the patients by the car we carried the heavy boxes of drugs and equipment to town, meandering through the heavily bogged path leading to the river. This is very difficult as just walking without carrying anything is a challenge in itself on the treacherously slippery Mattar mud. I am twice as good at not falling over compared to how I was at the beginning of the mission, but compared to the sure footed team, I’m still a joke!”

Photo: Mud roads in Mattar, Ethiopia make transport of patients and supplies difficult. © Kate Chapman, MSF.

MSF nurse, Kate, on overcoming hurdles to get her patients to treatment:


“On Wednesday, the river had risen so much that the area where we land the boat in town had broken its banks and flooded half the town. This left our only landing point around 800 meters from the road on the main dock, wedged between the many huge open top, steel cargo boats being loaded with contraband destined for South Sudan.

The clinic in Adura had been busy with over 150 patients. On the way back we had one patient for transfer in the car, an old lady with TB. We came across some men carrying a very unwell looking man. We stopped, found him to be critical, packed him in the car and made our way back to Mattar.

I called ahead to our base and asked them to send the boat with a stretcher and to meet us on the road. Of course no one was there when we arrived so leaving the patients by the car we carried the heavy boxes of drugs and equipment to town, meandering through the heavily bogged path leading to the river. This is very difficult as just walking without carrying anything is a challenge in itself on the treacherously slippery Mattar mud. I am twice as good at not falling over compared to how I was at the beginning of the mission, but compared to the sure footed team, I’m still a joke!”

Photo: South Sudan 2012 © Nichole Sobecki Working in the field A Doctors Without Borders field assignment is a commitment—of time and passion—to apply your skills to help men, women, and children whose lives hang in the balance. Our recruitment process is competitive because we are always looking for the best people to strengthen our collective expertise and increase the quality of medical care we deliver to our patients. What it takes To become an aid worker with Doctors Without Borders, applicants must meet the following general requirements: Experience. At least two years of continuous relevant professional experience.  Availability. Doctors should be available for a minimum of six months (Surgeons, anesthesiologists, operating room nurses, nurse anesthetists, and OB/GYNs may be accepted for shorter assignments), and all other professionals for nine to 12 months.  Ability to Live and Work as a Team. With long hours and basic living conditions, aid workers need to be tolerant, flexible, and possess solid interpersonal skills. Experience in Resource-Poor Settings. Prior work experience in the developing world or extensive work in resource-poor North American settings is strongly desired.  Ability to Manage Stress. With sizable workloads in or near conflict areas, aid workers must be able to cope in difficult and unpredictable situations. Flexibility. Situations can change quickly in the field, and job descriptions must change accordingly.  Flexibility is critical to success on a project.  Language skills. The ability to speak French, Portuguese, Spanish, or Arabic, as well as English, is highly valued, as are many other languages.  Who is Needed MedicalPhysicians, Obstetricians/Gynecologists, Surgeons, Anesthesiologists, Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Operating Room Nurses, Nurse-Midwives, Epidemiologists, HIV/AIDS and TB Specialists, Pharmacists, Mental Health Specialists Non-Medical Logisticians coordinate supplies, oversee transportation and communications equipment, and supervise national non-medical staff. Water and Sanitation Specialists and Construction Professionals provide clean water and housing to stem the spread of communicable diseases, give shelter to displaced people, and create hospital facilities. Administrators and Financial Controllers are responsible for project bookkeeping, budget control, financial reporting, and human resources. Learn more.

Photo: South Sudan 2012 © Nichole Sobecki

Working in the field

A Doctors Without Borders field assignment is a commitment—of time and passion—to apply your skills to help men, women, and children whose lives hang in the balance. Our recruitment process is competitive because we are always looking for the best people to strengthen our collective expertise and increase the quality of medical care we deliver to our patients.

What it takes

To become an aid worker with Doctors Without Borders, applicants must meet the following general requirements:

  • Experience. At least two years of continuous relevant professional experience. 
  • Availability. Doctors should be available for a minimum of six months (Surgeons, anesthesiologists, operating room nurses, nurse anesthetists, and OB/GYNs may be accepted for shorter assignments), and all other professionals for nine to 12 months. 
  • Ability to Live and Work as a Team. With long hours and basic living conditions, aid workers need to be tolerant, flexible, and possess solid interpersonal skills. Experience in Resource-Poor Settings. Prior work experience in the developing world or extensive work in resource-poor North American settings is strongly desired. 
  • Ability to Manage Stress. With sizable workloads in or near conflict areas, aid workers must be able to cope in difficult and unpredictable situations. Flexibility. Situations can change quickly in the field, and job descriptions must change accordingly. 
  • Flexibility is critical to success on a project. 
  • Language skills. The ability to speak French, Portuguese, Spanish, or Arabic, as well as English, is highly valued, as are many other languages. 

