Nurses share training, human connection in Ugandan mission of mercy

Sustainability is a big, serious word, and it's one I've heard over and over this week. But in the case of the Duke Global Neurosurgery and Neuroscience program here in Uganda, sustainability is one of the most important words.

The goal is is to leave enough equipment behind and train enough personnel that they will be able to continue to do neurosurgery long after the American team is gone.

One of the nurses on the Stanford team, Jana, shared with me that at the beginning of the week she made a connection with a Ugandan nurse who was nervous about participating with the surgery team in the operating room. By the end of the week, with her help, the nurse is now confident and able to handle herself with little help from Jana by the surgeon's side. Jana said this was probably the most important thing she accomplished this week.

I also spoke with Sister Caroline, the head of nursing here in the operating theater at Mengo Hospital, and Rachel, a biomedical engineer here. They both said the training they received from the American team this week was invaluable. Even more importantly, they say the equipment they received will allow them to sustain this dream before me neurosurgery here at this hospital in Uganda.

Duke nurse Jen Massengill said she hopes she helped teach some of the Ugandans techniques this week, but in reality, she feels like they taught her more than she taught them. Probably, and most importantly, without all the resources we have back in America, Jen says she has learned to go back to basics, to do more with less, to work around what you don't have. She believes this experience will be invaluable when she returns to Duke.

And the best part is – she told me with tears in her eyes – coming here allowed her to remember why she became a nurse in the first place. If that's not sustainability, I don't know what it is …