We went back to the neuro/psych ward so we could follow up on the patients we had the day before. We were surprised to see the patients smile at us. Though their problems are far from over, I think that just showing a bit of kindness to them lifted their hearts a bit. We spent that day much the same as the day before, doing PT with the stroke patients and holding hands with the depressed patients.
At the end of the day, I took my students into a room to have a post conference with them and talk about what they had learned. After the conference, as my students were walking out the door, I said something that made one of them laugh out loud. About 30 seconds later, and armed guard came running into the room looking for the woman who had laughed out loud. Apparently that is still illegal to some. I couldn't believe it. Thankfully the woman had already slipped out of the room, and I could honestly say I didn't know where she was. It turns out that the governor of our province was touring the hospital and heard the woman laugh and sent his guard to arrest her. I still sit shaking my head when I think of it.
After I extricated myself from that situation, I went into the nursing lounge to change my head-covering so I could leave, and I was accosted by the head nurse. SHe started yelling at me about the behavior of two of my students. She said that it was completely inappropriate for the one to have laughed and the hospital had lost face, because the governor was there. Then she said that two of them had been in the hall flirting with male med students the whole time we were there. She said that they even winked and made kissing faces and sounds toward them.
She said that she knew things were different in my country, but that these students just can't act like that and I need to control them. After about 10 minutes of her yelling at me, I finally got a word in edgewise. I said, that this sort of behavior was also not appropriate in my country (not the laughing, but flirting in the hall during clinicals is not acceptable). I also said that I have 10 students, and when I am working with them on a patient, I can't see all of the others, and that they were old enough to govern themselves, and that I would talk to the head of the nursing school about them. She finally calmed down.
I went to the head of the nursing school that afternoon (who I must say dresses like Elvis Costello). I told him that I was having trouble with a couple of my girls flirting with boys and before I even said their names, he knew who they were, and said that he would take care of it. That made me feel better. Apparently I am not the only one who has had trouble with them.
As I said, you never know what the next day will bring. If I had known it was the last day I would spend with my students, I would have said goodbye or given them all hugs, etc...As it was, I just left them hanging.
2 comments:
I have never been able to get on blogspot until now. I changed our filter to put in a password and let me in sights usually blocked. Anywho....Your blog is amazing. I don't know how you do what you to Laurie, outside of supernatural strenght and grace. I think my body would collapse under the weight of 1000 broken hearts. can't wait to talk to you! kelly
Perhaps you will see them all again and instead of leaving them hanging you'll be able to give closure and tell them of your awesome healing and how amazing our God is.
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