Nurse Exam Prep

Not much interesting to report this week. I've been in Lusaka preparing for the General Nursing Council's exam for foreign nurses. I was studying with three other nurses, Rachael from Australia and Esther and Solange from Congo. We studied at University Teaching Hospital where the main nursing school is. The week was a bit challenging for me. It was a busy time at the school, with an international conference taking place and graduation preparations going on. The professors were busy with all that and many didn't show for their sessions with us. It was good to be in the library with access to books and a studious environment. It also was good to be with others in the same situation to encourage study discipline.

Most of what we learned were specifics of how we are expected to answer the questions on the exam. There are very specific requirements like absolutely no abbreviations, and you must give a rationale for every intervention including taking a temperature. The nurses here use this same format all through their schooling, so they are used to it. Foreign nurses have a 50% fail rate largely due to lack of familiarity with this. Seventy five percent of the score is based on three patient scenarios. There is a compulsory pediatric question and then we must choose two of three others (general medicine, general surgery, and tropical medicine). They gave us lots of practice questions and old exams. I also just brushed up on illnesses in general and tropical medicine in particular. It's been a long time since I've taken a test.

Tomorrow I return to Macha for two weeks prior to coming back to Lusaka to sit the exam on May 31st. I will continue to study on my own during this time and ask the principal of the Macha nursing school to look over my answers to practice questions. They say only spend 35 minutes on each question, so practicing the timing will be important also.

I guess one other thing to mention is that I have now driven on the left hand side of the road (right hand side of the car). I actually find it easier than I expected. It's actually less awkward for me as the driver than as the passenger. When you are the driver you are focussed, as the passenger you just glance up and it all looks wrong and your relexes shout alarm.

Time is going quickly. It will be odd to leave for a month in July, so soon after arriving. Between that and the nurse's exam, my time in Macha really won't settle down till I return in August. I'm trying to take advantage of the time I do have there to learn what I can and become a part of the community.