For the Children's Sake: My Internship at the Perinatal Program of Cook County Hospital
Abstract
I think that one issue that had a definite impact on me during
my internship at Cook County Hospital was the strength of women,
the influence of women, the power of women, the powerlessness of
women, and the love of women within this situation. This was
evident every day through the mothers as well as the staff. Mrs. L, a
young Hispanic mother, would be my ultimate source of
enlightenment. Through all my dealings with her she proved to me,
without having to prove to me nor even knowing that she was proving
to me, the resilience and devotion of mothers to their children. She
inspired me greatly and made me reflect on the all-encompassing
ability of women to adapt and cope and use all their inner resources
to survive. She had the roles of mother and wife and she performed
both of them with much care and much intelligence.
From the staff I also received a deeper look into the scope and
breadth of a woman's mind and heart. As nurse or psychologist or
social worker, these women devoted themselves to the service of
others. The health care profession attracted them for a variety of
reasons, but for similar reasons they stayed with it and endured all
the frustrations and hardships. Their sense of duty, their
commitment to their work, their ability to adapt to situations and
work toward a better way were all inspirational. And most inspiring
of all was the strong level of satisfaction each of these women felt
within their present situation, and within their lives.
This is what I have learned during the three months at the
Perinatal Program: the make-up of the Perinatal Program, its
purposes, the services it provides, the duties of the team members,
my responsibilities and duties as an intern, the set-up and purpose of
the High-Risk Clinic, the problems and social issues that are faced,
and then most importantly, how women, both as patients and health
care professionals, despite the overwhelming obstacles, dealt with
situations and always came away stronger than before.