HBB Training Day 4 - Huong Hoa Medical Center March 26, 2015

Today, we taught the first of 3 classes at Huong Hoa Medical Center.  It is called a Medical Center but is not what we think of as a 'medical center' in the U.S.  It is more like a community clinic.  We arrived to find a bunch of MEN in our classroom.  I assumed they were there for something else - then we found out that they were our students!  Needless to say, we were all surprised.  Birth attendants are traditionally women.  Apparently this area is having trouble keeping women as employees in the community clinics - they get pregnant and then don't want to work.  So they have hired men to work as assistants in the clinic, to assist with births and to drive a laboring mother to the hospital (on a motor bike).  The men were of all ages, from young to older.  Most had just started in their role so the information was totally new.  They came from as far away as 80 Km - on bus or motor bike - in the rain.  Some were a little late due to the (dirt) roads being washed out by the rain that we had overnight.

GCSF reached out to the local health clinics and invited them to invite the TBAs, midwives, nurses and physicians.  So the people we are teaching are the ones who really need - and want - this education.

We also had some experienced midwives in the group (women) and other women with varied experiences delivering babies.  A very interesting group!  We adjusted our training to spend more time explaining basic transitional physiology (what needs to happen with the lungs when a baby is born).  I wanted a balloon but Warren remembered that we had gloves - so blew up a glove to show what the baby needs to do with it's lungs right after birth.  The flat glove was the fetal lung and the blown up glove was the neonatal lung after good breathing and crying. 

In explaining the position of the head for maximum airway opening, I used a straw - showing how, if you move it too far one way or the other, the straw kinks off - just like the baby's airway.

Students spend a lot of time working in pairs - role playing the mom or the birth attendant.  That meant that the men had to role play having a baby.  It made for lots of smiles and laughs and it was clear that some were not comfortable in that role.  Interestingly, when asked, many of the men had children - as many as 4 - but none had been present for the birth of their own children.

 

Because much of this was so new for these students, we spent a lot of time going over and over the basic skills.  The students were very good-natured and just kept practicing.  I think the most fun we all have is when we are working on the Action Plan for the Golden Minute.  The goal of the course is to get babies breathing effectively, or breathe for them, within the first minute of life.  So, once we have practiced all of the skills individually, including ventilation with a bag and mask, we use a timer to time each student.  They have to go through all of the steps of the Action Plan, not skipping anything, and begin to use a bag and mask to ventilate the manikin within one minute of birth.  As you can imagine, our first time through took much longer for most of the students.  Obviously, the midwives got it right away.  But for the men, all of the skills are new and awkward.  So practice we did.  Over and over and over.  And they all got it.  You could always tell when someone made it through in under a minute as a big cheer and applause comes from the others in the group.  Since we were working in 4 groups with 6 students per group, the room was, at times, LOUD!

 

 

 

All of the students receive a certificate - a proud moment.  Each student receives applause and we do pictures in small groups before we do the final group picture.

 

The red bags, donated by the Illinois State Council ENA, have been wonderful for the students.  Since we give them equipment and hand books, since they walk, take the bus, or a motor bike, and since it is raining - they really appreciate the bags.

 

 

 



It is rainy - but nothing like what we would have back home in Chicago, so we are not complaining.

 

 

Good food today - soup for breakfast and lunch and Vietnamese Hot Pot for dinner.  Red Bull is served everywhere - which works for me!

 

 

So, another day of teaching and eating and learning.  Learning for us all.  Being reminded of those things we take for granted in the US - so many things.  We are so fortunate.  In so many ways.  The 5 of us are blessed to be able to be here and, although we are tired at the end of the day, we are having fun.  Our interpreters are great and are very patient with us.  In Vietnamese I can count to 10 and say hello and thank you - that is it.  We are thankful for these caring people who are helping us with our teaching.

 

Harriet