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.