Many people ask me what daily life is like at Kudjip, so here is a summary from the past week:
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| Morning tea with Kira |
Sunrise – Recently I’ve been waking up in the
pre-dawn twilight. Once my mind starts going, sleep is an impossibility, so I read my devotional, check email, news, etc until my alarm goes off.
Breakfast – Currently I’m in a strawberry-banana smoothie
and banana bread phase. I get a handful of strawberries from my garden each
week and there are ample supplies of ripe bananas.
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Chapel on far left and Hospital
Administration building |
Most days, work at the hospital starts at 8am,
but on Mondays and Fridays we start early for Chapel and Doctor’s Meeting
(continuing education), respectively.
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| Road to the Hospital |
The walk to the hospital only takes about
5 minutes along a gravel road lined with staff houses.
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| Surgical ward rounds |
Ward Rounds – Rounds on the surgical ward are usually
fairly concise. We grab our rolling stools, start at bed 1 and roll our way
around the large open ward all the way to bed 29. Charts and medication sheets
are placed out on each bed for our review, new orders, and discharges.
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| Dr. Jim on surgical ward rounds |
After
Surgical Ward, we make quick rounds through the medical and pediatric wards to
see any surgical consults.
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| Surgery clinic waiting room |
Clinic, OT and Minor Procedures – Monday and
Wednesday are surgery clinic days. Tuesday and Thursday are Operating Theatre
days. Wednesday and Friday are Minor Procedure days. But, urgent or emergent
surgeries can happen any day of the week.
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| Surgery clinic |
As a team, we typically
see 30-40 patients on an average clinic day—mostly referrals from the medical
doctors, post-operative follow-ups or pre-operative admissions.
During the day, the medical doctors will find
us if they have urgent surgical consults in the Emergency Room or a mother on
Labor and Delivery who needs a C-section.
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| Operating Theatre staff |
Operative days usually average 6-8
cases split between 2 operating rooms. Frequently, we have a Rural Registrar
training in surgery who assists or performs portions of the procedure as
appropriate for their skill level. We also have nursing students who learn to
first assist.
Lunch – Usually, I walk home for lunch, but the
surgery schedule can be unpredictable. For some reason the lunch hour seems to
be a popular time for emergent C-sections.
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Dr. Jim and Dr. Rebecca, rural
registrar, reviewing a chapter
in Primary Surgery text. |
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Dr. Cindy, rural registrar in
minor procedure |
Afternoons – Most afternoons, we continue the morning
schedule wherever we left off – in clinic or OT. When we finish work early,
we try to help with minor procedures or casting in the ER. Once or twice a
week, we will review educational topics with our Rural Registrar.
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| Balance beam day in gymnastics |
Friday Afternoon Elementary School PE – Since September, I
have been teaching PE to the MK elementary school students every Friday
afternoon. At first, Ben and I thought we would switch off depending on who had Friday afternoon off, but now that Ben is on Home Assignment, I’m teaching
every week. I’ve greatly enjoyed getting to know the kids. So far we have
finished the jump roping unit and gymnastics unit. Now, we are starting soccer.
Evenings - Each week varies, but typically one or two nights a week I will invite someone over for dinner or be invited to dinner, which is always a nice time to visit with the other families or volunteers on station. Occasionally, we'll plan a game night or movie night. Thursday nights are prayer meeting. The rest of the evenings I enjoy time to read, catch up on correspondence, or work on craft projects.
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| Immanuel Church |
Weekends are a mix of work, rest and play. This past Saturday was a busy day on-call with 3 surgeries, an early morning chest tube after a stabbing, and a post-op patient needing some attention.
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All dressed up for church
in our meri blouses |
This week, Sunday was my day of rest which included calling my parents, going to church, and relaxing. I often work in the garden, go for a walk or enjoy a meal with friends. Even though the weeks have a nice routine, each day is new and different, and I see God working through the hospital and staff each and every day.
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