Orientation and Day #1
Akwaaba, friends! (Welcome!) Today is day three in Ghana, and I am absolutely loving it. I am learning much about the Ghanaian culture and healthcare system. Yesterday, I got oriented to the Cape Coast area (I'm still a little lost...haha), but overall I am making it through. I learned a little of the Cape Coast language. For example, your Ghanaian name is based on the day of the week you were born. I was born on a Monday, and my Ghanaian name is Adwoa. I am learning pieces of the language, but it is hard to pick up. During orientation around the city, my local host Geegy took me to the beach and the castle in Cape Coast. We did not go inside the castle for time sake, but I am planning to go on Saturday when Geegy has gone to pick up another student in Accra. The beach is beautiful, but the waves are much bigger than those in the US (gulf coast or Atlantic). Below is a picture of me at the beach.
This week I am working at a "weigh-in" clinic in one of the local communities. There are nurses who do outreach with home visits and school visits. In the clinic today, I learned that babies are brought in once a month from birth until five years old for a weight check and any vaccinations they need. There is not a doctor in this clinic, so the nurses are handling everything. It made me realize there really is not something similar in the US. If your child needs a vaccination or check-up in the US, then they make an appointment with the pediatrician. Also the children have books from birth where the vaccinations and weights are logged. All the parents kept up with the log and brought it in with them to the visit. In the US, if a baby changes pediatricians between their 6 and 9 month well child checks, there is no guarantee that you will know exactly what vaccines the patient has been given despite the state wide immunization websites. With the children here, everything is kept in one place, and it is very easy to keep track. The nurses can also handle minor illnesses. One teenager came in today running a fever, and the quick malaria test (similar to the flu or strep test in the US) immediately told us that the child had malaria. He was given medication, and he and his mom were educated on ways to avoid malaria in the future. Another amazing thing that I did not know about is the malaria vaccine. It is a vaccine that is given in four doses (6 months, 7 months, 12 months, and 2 years). Much like the flu vaccine, it does not prevent every type of malaria but it does lessen the severity of the symptoms overall. Tomorrow will be an early day working with the nurses going to houses where the children cannot come into the clinic making sure they have the chance to get vaccinated as well. That's all for now! I look forward to sharing later on this week!
This week I am working at a "weigh-in" clinic in one of the local communities. There are nurses who do outreach with home visits and school visits. In the clinic today, I learned that babies are brought in once a month from birth until five years old for a weight check and any vaccinations they need. There is not a doctor in this clinic, so the nurses are handling everything. It made me realize there really is not something similar in the US. If your child needs a vaccination or check-up in the US, then they make an appointment with the pediatrician. Also the children have books from birth where the vaccinations and weights are logged. All the parents kept up with the log and brought it in with them to the visit. In the US, if a baby changes pediatricians between their 6 and 9 month well child checks, there is no guarantee that you will know exactly what vaccines the patient has been given despite the state wide immunization websites. With the children here, everything is kept in one place, and it is very easy to keep track. The nurses can also handle minor illnesses. One teenager came in today running a fever, and the quick malaria test (similar to the flu or strep test in the US) immediately told us that the child had malaria. He was given medication, and he and his mom were educated on ways to avoid malaria in the future. Another amazing thing that I did not know about is the malaria vaccine. It is a vaccine that is given in four doses (6 months, 7 months, 12 months, and 2 years). Much like the flu vaccine, it does not prevent every type of malaria but it does lessen the severity of the symptoms overall. Tomorrow will be an early day working with the nurses going to houses where the children cannot come into the clinic making sure they have the chance to get vaccinated as well. That's all for now! I look forward to sharing later on this week!
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