The syringe 1 by Steve Tetteh

Childhood Cancer

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Discover your

Body Shape

Life Style Deseases

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Interviews

HOD, Dr. V. Bam + Dean of Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Dr. A. Y. Debrah... PICTURE GALLERIES + ARTICLES + FASHION + POEMS + PUZZLES...

Editor s Words

t is said that successful people are not exceptional people, what perhaps makes them special or superior is that they are forwardlooking. It has been a yearlong work to come to you with the 3rd edition of the Syringe Magazine, and we say glory and honour be unto the name of our Lord. In fact, this magazine has been 'dead' for long but thanks to God for helping this year's editorial team members to resurrect it once again.This edition comes with a focus on lifestyle diseases, as well as other rich content such as exclusive interviews, edutainment articles and many more. A very big thank you to the editorial board members for their efforts and sleepless nights to make this magazine resurface this year. To the HOD of Nursing, Dean of FAHS, UNSAG President, Alumni, my fellow honourable executives, friends of NSA-KNUST and the entire nursing students of KNUST; we say God bless you. We owe special thanks to all our sponsors, advertisers and audience for making this vision a great success. Even as you have this copy in your hand, we trust that you learn something new.

C O N T E N T 7

Editorial 1

8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9

Jennifer Sefakor Kpogo - Editor-in-Chief Mary Anaafo - Associate Editor Priscilla Aba Aggrey - Managing Editor Edna Nketiah Ababio - Gen. Secretary Albert Amagyei - Financial O cer James Appeh Titi - Publicity O cer Kwabena Anar Boateng - Publishing O cer Isaac Dickson - Creative Director Designed & Published

C O N C E P T

T: 020 077 7710 / 032 206 1048 W: www.creativetouchgh.com E: info@creativetouchgh.com

Interview with Nursing Head of Department

Childhood Cancer

A Decade Of Training Professional And Competent Nurses At Knust

14 18 22 26 32

Discover your Body Shape Health Week [Pictures] Socialising [Pictures] Money or Sex...? Puzzle + Riddles

Nsa Executives Names 1

President Kwadwo Aduse Poku 2 Vice President Mavis Osei Boafo 3 General Secretary Jennifer Sefakor Kpogo 4 Financial Secretary Georgina Mireku 5 Organising, Sports & Entertainment Secretary Victoria Apau 6 Liason O cer Samuel Asare 7 Health & Education O cer Patriot Ofori-Aning 8 Judicial Commissioner Isaac Bamfo 9 Electoral Commissioner Amankona Kwame Foster 10 Ex-o cio Prince Kyei Ba our 11 Sports & Entertainment Chairman Stephen Abdul Razak

Exclusive Interview THE HEAD OF NURSING DEPARTMENT DR (MRS) VICTORIA BAM It is a pleasure to meet you today Madame. The pleasure is all mine.

NSA

Please what are some of the challenges you face as the HOD for this noble department? Thanks for describing the department as noble. First of all we are very proud to be part of this department, because it is a department that has lots of opportunities opened to us to develop. We know a lot of people want to do nursing because it is human centered, it's important we strive for excellence in delivering whatever program the department has. In doing that you need resources. Currently we have a number of programs as our KNUST campus programs. We are doing the BSc General Nursing, BSc Emergency Nursing and BSc Midwifery (regular and sandwich). These programmes need a lot of time with the students. Since they are human centered many a times the students face challenges hence time is needed to talk to them privately. Our biggest problem as a department now is inadequate space. We don't have enough space to meet our aspiration at the moment. However we have plans towards this as a department, faculty and the university to be able to deliver quality service and teaching to make learning interesting for our students and to inspire them for what they are in the university for.

Madame, you were talking about space as a challenge, do you have plans of establishing School of Nursing? Our plans are big. Just as I said we are a department with so many opportunities. We have a number of universities and colleges that are afďŹ liated to KNUST, and we have lecturers in the department that are assigned to these institutions as moderators. We know that KNUST has a standard and that standard needs to be maintained, and the department of Nursing has that responsibility too. Now the Ministry of Health has afďŹ liated its diploma awarding institution and this includes Community Health Nursing School, Nursing and Midwifery school. We have a big plan for a school considering the number of programmes we are running. The university is committed to developing the department into a school.

