Chivelle's first day at Tafelsig Clinic

Today was my first day of my internship at the Tafelsig Clinic and I can honestly say that my first day was great! I thought I was going to be a nervous wreck and would pretty much get in the way of everything. But to my surprise, it was the complete opposite.  My first day at Tafelsig pretty much solidified my decision to become a nurse and do everything I can in order to become one. I was perfectly fine and love the clinic. The sisters and doctors were so welcoming and told us not to feel comfortable at the clinic. They did everything they could to make us feel comfortable and even asked the patients to speak English in order for us to understand. There was so much action going on the first day. A patient named Godfrey came into the clinic. The sisters told me that he’s a regular patient who receives oxygen because of his COPD. The sister thought that his visit was just like any other visit, but today it was completely different. His breathing was extremely heavy and his cough wasn’t like his usual coughs. The sisters and doctors concluded that they would have to send him to the hospital because they didn’t have the adequate medication and supplies to treat him. The sad part was that he was just recently discharged from the hospital a couple days ago and now he’s going back. During his wait, we made sure that he was okay and told the sisters whenever his nebulizer needed be refilled. He looked so weak and all the only type that keep running through my thoughts was that he needs to get better. After a couple hours, the paramedics finally came and took Godfrey to the hospital. I just hope that he feels better and that his condition will improve. This whole situation made me appreciate all the medical care that is available to me. The medical care that we get is something that I used to take for granted. But my first day put a lot of things into perspective for me and has caused me to have a greater appreciation for something that I used to take advantage of. I saw that all the sisters really loved what they do and really do care for their patients. One thing I noticed is that they’re not quick to give medication for everything a patient feels, they usually encourage lifestyle changes, such as not eating foods that are high in fat or making sure that they that relax after a long day of work. They only give medication to the patients if it’s really needed.  I like that they encourage a holistic lifestyle instead of one that depends on medication.