Sustainability results have been a cornerstone of our missions for a number of years now and a mandate of the Rotary Foundations for awarding of grants for projects. We believe that education and training is a cornerstone of RESTOR International. Tuesday evening was a very important night for us and for the nurses from the Gamby Hospital.
Kim East is carefully listening to a question from one of the hospital’s nurses.
Kim’s introduction to the nurses at the beginning of the evening was inspiring. She told them that nurses are closer to the patients and their needs than anyone else and are the ones best able to care for the patients. A nurse should, correct that, must speak up if something is not right or a doctor might be making a mistake. Empowerment comes with knowledge.
Kim wrote:
We hosted our educational dinner for the nurses tonight. I don’t know what the price tag on it will be, but it was worth every Birr and then some! We had 30 nurses attend, and they were totally engaged. Deb, Lisa, Arifina (our Ethiopian dressing nurse) Anita & Gayanne did an outstanding job. Anita had some handouts on practical splinting that Muley had added the Amharic translations to that will be a great resource for them. The nurses really enjoyed the buffet dinner and the laughter was probably heard for blocks around….it would have easily drowned out the chanting priest!! Even the shyest came and thanked us. The nursing matron thanked us repeatedly, and told us we made him “so proud to be a nurse”. I am really happy with how it all came together….yay for us!!!
Lisa van den Brink is one of our nurses and is describing how various bandages work on burns and what to be looking for as healing is taking place. Cleanliness, temperature control and hydration are especially important for the patient.
Deborah Earnshaw is describing the different kinds of burns and their degree of severity classifications and what to look for in tissue damage.
Our physiotherapist Anita Riggs is showing the nurses how to set a hand so that it will heal properly. One can use anything even a pop bottle with a hand taped to it, if it keeps the hand in a correct position to heal.
Arifina is the dressing nurse on “loan” from the hospital and she described how she debrides burns and dresses them. She had the full attention of her colleagues.
