CBU International Nursing Experience : Day 6

Hola, Buenos Dias! The day started early with morning wake up call at six am. All students started their day at the children’s hospital or the cancer research hospital. Students taking the subway are almost ready to travel on their own as today required little assistance from the tour guide. For the students taking the bus, they have been traveling alone since a few days.

At the children’s hospital students split up into different areas; pediatric transplant unit, oncology, recreation, NICU, infectiology, CCU, and many more. Many children on the infectiology unit had a diagnosis of tuberculosis. As there is a high rate of tuberculosis in Argentina. Students discussed differences in infection prevention in Canada versus Argentina. Primary prevention is a primary concern in Canada. Students at the hospital received exciting news that two students will be selected at random to observe a pediatric cardiac surgery later in the week. Many doctors took time out of their day to educate students regarding their speciality such as; general surgery, cardiac surgery, recovery, and current healthcare issues in Argentina. The cardiac surgeon discussed past heart surgeries on pediatric patients. One case involved creating a left ventricle with the pulmonary artery.

The students at Roffo hospital got to participate in paint therapy along with reflexology with the patients and volunteers. The paint therapy involved patients painting scenery of their choosing with assistance from the volunteers. It was nice to see smiles on the patients faces and how this activity relaxed them while dealing with their cancer treatments. This was followed by a tour of the Nursing school located on the hospital grounds. Roffo university is the only nursing school in Argentina that focuses specifically on oncology. The students who attend this university will work at the Roffo hospital once they finish their training. The students had a tour of the university which included; speaking with the faculty, students and a tour of the classrooms and simulation lab. The nursing school lacked many resources that we take for granted at CBU but the nursing staff and students are extremely innovative to work with the resources they have.

Due to extreme heat (33 degrees, feels like 36 degrees) the afternoon education sessions were rescheduled for next week. Even the locals are having difficulty working in this heat wave. Most students spent the afternoon exploring the city visiting sites such as; Recoletta, La Boca and Floralis Generica. Other students caught up on errands. Ending the day with three students giving toys, clothes and toiletries to homeless children living on the street with their families. Eye opening day