Ward C

I have been working on the pediatric ward - or C ward, as it is known. 

The ward has 20 beds in the regular section and then another 4-6 in the oncology section.  Each bed has its own mosquito net and little stool for the caregiver to sit on.  A caregiver stays with each child and is responsible for food prep and laundry while the child is in the hospital.  

Check out the nurse in the photo below - they all wear whites and the little nursing caps.

When a child is sent over from the outpatient clinic for admission, they are seen here - in the vestibule at the entrance to the ward that doubles as a nursing station, radiology viewing room and resident work room. Here, the resident on call sees and evaluates the patient, puts in orders, and the nurse gets the IV started and does vital signs.  

This baby was sent from the outpatient clinic with concern for sepsis, but on admission we decided that her irritability was probably more likely due to hydrocephalus. 

 A day on the peds ward is not to different from what I have experienced in the US.  After morning report, we all arrive about an hour before rounds to pre-round on our patients (find out how the night went, review any new labs, come up with a plan for the day).  Then, as a team, we go bed by bed and talk about each patient, going over the plan and modifying it as needed.  Finally, mid-afternoon we come back and do an abbreviated rounds just to make sure everyone is doing well and that the plans we set in the morning are actually getting carried out.

Wilfred and his mom, he is being treated for Burkitt's Lymphoma. 

Mary and her mom.  She was treated for an abdominal wall abscess.  She was not a fan of me as I was always pushing on the part of her that hurt. 

An exhausted set of siblings - their brother was in for chemo therapy, and she had been up all night with the baby while their mom took care of the hospitalized child. 

*** All images used with permission. ***