The RCN allows staff to take a sabbatical for up to six weeks every five years. This is my 15th year in the RCN, so, technical, this should have been my third one! I finally had one planned in 2020, but Covid 19 made that impossible. I had been feeling quite burnt out in my role as things got busier and busier. I felt that a step away from the role for a short period of time would be quite refreshing. It would also be an opportunity to give something back to the society, something that the RCN is really keen to promote.
I chose Mercy Ships because I felt that I could contribute to the work that they do in a meaningful way. I am an Operating Room (Theatre) Nurse by background and wanted to use those skills which I now no longer use regularly to make a difference. Mercy Ships use surgery to change the life of thousands of Africans.
My sabbatical took me on an epic journey from the city of Manchester to the green country of Sierra Leone via plane, coach and finally, boat to embark on a two-week volunteer stint as a theatre nurse with Mercy Ships.
Mercy Ships is a faith-based international development organisation that deploys hospital ships to some of the poorest countries in the world, delivering vital, free healthcare to people in desperate need. However, it doesn’t just focus on the immediate issues but strives for forge a partnership with countries’ governments to strengthen healthcare systems.
I was based on the Global Mercy Ship (GLM) which has 11 floors. Apart from the hospital, it's almost like being on a cruise ship. It was extremely clean and very modern. There's a school, library, gym, pool, a shop, a café, a dining room, several play areas for crew members with families, a boutique, hairdresser and several laundry facilities. No wonder it's the largest floating hospital in the world!
After a few days settling in and having my orientation, my first day in the operating theatre saw me teamed with a surgeon from the Isle of Man. It would have been a triumphant start but for the fact that I accidentally binned one of the metal gallipots that was not supposed to be disposable! By the time my error was discovered by the sterile services staff, the rubbish bag had already been taken away for incineration!
The end of my first week on the GLM coincided with the end of general surgery as the second week was focusing on more complex maxillo-facial surgery. Therefore, the team had to do a terminal clean which took seven of us an hour and a half! Although it was hard work, it was very refreshing to know that they didn't take cleanliness and excellence for granted at all! Unfortunately, the lead maxillo-facial surgeon was delayed due to a tornado that meant that his flight from the USA was cancelled.
My work was not just limited to the ship, as I also visited the HOPE Centre where I spent time with both pre op and post op patients, and also joined in the occupational therapy learning to make bracelets. Mercy Ships establishes an outpatient facility called the HOPE (Hospital OutPatient Extension) Centre in every location. It then offers a safe, secure, hygienic environment where patients come before their operations on the ship, and afterwards to recover.
I did have some free time and took a ‘keke’ to visit one of the markets of Freetown. I also took part in the ‘Ship Holiday’ which takes place one Friday a month to make up for the fact that everyone’s religious holidays cannot be celebrated, and one day, one of childhood friends drove three hours to see me.
I feel so privileged to be a part of what Mercy Ships are doing. Sierra Leone is so economically and socially deprived. It's so sad. A lot of the people have no jobs. Mercy Ships employ a lot of local staff and pay them three times what they would otherwise earn. Apparently, there are lots of drug issues. We were warned not to walk barefooted on the beach because there are always used needles scattered around.
I salute all the crew of Mercy Ships present and past for making a difference to the lives of thousands of people who would have otherwise had no hope. What I experienced far outweighed my expectations when I arrived. I left Sierra Leone a humble and grateful person to have had the opportunity to serve in such a way.
When I was leaving, to my utmost surprise, two of the three operating room managers, Jennie and Deddy turned up to escort me. Deddy actually carried my suitcase down the deck. Then the most amazing thing happened. My managers and friends formed a guard of honour as my truck drove through and out of the gates. That last act of friendship and honour broke me! I couldn't stop myself from crying.
I am so grateful to have had so much fun and to have been surrounded with so many lovely people in my time serving on the Global Mercy Ship. My heart is full of gratitude.
I am grateful to the Royal College of Nursing for being so committed to giving back to society and for giving me the opportunity to be part of such a worthwhile cause.