Who is Needed

Medical
Physicians, Obstetricians/Gynecologists, Surgeons, Anesthesiologists, Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Operating Room Nurses, Nurse-Midwives, Epidemiologists, HIV/AIDS and TB Specialists, Pharmacists, Mental Health Specialists

Non-Medical
Logisticians coordinate supplies, oversee transportation and communications equipment, and supervise national non-medical staff. Water and Sanitation Specialists and Construction Professionals provide clean water and housing to stem the spread of communicable diseases, give shelter to displaced people, and create hospital facilities. Administrators and Financial Controllers are responsible for project bookkeeping, budget control, financial reporting, and human resources.

Learn more.

No one seemed to be hurt as people started jumping from their boat to ours and making their way to our dock. It was so ridiculous we were hysterical, dancing and slapping at the ferocious bugs that were greedily devouring our exposed limbs, while we cried delirious tears of laughter over the past week’s events.
Kate, a nurse working with MSF in Ethiopia, describes the trials and tribulations faced by her team after heavy rains sink boats, trap cars and unleash a swarm of ferocious insects.
Sleeping on the ground in day-old, fishy, muddy, sweaty clothes isn’t my idea of a great night out, but still it gave me time and reason to reflect and understand the people I’m working with better. Not the staff, though yes them too somewhat, but the patients. The oldies that come with general body pains that we send away with no medication, telling them its normal to have body pains after working in the fields cultivating, carrying 20kg drums of water for miles on their heads, cutting and carrying wood for miles just in order to live.

Kate Chapman is a nurse working with MSF in Matter, Ethiopia. Kate and her team have an unexpected camping adventure and gain further understanding of how local people live when they get stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Click here to read the rest of Kate’s blog.

Click here to learn more about Doctors Without Borders projects in Ethiopia.

Afghanistan: Treating Child Malnutrition in Helmand “She was vomiting and had diarrhea, and she kept losing weight,” says Mariam of her five-month-old granddaughter Nazia. “Her mother just didn’t have enough milk to feed her. We went to a private clinic but they couldn’t help us, and finally we drove here from our home district of Sangin. Nazia is feeling a little better now.” Nazia, who still has a distended belly and a clearly visible rib cage, is one of the patients in the MSF herapeutic feeding center in Boost hospital in Lashkargah, the capital of Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Boost hospital, where MSF has been working since 2009, is one of only two hospitals in all of southern Afghanistan. Helmand is one of the country’s most war-ravaged provinces, and has seen intense fighting over the past decades. It is home to a largely poor, rural population, even if there are signs of a growing middle class in Lashkargah. MSF opened its feeding center in December 2011 to tackle the chronic problem of malnutrition among children in Helmand. This specialized unit helps children on the verge of starvation gain weight through assisted feeding. Photo: An MSF staff member examines a child for malnutrition at Boost hospital. Afghanistan 2012 © Camille Gillardeau

Afghanistan: Treating Child Malnutrition in Helmand

“She was vomiting and had diarrhea, and she kept losing weight,” says Mariam of her five-month-old granddaughter Nazia. “Her mother just didn’t have enough milk to feed her. We went to a private clinic but they couldn’t help us, and finally we drove here from our home district of Sangin. Nazia is feeling a little better now.”

Nazia, who still has a distended belly and a clearly visible rib cage, is one of the patients in the MSF herapeutic feeding center in Boost hospital in Lashkargah, the capital of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

Boost hospital, where MSF has been working since 2009, is one of only two hospitals in all of southern Afghanistan. Helmand is one of the country’s most war-ravaged provinces, and has seen intense fighting over the past decades. It is home to a largely poor, rural population, even if there are signs of a growing middle class in Lashkargah.

MSF opened its feeding center in December 2011 to tackle the chronic problem of malnutrition among children in Helmand. This specialized unit helps children on the verge of starvation gain weight through assisted feeding.

Photo: An MSF staff member examines a child for malnutrition at Boost hospital.

Afghanistan 2012 © Camille Gillardeau