Much like the day before, we were all split into several groups. One group was called “Palliative Outreach,” where our Nursing Dukes provided healthcare to citizens of Shirati who are unable to travel to the hospital. We saw 4 patients that included: a man with Polio, a diabetic woman with an amputation on the lower right leg, a woman with end-stage breast cancer, and a hypertensive patient who had suffered a stroke.
Others in the group stood for nearly 10-hours in the Operating Theater. At Shirati Hospital, Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for elective surgeries (non-emergent surgeries). On this day, our team witnessed- and assisted in- a Hysterectomy, an abdominal tumor removal, amputation of a gangrenous pinky finger, and the removal of an ectopic pregnancy- a true variety! It was especially a monumental moment considering how little nursing students are able to participate in surgeries in the US.
Later in the afternoon, others listened to a presentation given by a nursing student who attends classes at the school on the hospital grounds.