It has not been long introducing BSc Midwifery as a program in KNUST, do you have plans of admitting males to pursue this program? Thank you. That is a very important question we have people asking a number of times. What I will say for now is that till recently in Ghana we didn't have males permitted to do midwifery but the MOH is pivoting it in a few schools. The regulatory body Nursing and Midwifery Council has permitted midwifery to be a program for only females. The outcome from the pilot schools will inform our decision whether to admit males into midwifery. But currently, it is only females.

Please can you tell us how you are able to handle your responsibilities as a mother, wife, lecturer and HOD? Wow…that's an interesting one there, I even have more responsibilities than that of mother, wife, lecturer and HOD…hahaha. How do I cope? I always see every day as an opportunity to impact the lives of others. And any day I get up from my bed and open my eyes I see it as a gift from God. So I totally depend on God to guide me, order my steps and teach me how to balance my time so that I can do all that has been assigned to me. Hence once He has given me the opportunity, He will as well give me the best guidance to go about the day. Your position as the HOD have you encountered any fear or anything that has swept you off your feet before? Ummm….I don't think so. I face challenges and each day has its own challenges that come with it. Hence you have to manage your time well and know how to deal with people you encounter in each day. As I said earlier, I depend on God and trust that I have wisdom to relate to people as I should. So having a particular fear, I will say I've not. We have a challenge as a department as in getting

classrooms for our students and also lecturers in the specialized fields. Please what next after your PHD? Erhmmm….I will continue to do my work to impact lives and also do more for the department. For your information, the department is in the process of preparing postgraduate programmes. We are hoping to do MSc in Clinical nursing, MPhil in Nursing and also a PHD in Nursing. As I told you it is a department full of opportunities because people want to upgrade themselves and we think that is the reason we are here as educators to create opportunities for people to upgrade themselves. I personally believe that this is what is going to change the impression the public has about us and also the phase of Nursing and Midwifery in this country as we give people the opportunity to upgrade themselves. University education is meant to broaden your mind to be more analytical and do more critical thinking. You were talking about creating opportunity for students to upgrade themselves, so how then does the department help good students who want to upgrade themselves after the degree? With the support of the Dean and the immediate past Dean, we called on the University to sponsor some of our students who qualified with first class so that they can come back and join the department. And so that was what we did hence we have some of the former students helping the department as lecturers. We are continuing with that but by the way postgraduate studies is expensive and so anyone

The Syringe

Most often parents do advice their female wards not to attain PHD with the perception that they won't be able to get the opportunity to marry. Please what's your view on that? Hmmm….I will answer this in two ways. Our culture has inuenced that perception. Because we have a male dominated culture, it is expected that in family life the woman submits to the man. The bible also teaches us about submission and it says that both the man and woman need to submit to each other. And it goes on to tell the husband that love your wife and the woman submit to your husband because he is the head. For this to work well a lot depends on the woman, If you have a PHD what did you get the PHD for? The PHD helps you to acquire more knowledge to impact the lives of people. Hence when you get the PHD and you tend to be like you are on top of everything, you won't get very far. Because our culture expects women to submit, there is always this fear in the men that when a woman goes higher she wouldn't submit to them

as the head. Hence the bottom line is being ﬁlled with humility knowing that given that opportunity to do either ﬁrst degree or others is for you to affect other people's lives for the better. Though our culture and religion have inuenced that perception, know that any female that wants to attain PHD and also to succeed in marriage life needs to be humble.

Cont’d on Page 6

who wants to upgrade should prepare themselves ﬁnancially. So currently, areas that do not have enough lecturers, we are discussing with the University to see where the University can help so that these people can be trained at the postgraduate level. And also starting the Master's program is an opportunity we are creating as a department in order for our own students to come and upgrade themselves. We have some of our past students who keep coming in order to upgrade themselves and also come back to the department as lecturers. So what we do is to sit them down and give them advice and guidance on areas where we need lecturers as a department so that they can concentrate on those areas.

