work experience week / day three

I was promised a viewing of a C-section this morning. That never happened. I guess the woman eventually refused the surgery or something. Anyways, today I was sent to immunization, with a number of the people there being new mothers and their newborn babies.

Again, I was to do paperwork, registering the babies for immunization. Most of the information came from the yellow booklets much like the one I filled out (I was hoping to see one filled out by me, but didn’t) on Monday, but I had to call out the babies’ names for their mothers and ask them what they fed their baby. (Breast milk only? Breast milk and water? Partial breastfeeding?). It took a couple of tries to get the hang of it, but from there it was pretty systematic.

The only problem encountered was when an illiterate woman
came up and asked for us to give her baby the shots. The nurse beside me spoke pidgin to her so she would understand but even then she had trouble. She said her baby was nine months old, but on the booklet, with the date of birth stated, he was a year old. I noticed this while trying to register and asked the elder nurse, who then called the mom, at first for the fact that he was nine months and was just getting his first shot according to the booklet, but then to find out the age of this baby. She said her former shots were from her village, but there was no scar anywhere on her baby. The whole thing was rather confusing.

The nurses finally just gave the shot for nine month old babies.

The second problem encountered was when someone came very late, so late that the nurse to weigh the baby wasn't around, and neither was the elder nurse. So I had to weigh the baby, fill out his card, and then register him. I don't think I was allowed to do the first two. At first, I read 7.4 kg, but realized that would be insanely big for a 10 week old baby, and then assumed I meant 6.6 kg, which made a lot more sense.

When immunization closed, I went to the pharmacy even though I wasn't posted there. Just to hang out. Any questions I asked, I really can't remember... I do remember meeting the boys from the folder room though (funny people) and wishing I was in a consulting room, so I could see a doctor being a doctor.