University of Wollongong 2024
As a registered nurse already, I wanted to experience a new challenge in my career as well as have the opportunity to travel a bit of the world. I always knew I wanted to spend time in Africa once I graduated!
During my overseas placement, the lack of resources was the most confronting part of every unit I rotated through. Seeing the nurses and doctors improvise with what they had was saddening as it’s all taken for granted in Australia, where I am from.
As a registered nurse, I contributed by getting involved with all the nurses, using the skills I gained in Australia to assist them with wounds, cannulation, intravenous fluids, antibiotic administration, and much more.
Some of the cases that will always stick with me are the instances of severe malaria. So many cases were brought into accident and emergency due to a lack of education on how severe the symptoms are, leading to many children having cerebral malaria.
There were so many differences between Australia’s healthcare system and Ghana’s. Accessing cannulas without using an alcohol wipe was confronting. However, I quickly realised it was because they didn’t have any, so they couldn’t use the local equivalent of ANTT principles.
I was also surprised by the cost of all medications, glucose strips, medical imaging and many other things we take for granted here in Australia.
I learned a lot of Fante (the local language in Takoradi) from the hospital staff, which made them very happy to see us making the effort to engage and interact using their language.
I had a lot of admiration for the hospital staff after I saw the conditions they faced daily, especially in the hot weather! The nurses did their best with their available resources.
There were so many activities to do during my free time! The most memorable weekend was when we travelled to Mole National Park! I loved the safari.
Exploring Cape Coast was also an adventure! I will never forget sleeping in the tree house – an experience with the best housemates.
If you’re considering an overseas placement with Work the World, do it! I had never travelled solo before Ghana, and it was the best thing I have ever done — you won’t regret it!