NSA

Any advice for your wonderful students? Yes, students that we are very proud of. The advice is this. You had an objective for coming to the school, that is the primary objective but when you enter the University you will see that the world is opened to you, then other objectives start coming up. My ﬁrst advice is that students should focus on their primary objective. The university is a big transition from SHS and we all had that experience. You know in the SHS the bell goes for rising time, prep time, dining time and the rest, so you still have your teachers being your parents and guiding you. But it is not the same in the University. You enter into the university and you begin to see this, 'What a place of freedom!' There is no restriction but as a student you should acknowledge that you have come to a system that is offering you more

freedom than you had in the SHS. Hence it's important that students begin to plan their life and in planning your life, you might now be adding secondary and tertiary objectives to your primary objective of coming here and if you don't balance your time you may end up losing focus of the primary objective. Secondly, the university is a big place that offers a lot of opportunities even outside academic work because we want to develop the person totally and socially. Then what is your responsibility? Your responsibility is to balance your time such that you can achieve your objective and develop as a total person. One thing that makes one successful in life is GOD, Total dependence on God. You should know Christ and know that you are accountable to Him ﬁrst before being accountable to your friends and parents. Know also that it is an opportunity God has given to students to come to the university to transform life. God bless you and I wish you all the best. God bless you too. Thank you.

WHAT ARE LIFESTYLE DISEASES?

Lifestyle diseases are diseases associated with smoking and alcohol and drug abuse, Alzheimer's disease, Arthri s, atherosclerosis, asthma, some kinds of cancer, chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, chronic obstruc ve pulmonary disease, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, chronic renal failure, osteoporosis, stroke, depression and obesity. Diet and lifestyle are major factors thought to inﬂuence suscep bility to many diseases. Drug abuse, tobacco smoking, and alcohol drinking, as well as a lack of exercise may also increase the risk of developing certain diseases, especially later in life. This magazine seeks to touch on some of these diseases.

Diabetes Facts 

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Poor healing of sores, vaginal infections, impotence, weight gain, numbness or tingling of the extremities, and itchy skin can also be associated with diabetes. Diabetes is diagnosed by blood sugar (glucose) testing. The major complications of diabetes are both acute and chronic. Acute complications: dangerously elevated blood sugar (hyperglycemia) or abnormally low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) due to diabetes medications Chronic complications: disease of the blood vessels (both small and large) that can damage the feet, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart There is no cure for diabetes, and it persists throughout life.

However, diet, exercise, and medication can help manage glucose levels and prevent complications. Diabetes treatment depends on the type and severity of the diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin, exercise, and a diabe c diet. Type 2 diabetes is ﬁrst treated with weight reduction, a diabetic diet, and exercise. When these measures fail to control the elevated blood sugars, oral medications are used. If oral medications are still insufﬁcient, insulin and other injectable medications are considered.

The Syringe

Diabetes is a chronic condition associated with abnormally high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Insulin produced by the pancreas lowers blood glucose. Absence or insufﬁcient production of insulin causes diabetes. The two types of diabetes are referred to as type 1 and type 2. Former names for these conditions were insulindependent and non-insulindependent diabetes, or juvenile onset and adult onset diabetes. Diabetes affects many different body systems and causes a number of symptoms, including excessive hunger and/or thirst, dry mouth, increased urination, tiredness, unexplained weight loss, headaches, and vision changes.

