Vocational Day - Hospital Basseterre

My vocational day in Guadaloupe was spent in the central hosptial in Bassterre. It was very interesting to spend the day with Eileen, a nurse who trained in the UK. We compared the differences between the nursing practices at home and out here and the stresses that Eileen has to go through on a day to day basis. I found the facilites to be very good but, from an oncology point of view, I found that our nursing practice is far more advanced and up to date. For example, it was quite alarming that the patients who are undergoing chemotherapy are not isoloated and are mixing with general medical patients. Also, Eileen was telling me that one of their main problems with oncology paitents is a high infection rate with port caths (intravenous access device). This was very intersting for me as at home we have very few infections with these. It was good to be able to share good practice and pass on knowledge with Eileen and suggestions for improvement.