My babies

So I have started my 12th (out of 15) semester in Medschool, we have 2 rotations this semester. Pediatrics and Ob-gyn, my favorites...or so I thought. So yesterday (Thur Sept/06/07) was my first "service" (is that even the correct name/expression?) every 5 days, i think, we have to do a 6 hour service in different areas of the Pediatric Hospital "Robert Reid Cabral". We have class at the hospital from 8-12, then various classes at the university from 1 till 3, 4, 5, or 8pm. Yesterday our last class was from 6-8pm, we got off early and went over to the Hospital got into our Pediatric Scrubs (just like any other scrub only with little drawings and baby colors). I was so excited at first, I was sent to the Third Floor and was given 7 patients and was in charge of taking their vital signs at 8pm and at 12mid night. So I started taking vital signs of each of my little patients at 8:30 and finished like at 10:45. Why? why spend so many hours on 7 patients? because babies cry. Oh my word!!! one has to have SO much patience. You have to convice them that the stethoscope is not a syringe and will not in any way harm them, you have to baby talk them into cooperating with you, i spent like 15 minutes per patient. There was one little baby who would not stop crying I had to wait until like 1am when he was fast asleep to be able to get the stethoscope near him. I left the hospital at 2 am, in 6 hours I only sat down like 2 times and was sent looking for lab results like 5 times!! Ah and to think that during weekends the services are from 8am till 12 at midnight. How fun!

God Bless!!
Rita M.

UPDATE :: Thinking straighter and looking back, its so sad to see so many babies sick in a roach-infested hospital and not so clean, it makes ya wonder...But we all do our best to give these children the best attention they can get with their resources and sometimes more. One of the positive things of that night was that I was not alone, one of the doctors there is a christian and before I began my rounds we had quite a chat making my first "service" not as awkard or strange as I thought it would be.