CHILDHOOD CANCER INCREASING NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE

WARNING SIGNS The major symptoms include signs of the eye such as white spots (leucokoria), squint, blindness and a bulging eye. Others include

Childhood cancer also known as paediatric

CAUSES

swellings which mostly occur in the abdomen,

cancer is cancer in a child. The age for

Little is known about the cause of childhood

head and neck and of the upper and lower

childhood cancers span the age of 0-14years

cancers but there are some associations which

limbs. Swellings can occur in any part of the

increase the risk of it. This includes environmental

body. Patients may also present with

inclusive and sometimes include young adults of 15-19years. When they are detected early,

factors like the effects of radiation, drugs and

neurological changes. There can be change in

chemicals and infection from viruses like

gait and balance. Also a change in sensorium

they can be cured in about 85% of patients.

hepatitis B and Epstein Barr Virus and HIV

with headaches and early morning vomiting

Unfortunately due to nancial constraints

infections. Prenatal exposure to tobacco and

can indicate that the child has a cancer.

coupled with the lack of awareness of the disease and limited access to health services many children tend to lose their lives to the

radiation also has an association with the

They can also present with prolonged fevers

aetiology of childhood cancers. Genetic

and weight loss with bleeding, fatigue, pallor

factors are identied in 5-15% of childhood

and severe bone pain and back pain. These

cancers cases seen.

disease Only 1% of cancers in Ghana are childhood

TYPES

chemotherapy, surger y or radiotherapy.

cancers and these children have the potential

The commonest type of cancers seen in Ghana

Treatment also involves the psycho-social

of living longer lives. Ironically, they are not

is the Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and

support for the child and whole family.

covered by the NHIS.

specically Burkitt's lymphoma. Other cancers

Chemotherapy is available but expensive with

In Ghana, about one thousand two hundred

seen are: 1.

Wilm's tumour (kidney)

drugs and this is having adverse effects on the

with childhood cancers every year of these,

Retinoblastoma (eye)

survival.

about 300 patients get access to care in the

Neuroblastoma

Health care workers and patients are encouraged to know these warning signs and

specialized centres and even with those who

Leukaemia

present, about 60% present in late stages

Osteosarcoma (bone)

also have a high index of suspicion for cancers

Hodgkin's Lymphoma

when patients are seen.

Brain tumours.

All hands need to be on deck to support these

Rhabdomyosarcoma

children.

Hepatoblastoma

cases are being reported too late for medical help. Where delays have occurred they are due to such factors as lack of awareness, long distance travels to seek orthodox medical treatment and seeking help from traditional healers before coming to the hospital.

NSA

patients defaulting due to the high cost of the

(1200) children below age 15 are affected

contributing to the greater mortality. A lot more

childhood cancers can be managed with a multidisciplinar y approach using

10. Germ cell Tumours 11. Ewing's Sarcoma

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW. NO CHILD SHOULD SUFFER AND DIE FROM CANCER. THEY ALSO NEED TO LIVE.

Asthma Attack : 'I Can't Breathe.

HE CASE: A 25-year-old man comes to the clinic saying he's having trouble breathing. He was diagnosed with asthma as a child, and his asthma attacks have become more frequent over the past few years. The previous evening, he woke up in the middle of the night with a dry cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath. The patient has not had a fever, but he has had a mild cold for the past week. He ran out of his asthma inhaler weeks ago. He smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. On exam, the patient appeared winded and was wheezing.

Asthma is a chronic lung condi on caused by inflamma on of the lining of the airways. It affects about 12 million Americans and the number of people with asthma is increasing worldwide. Typical asthma symptoms include wheezing, cough, and shortness of breath. An asthma a ack can be triggered by viral infec ons, cold air, allergies to dust, pollen, molds or animal dander, and tobacco smoke, among others. This pa ent has at least two possible triggers for his asthma a ack, namely an upper respiratory tract infec on and cigare e use. It may be difficult to prevent the common cold, but he could certainly help himself by not smoking. Cigare e smoke not only increases the risk that someone will develop asthma, but he ran out of his asthma inhaler weeks ago so that when he developed an asthma a ack in the middle of the night, he had no medica on to help him. As a result, by the me he arrived at our clinic, he was in significant distress. All asthma cs should make sure they have plenty of medica on on hand at all mes. Asthma is a serious illness that can be fatal if not treated promptly. With several breathing treatments and oral steroids, the pa ent was feeling much be er. He was given refills on his inhalers and instructed to quit smoking. The pa ent was referred to an asthma program where he will get advice on how to manage his asthma at home and how to kick his smoking habit. Is Asthma Hurting Your Sex Life?

