Challenging Monday...

I don’t really know what it was about today that made it so challenging. I suppose it was a combination of things.

All day long I felt as though I was on the go. There was a lot of chasing up to do. A patient that had not received medication, a form that was not available on the wards to request for ceftriaxone, data that had not been collected for the monthly report, a lab result that had not yet been looked at. In other words, there were a lot of little things that ended up taking time to sort out or getting someone else to sort it out. Things I don’t mind doing, but that keep me away from my ever growing ‘to do’ list.

The reconstruction of the Special Care Baby Unit took up quite a lot of time today. From checking the mosquito screens (and having the contractor re-do some of them), to making sure the floor and cots were cleaned, to moving in incubators, to organizing the cots in the bays, to making sure the incubators work, to discussing the need for shelves for monitors etc. We are nearing the time when the babies can be moved into the new ward and need to make sure we are ready. Needless to say, it meant many trips back and forth to SCBU to cross the T’s and dot the I’s. Obviously, this needs to be done, and it is great to be a part of the process, but it takes up quite a bit of time. And, some of the aspects bring on their own frustrations.

All of the above meant that I didn’t do much of what I had hoped to do. I think part of today’s problem was realizing how swamped I am. I had hoped to finish the finance documentation, plan a team meeting, get approved projects underway, arrange meetings with SLICH Board members, read Comic Relief documentation, sort out contracts, call people about various registrations, chase up an audit, etc. It just wasn’t possible. And that got to me. I know I can only do so much, but being hit in the face with my limitations throughout the day was tough. Every time I looked at a clock, it was a few hours later than I expected. The day was flying by and I still had so much to do. I realized again that I need to acknowledge the fact that I will not be able to accomplish everything. I am one person, trying to do a job that is bigger than I can do at the moment. Hopefully, that will improve a bit over the next few weeks. For now, I’ll just have to manage. In Sierra Leonean style: ‘A go manage.’

To top it off, we now seem to be collecting rainwater inside our house! Our roof has a hole in it and the water is dripping into the corridor by the kitchen. There’s never a dull moment here. It’s go, go, go.