Super Nurse

At the clinic we went to today, I met superwoman. She is a nurse, and she staffs a clinic in a very remote area-- 2.5 hours on terrible roads from Mohotklong, which is already remote enough to be dubbed, "the loneliest place in africa." We went there today for the first time, to establish an HIV treatment program there.



In setting up a new clnic for Anti-Retroviral Therapy, there are a number of things that have to happen, including:



1. They have to be accreditied by the Ministry of Health.

2. The staff must learn how to appropriately test patients of all ages.

3. The staff must learn when to initiate ART.

4. The staff must learn how to initiate ART.

5. The staff must learn how to monitor and manage for side effects.



Each of these steps can take a long time. The nurse working in this clinic already knows how to appropriately test all patients, and has been referring them to the clinics that are closest for each patient. This in itself is a huge hurdle. she is so smart, and asks very intelligent and keen questions. When I told her that I had booklets of information for her about pediatric ART mangement, she was excited to read it and learn more and discuss it.



When a clinic becomes an ART site, it ends up being a lot more work for the nurses there. Tons more paperwork, tons more patients. While she is already tired and overworked, and she looked a little overwhelmed about the added workload, she herself said, "There are already so many defaulters in my community because the other clinics are too far away, especially for the patients that are already sick. If I can supply ART to them, it will be such a huge help."



Even though I could see how tired she was, and how lonely she is working there away from her family, her heart is so big that she is happy we are coming with our medicines and paperwork. What a role model. I need to remember her the next time I'm feeling tired, cranky, and overworked, and try to be just a little bit more like her.