"Any type of physical ac vity can precipitate asthma," explains allergist and immunologist M a r k S . D y kew i c z , M D, p ro fe s s o r o f pulmonary, cri cal care, allergy, and immunologic medicine at Wake Forest Bap st Medical Center in Winston‐Salem, N.C. "For some people, sex is the most vigorous physical ac vity that they experience." In fact, sex is about as vigorous as walking quickly. And for some people, that level of ac vity is enough to trigger the shortness of breath, ght chest, wheezing, and cough that are classic symptoms of an asthma a ack. This is called an "exercise‐induced bronchospasm," and most people who experience this because of sex could also experience it as the result of other types of physical ac vity. Dr. Dykewicz points out that if your asthma symptoms are truly due to sexual ac vity, they are more likely to occur ﬁve to eight minutes a er sexual intercourse is over, rather than during sex. What's more, if you're experiencing asthma a ack symptoms during or a er sex, it's probably because your asthma is poorly controlled. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor about your treatment op ons, such as: ·

Inhaler. It's not sexy, granted, but taking a puﬀ or two of a short‐ ac ng bronchodilator 15 to 20 minutes before intercourse could prevent the asthma symptoms you fear. Daily medication. If you have asthma and need more control than simply during sex, talk to your doctor about your op ons for daily asthma medica on.

· Daily medica on. If you have asthma and need more control than simply during sex, talk to your doctor about your op ons for daily asthma medica on. If you are having asthma a acks because of sex and not at any other me, it's worth considering other causes besides sex‐induced asthma. Possible factors include: · Heart problems. Early signs of heart disease can look like asthma. Don't write them oﬀ — get a doctor's evalua on. · Latex allergies. Modern condoms

are made with latex, which contains fewer of the proteins that trigger latex allergies, but it is s ll possible for some people — primarily women, says Dykewicz — to have a local allergic reac on, and possibly even asthma symptoms, as a result. Other symptoms could include a drop in blood pressure, problems breathing, hives, or gastrointes nal discomfort. Switching to non‐latex condoms is an op on, but bear in mind that they don't provide the same level of protec on from sexually transmi ed diseases. · Tra u m a o r a n x i e ty. S t re s s ca n definitely trigger asthma a acks, and there are a number of reasons why you could feel a high level of stress around sex, including having sex for the first me or trying to overcome a history of trauma, such as rape. Working with your doctor or even a therapist could help you overcome asthma due to stress or anxiety. Consider these op ons: · Biofeedback. "There is solid research showing that biofeedback training focusing on heart rate and breathing makes a difference with the asthma symptoms themselves," says Boston‐ based health psychologist Inna Khazan, Ph D. "I t 's n o n inva s ive, u s es n o medica on, isn't me‐consuming, and gives people some skills they can really use before they engage in sexual ac vity." · Mindfulness. One of the problems with asthma a acks and stress, says Khazan, is that the experience can become a vicious cycle. You have an asthma a ack during or a er sex once and then later, your fear of having another one almost becomes the trigger for asthma symptoms or can simply prevent your enjoyment of sex. "The most important thing is coming to accept that struggling with the thought of 'Oh no, what if I have an asthma a ack?' is likely to make things worse," she says. Mindfulness training can prevent that cycle from perpetua ng. · Therapy. If you have previous trauma such as rape or sexual abuse, you might need more intensive therapy to work through that trauma and rebuild your sexual life. "It is going to come up and it's not something that you can get a quick answer to," she says. · Seminal plasma allergen. "Women can become allergic to the protein in men's semen," says Dykewicz. Symptoms may be mild, such as vaginal inflamma on or

Cont’d on Page 10

The Syringe

Sex should be enjoyable, but it can trigger an asthma attack or allergic reaction in susceptible people. Find out how to cope if sex sometimes leaves you coughing or short of breath.

