There was a Mercy Ships photographer taking pictures of eye surgeries, which just happened just to be the OR I was in at the end of the week. I will post more about work later, but here are some pictures in the meantime. :)
Rebekah, Looks like a busy place in the OR and onboard ship! I am interested to find out about how blood products are handled in the OR's there. From where do you get your blood unit supply? Also,are all of the OR supplies paid for through donations to the Mercy Ships? How many surgeries per day are performed on average? Or does that just depend on how many surgeons are on board at the time?
Hi! I do need to do a post on the hospital. I will work on that this weekend. :)
The blood unit supply is the actual crew working on the ship! All the crew members (willing and able) are typed and screened when they board. Before a patient goes into the OR for extensive surgery, they are typed, crossed, and matched with a crew member. If they need blood for a surgery, the lab hunts down the crew member, takes their blood, and brings it to the OR. It takes a bit longer than just having it in freezers, but it is fun for the crew to actually meet the patient that gets their blood! And occasionally, be in the OR with the patient that is getting their blood.
Mercy Ships is run completely on donations. Most of the supplies are donated by medical supply companies. I am not sure how many surgeries are performed on average all the time, but since I have been here, we have done about 30 surgeries a day in 5 ORs. Not too busy, but very steady! It does depend on which surgeons are on board and what they speciality they are doing. It is a busy place, but it is run very efficiently with very little waste!
Rebekah,
ReplyDeleteLooks like a busy place in the OR and onboard ship! I am interested to find out about how blood products are handled in the OR's there. From where do you get your blood unit supply? Also,are all of the OR supplies paid for through donations to the Mercy Ships? How many surgeries per day are performed on average? Or does that just depend on how many surgeons are on board at the time?
Hi! I do need to do a post on the hospital. I will work on that this weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteThe blood unit supply is the actual crew working on the ship! All the crew members (willing and able) are typed and screened when they board. Before a patient goes into the OR for extensive surgery, they are typed, crossed, and matched with a crew member. If they need blood for a surgery, the lab hunts down the crew member, takes their blood, and brings it to the OR. It takes a bit longer than just having it in freezers, but it is fun for the crew to actually meet the patient that gets their blood! And occasionally, be in the OR with the patient that is getting their blood.
Mercy Ships is run completely on donations. Most of the supplies are donated by medical supply companies. I am not sure how many surgeries are performed on average all the time, but since I have been here, we have done about 30 surgeries a day in 5 ORs. Not too busy, but very steady! It does depend on which surgeons are on board and what they speciality they are doing. It is a busy place, but it is run very efficiently with very little waste!