I will leave you with this one last thought. Don't take what you have for granted because there are far too many people who have to exist on much less than we have through no fault of their own, but by the mere virtue of the circumstances that they were born into.
I chose Mercy Ships because I felt that I could contribute to the work that they do in a meaningful way. I am an Operating Room (Theatre) Nurse by background and wanted to use those skills which I now no longer use regularly to make a difference. Mercy Ships use surgery to change the life of thousands of Africans.
My sabbatical took me on an epic journey from the city of Manchester to the green country of Sierra Leone via plane, coach and finally, boat to embark on a two-week volunteer stint as a theatre nurse with Mercy Ships.
Mercy Ships is a faith-based international development organisation that deploys hospital ships to some of the poorest countries in the world, delivering vital, free healthcare to people in desperate need. However, it doesn’t just focus on the immediate issues but strives for forge a partnership with countries’ governments to strengthen healthcare systems.
I was based on the Global Mercy Ship (GLM) which has 11 floors. Apart from the hospital, it's almost like being on a cruise ship. It was extremely clean and very modern. There's a school, library, gym, pool, a shop, a café, a dining room, several play areas for crew members with families, a boutique, hairdresser and several laundry facilities. No wonder it's the largest floating hospital in the world!
After a few days settling in and having my orientation, my first day in the operating theatre saw me teamed with a surgeon from the Isle of Man. It would have been a triumphant start but for the fact that I accidentally binned one of the metal gallipots that was not supposed to be disposable! By the time my error was discovered by the sterile services staff, the rubbish bag had already been taken away for incineration!
The end of my first week on the GLM coincided with the end of general surgery as the second week was focusing on more complex maxillo-facial surgery. Therefore, the team had to do a terminal clean which took seven of us an hour and a half! Although it was hard work, it was very refreshing to know that they didn't take cleanliness and excellence for granted at all! Unfortunately, the lead maxillo-facial surgeon was delayed due to a tornado that meant that his flight from the USA was cancelled.
My work was not just limited to the ship, as I also visited the HOPE Centre where I spent time with both pre op and post op patients, and also joined in the occupational therapy learning to make bracelets. Mercy Ships establishes an outpatient facility called the HOPE (Hospital OutPatient Extension) Centre in every location. It then offers a safe, secure, hygienic environment where patients come before their operations on the ship, and afterwards to recover.
I did have some free time and took a ‘keke’ to visit one of the markets of Freetown. I also took part in the ‘Ship Holiday’ which takes place one Friday a month to make up for the fact that everyone’s religious holidays cannot be celebrated, and one day, one of childhood friends drove three hours to see me.
I feel so privileged to be a part of what Mercy Ships are doing. Sierra Leone is so economically and socially deprived. It's so sad. A lot of the people have no jobs. Mercy Ships employ a lot of local staff and pay them three times what they would otherwise earn. Apparently, there are lots of drug issues. We were warned not to walk barefooted on the beach because there are always used needles scattered around.
I salute all the crew of Mercy Ships present and past for making a difference to the lives of thousands of people who would have otherwise had no hope. What I experienced far outweighed my expectations when I arrived. I left Sierra Leone a humble and grateful person to have had the opportunity to serve in such a way.
When I was leaving, to my utmost surprise, two of the three operating room managers, Jennie and Deddy turned up to escort me. Deddy actually carried my suitcase down the deck. Then the most amazing thing happened. My managers and friends formed a guard of honour as my truck drove through and out of the gates. That last act of friendship and honour broke me! I couldn't stop myself from crying.
I am so grateful to have had so much fun and to have been surrounded with so many lovely people in my time serving on the Global Mercy Ship. My heart is full of gratitude.
I am grateful to the Royal College of Nursing for being so committed to giving back to society and for giving me the opportunity to be part of such a worthwhile cause.
I will leave you with this one last thought. Don't take what you have for granted because there are far too many people who have to exist on much less than we have through no fault of their own, but by the mere virtue of the circumstances that they were born into.
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