Hoi!
This is a typical Frisian greeting. If somebody sees a friend on the street he calls out loud: Hoi!
On this day we were again in Drachten. We visited the medical part of the school. We had two interesting lessons.
The first lesson was about nurses and about their tasks. I was surprised to hear that nurses work only 8 hours a day so they have 3 shifts. We were told about the different paediatric wards. There are wards for new born babies, premature babies, and quarantine wards for infectious and serious illnesses. There are recovery wards for children with appendicitis. In a room there are 3-4 children, everyone has an own wardrobe, washbasin is in the corner. There are a television set and a phone too.
There is a nurse, who has only one task: to prepare the children for the op, guide them into the surgery, to bring them back to the ward, to play with them, talk to them. The parents can stay in the hospital too, there is a bed for them too. Friends can also visit the children.
The second lesson was about midwives who help women at childbirth. In the Netherlands every woman gives birth at home, except when there are any medical problems. In this case has the woman gives birth in the hospital.
If a woman expects a baby, she has to go to a midwife. She has to go to the gynaecologist only in case of problems. You have to register in the 12th week of the pregnancy to get a midwife for giving birth at home. The midwife stays 10 days after giving birth with the family, she has to work 50 hours during these days. She has many tasks: teach the mother, do the housework. If a woman gives birth in the hospital, the midwife stays only 4-5 days with her.
The mothers can stay at home for 16 weeks with their baby. If somebody didn’t worked before giving birth, she has less time home after the birth.
After these lessons we visited an institute for disabled people. There were mental handicapped patients. The date of our visit surprised the nurses, but they were very friendly and kind. The patients, the nurses, and we drank hot chocolate together. We talked to the nurses about the institute and the patients.
Noémi
