First day on the job

So today I had my first orientation on the ward. It is def. different from home...but in a good way. I had 4 hernia repair pts...sent 3 home and send one to surgery. There are 4 different wards. Our ward had mostly hernia pts, some goiters, and a 5 day old baby with something like spina bifida. I love working with nurses from so many different cultures...I can't get enough of the accents and it's so fun...and humurous seeing learning how we all do things differently yet working together. The African translators lead us in some African worship songs and then we pray before each shift. Chaplains, translators, and other ship ppl who can adopt a patient come by to pray with, talk, sing, read scripture to the patients throughout the day. It is relaxed for the most part...can get busy at times, but not the stress like at home...and we as nurses have a much wider scope of practice and can pretty much do whatever we think needs to be done...to a point anyway. So nice to not have the politics like at home...or having to worry about being sued. Not that we do a lesser job, but ya know....just much less tense:) And it's the old school way...no IV pumps, draw our own labs, etc. :)
I learned that from the end of the dock to the second green gate is one mile (there and back). So I went for a nice long run today...felt so good...cloudy and breeze off the water. Lots of ppl walk that and around dinner time lots of families had their kids outside playing and some kids activities/races on the dock. Such a cool atmosphere...so different and hard to describe. At the end of my run I had to rescue a nurse who was outside on the dock locked in a gate..where they do admission....the area connects with the ship but the ship door was locked before she could get in...so I had to run down to the wards and gte the key to rescue her. Was kinda funny...she called me over and seemed kinda frazzled...and in her dutch accent said...I seem to have been locked in, can you help me. I just thought it was funny cause she seemed kinda freaked out about it...I have no clue why...but good times...:)
Every Wed. night a doctor gives an inservice if you will on a surgery or disease that is applicable to us healthcare workers here. It is optional but really cool. Tonight's actually was on short term missions...but awesome. One of the main surgeon's here talked about all of his experiences and the stuggles/blessings with short term missions. Very cool stories of how God works and heals esp. when unexpected...but reiterated:
"Medicine can cure disease and give life for an average 70 years, but God can cure the disease of sin and provide life for eternity."...That really puts things into perspective. God may or may not provide healing to all those we help..but the main point of us being here is not to provie medicine but eternal spiritual hope in Jesus Christ.
After the talk some of us played cards and went to do yoga....lol...good times as ya'll can imagine...at least those who know I cant touch my toes....I think that may be my goal for these 2 months...haha.