#NurseDTakesZambia #7 #ZambianSchoolChildren

#NurseDTakesZambia #7 #ZambianSchoolChildren

It's break time, and the schoolchildren are running around the narrow cemented area between their overheated, dark classrooms. Nurse/Sister Devorah and Dr. Paul stroll into the yard, stethoscopes around our necks, ready to share some health information with the eager students. As we squeeze between the dozens of children playing in the school yard, our now familiar white faces are met with excitement. By the time we reach our designated classrooms, both Nurse and Dr. have our hand full with and entourage of little fingers belonging to some of the schoolchildren. We are trailed by many others and must settle the struggle for a piece of our hands to hold. We enter the classroom, with our little army of fans peeping through the doorway, hoping to get a glimpse of our lecture, before they are whisked away by their teachers into their prospective classrooms. 

It is a 7th grade class but with students ranging from various different ages. There are over 60 students sitting in the classroom, with 3-4 students squeezed into each bench with a table. The rooms are dark, hot, and crowd; the power is out. We walk in and 2 children run to get us chairs. We are then greeted with every child standing and a loud "good morning Dr. Paul and a good morning Sister Devorah".  They don't sit down until we both respond and verbally allow them to be seated. Their respect is admirable. 

During our limited time in Zambia, what were the medical staff doing in school, while the clinic lines remain an endless wait to be seen for often serious medical issues? Aside from working in the clinic, a part of our mission in Zambia and working with the organization 'Healthy Kids, Brighter Future", was our involvement in the schools. 

Teachers in Zambia are an extremely respected profession, and they are looked up upon by both the children and the  adults. Our way of assuring that the work that we do does not just place band-aid on the wounds that can likely reappear, we sought to lay some groundwork for wound maintenance for after we leave. We aimed to educate the teachers to share with their pupils the causes of the common illnesses that present itself within their populations; how to detect symptoms, and how to seek treatment. During our stay we reached out to the children themselves, to teach them about malaria, HIV, asthma, and other virus that are prominent within their towns and populations. The students chose the topics to be discussed for the next time we came to their class. 

I taught them about asthma. I showed them pictures of lungs and what the airway looks like during an asthma attack. Most of the students were animated and very involved in the discussions. One student said he wished to be a doctor when he grows up and wanted to spend some time with us in the clinic. We gladly made that arrangement.

 I don't love teaching, but as a nurse a part of your  job is to educate my patients. I usually teach my patients about their medications, wound care, drain care, and when to call their doctor with concerns. However, teaching these students, and simplifying a common illness to their level of understanding was surprisingly enjoyable. 

Children's brains are sponges thirsty for knowledge and information. They are the best target to initiate future positive changes. They challenged me with their questions, and I gained an immense amount of satisfaction as I watched the information I shared, as it got absorbed into their little, curious minds. 

It's easy to gain satisfaction when I work hard with a patient and I see their would heal, or watch them walk again after a long illness. It was a whole new level of satisfaction to see that the information I taught was understood with enthusiasm and will hopefully be utilized to prevent and treat these illnesses as they present itself in the future; ultimately painting a larger picture of health for the designated population.  Sometimes satisfaction in work is acquired by seeing the finished product, this time it was acquired just by seeing the work in progress and its promising ability for small people to help create big changes. 

This was written on the chalkboard of one of the classrooms.