Hannah Stone, RN

The nursing experience with Mercy Ships

(Photo courtesy of Hanah Stone, RN)

 PHOTO GALLERY: Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone

Since 1978, Mercy Ships has operated hospital ships in developing nations around the world. A global charitable organization, Mercy Ships provides healthcare services and resources without regard for race, gender, or religion. Each year more than 1600 volunteers and more than 800 career crewmembers deliver surgical, rehabilitation, and nursing services as well as education, professional training, and healthcare resources to some of the world's most needy communities. Hannah Stone, RN, a 2006 graduate of Cape Cod Community College and a telemetry nurse at Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, Massachusetts, recently spent time working with Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone. In the following interview, she tells On Call's Kim Jordan why she went and what she learned by going.

Q. How did you become involved in Mercy Ships' work in Sierra Leone?

A. I was raised in a Christian household and educated in a Christian school. At an early age, I realized that helping others who are less fortunate is not only the right thing to do; I truly feel it is a very personal calling. In high school, I traveled to poverty-stricken areas in Mexico with Mercy Ships for three consecutive summers. Each trip lasted two weeks and we participated in outdoor church services, construction, and food distribution. These experiences provided me with a foundation, which eventually led to two trips to the Sierra Leone region of Africa.

In Sierra Leone, I was able to provide medical care, as well as other services. By the time I made my second trip, I had completed the nursing program at Cape Cod Community College. In order to finance my trips, I worked in the kitchen at Jordan Hospital in Plymouth and later as a Certified Nursing Assistant. I was also fortunate to receive some generous donations that helped with my expenses.

Q. How would you describe your experience in Sierra Leone?

A. For the most part, I was involved in clinic work. Many of the clinics were mobile clinics and polio was a major problem for the communities we served. We also treated a large number of malaria cases and general malnutrition. We spent a lot of time in Freetown, which is a city, and in some of the more rural locations. This is a very poor overcrowded area with open marketplaces and very few cars. Most people travel on foot. Bartering is prevalent, and there are many displaced individuals. These people have endured years of struggle and survived unthinkable atrocities because of the Sierra Leone Civil War. During the war, over two million people were displaced and tens of thousands died. I personally witnessed survivors, including children, who had suffered amputations during the conflict. I was particularly affected after meeting a nine-year-old boy whose arm had been severed above the elbow. The resilience of survivors, like this boy, impressed me more than I can express.

Conditions for those living in the area as well as for those providing services are very challenging. I remember sleeping on a rooftop under mosquito netting and trying to write in charts while covered in sweat and mango flies. The flies were a nuisance, but, thankfully, not harmful. Much of what I witnessed did not hit me until later because while I was providing services, I was just too busy for it all to sink in. And there were many positive experiences that helped balance the negative.

Some of my duties included keeping records up to date, teaching, and dispensing medications. Supplies are donated from various countries, which also means that the writing on them is often in another language. Stock items and equipment are limited and sometimes not available at all. For example, we had to re-use medicine bottles and carefully dole out small portions of acetaminophen and cough medicine in order to treat as many people as we could. We taught the importance of hand washing in minimizing the spread of disease, and we often used pictures to get the message across. Many languages are spoken in Sierra Leone, especially with so many refugees living there. This is why visual depictions seemed to work so well. We also examined many babies who were malnourished. Sometimes this was due to disease, such as malaria, and in other instances, there was a fundamental lack of knowledge about proper nutrition. Naturally, poverty was also a factor.

Q. What was it like to work with people from all over the world?

A. I worked alongside so many wonderful people. The other Mercy Ships workers were an inspiration, and although we came from different parts of the world, we were united in our mission and many strong bonds were formed. We also worked with African nurses, who spoke English as well as their native language, Krio. These nurses function independently and their scope of practice is much broader than in the U.S. Often there are no doctors available, so the nurses diagnose conditions, suture wounds, and prescribe medications. Individuals requiring surgery or more complex treatment were sometimes brought aboard the actual ship to receive care.

Q. Who can get involved in this work and what should they be prepared for?

A. Anyone can get involved. Although Mercy Ships follows the example of Jesus by providing help, hope, and healing to the poorest populations in the world, services are provided without discrimination with regard to race, gender, or religious beliefs. People from all walks of life have made a real impact in a global way by working with the Mercy Ships program.

Donations are always welcome and it is amazing how much good can come from even a small amount of money. Gifts of less than 50 dollars can provide an individual with agricultural training or make it possible for an eye examination. Larger gifts can finance eye surgeries and actually enable a blind person to see for the first time. Obviously, donations are always needed for supplies including everything from bandages to actual medical equipment like X-ray machines and hospital beds.

Training is provided for those who want to be a part of this mission and there are short and long-term positions available. Volunteers need to have a physical examination and some vaccinations are required, like typhoid and yellow fever. Many people also choose to take anti-malarial medication. The most important thing is to be open minded and flexible. It is necessary to view yourself as a student of the local culture, to learn other languages; and it is also important to recognize that your ways are not always the best ways of doing things. In addition, this type of work requires the ability to make do with what you have, since supplies are so limited.

Q. Do you have any plans to return to Sierra Leone?

A. Most definitely. I would like to take a long-term assignment within a year or two. There are so many options available, but I envision myself working in emergency situations, perhaps on the ship itself and perhaps even in other areas of the world that are currently war zones. Sierra Leone is my first choice, but I am open to other possibilities. Now that I am an RN, I am anxious to use all that I have learned to be of service to the people of the world who need my help the most. For me, there is no greater feeling.

Kim Jordan, RN, is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to On Call.