i am in a developing country

Today, clinic was a jungle.

Nurses here take advantage of us students.  The nurses desert us at the stations almost as soon as we arrive.  They run off to buy themselves fatcakes or lounge outside and chat their lives away.  Thought frustrating, I found it to be quite a good opportunity to be creative and own up to difficult situations.

The fact that we are in a developing country finally hit me today.  Patients came in needing simple dressing changes for surgical wounds.  However, the clinic ran out of medical/cloth tape necessary to apply the new, sterile bandages.  Instead, I refused to treat a couple patients with bigger wounds and ended up using the Botswana equivalent to MASKING TAPE to bandage the patients.  Patients that came in with masking tape from previous wound care had irritated, red, or even bloody marks from the masking tape.  I was so stressed because I didn't want to use the masking tape, but that's all we had!  

Later, I also used the last anti-rabies vaccine.  They store their vaccines in an ice box.  We have to roll our own cotton when available.  

Apparently, there's a supply truck that runs from clinic to clinic, but even the supply truck does not carry all supplies that clinics may demand.  Only basic medications are available upon demand.

Sadly, our much loved doctor was re-located to another clinic and a new, young doctor came to the clinic for the first time today.  This new doctor is the most horrible man I have ever met.  He told Summer, a classmate, that she was taking blood pressure wrong because the cuff wasn't rotated by a cm!  He wants to correct all our skills and explain the physiology and technique to everything.  I do appreciate instruction and correction when indicated, but this man was unkind and belittling! His condescending tone and behavior even bothered Summer and she has never, ever shown any annoyance of anyone before.  He truly defines a new level of arrogance.

After finishing an injection, I gave the greatest sigh of relief.

Never have I been so relieved to see the hour hand reach noon.