Allergic to sex? If that sounds like an excuse to avoid in macy, consider this: For a few unlucky people, sex‐induced asthma a acks are a scary reality. And for a very small number of women with allergies, their partners' semen could be behind their allergic response or asthma symptoms. The good news is that all of these problems can be managed with the help of a medical professional.

other irrita on, but in some cases it can evolve into full‐blown anaphylaxis. There is usually a bit of me delay between intercourse and the allergic reac on, however. This condi on can be diagnosed with a skin test, and treatment involves a process of gradual desensi za on to the man's semen. ·

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Food or medication allergies. Another possibility, says Dykewicz, is that you have allergies that are being triggered by your partner's semen. So for example, a woman who is allergic to penicillin might have an allergic reac on or asthma symptoms because her partner is taking penicillin. The same can occur with food allergies. It's rare, he says, but can happen. Vocal cord dysfunc on. Anxiety and stress can cause the vocal cords to ghten and close. This causes a choking sensa on rather than classic asthma symptoms, but s ll may occur along with asthma and can be confused with asthma by some people. This can be treated with stress management techniques and some mes requires speech or respiratory therapists.

The bottom line: If sex leaves you coughing and wheezing — and it's not your partner taking your breath away — talk to your doctor. There are a number of reasons for that response, and they can all be addressed. KWABENA ANARFI NURSING 2

Hypertension

ypertension puts strain on the heart, leading to hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease. Hypertension is also a major risk factor for stroke, aneurysms of the arteries (e.g. aor c aneurysm), peripheral arterial disease and chronic kidney disease. Hypertension is classified as either primary (essen al) hypertension or secondary hypertension; about 90–95% of cases are categorized as primary hypertension which means high blood pressure with no obvious underlying medical cause. The remaining 5–10% of cases categorized as secondary hypertension is caused by other condi ons that affect the kidneys, arteries, heart or endocrine system. Dietary and lifestyle changes can improve blood pressure control and decrease the risk of health complica ons, although drug treatment is s ll o en necessary in people for whom lifestyle changes are not enough or not effec ve. Classi cation of hypertension

Systolic/mmHg Normal Prehypertension Stage 1 hypertension Stage 2 hypertension

90–119 120–139 140–159 160

diastolic/mmHg 60‐79 80–89 90–99 100

In people aged 18 years or older, hypertension is defined as a systolic and/or a diastolic blood pressure measurement consistently higher than an accepted normal value. Hypertension is classified as "resistant" if medica ons do not reduce blood pressure to normal levels. Clinical Manifestation Hypertension is rarely accompanied by any symptoms, and its iden fica on is usually through screening, or when seeking healthcare for an unrelated problem. A propor on of people with high blood pressure report headaches (par cularly at the back of the head and in the morning), as well as lightheadedness, ver go, nnitus (buzzing or hissing in the ears), altered vision or fain ng episodes. These symptoms, however, might be related to associated anxiety rather than the high blood pressure itself.

NSA

Some addi onal signs and symptoms may suggest secondary hypertension, i.e. hypertension due to an iden ﬁable cause such as kidney diseases or endocrine diseases. For example, truncal obesity, glucose intolerance, moon face, a hump of

fat behind the neck/shoulder, and purple stretch marks suggest Cushing's syndrome. Thyroid disease and acromegaly can also cause hypertension. Diagnosis Hypertension is diagnosed on the basis of a persistent high blood pressure that is at least three measurements on at least two separate health care visits. An excep on to this is those with very high blood pressure readings especially when there is poor organ func on. Prevention The ﬁrst line of treatment for hypertension is iden cal to the recommended preven ve lifestyle changes and includes dietary changes, physical exercise, and weight loss. These have all been shown to signiﬁcantly reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension: 

maintain normal body weight for adults (e.g. body mass index 20–25 kg/m2)

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reduce dietary sodium intake to <100 mmol/ day (<6 g of sodium chloride or <2.4 g of sodium per day)

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engage in regular aerobic physical ac vity such as brisk walking (≥30 min per day, most days of the week)

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avoid or reduce alcohol consump on

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consume a diet rich in fruit and vegetables (e.g. at least ﬁve por ons per day);

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Several exercise regimes—including aerobic exercise, resistant exercise, and device‐guided breathing—may be useful in reducing blood pressure.

Effec ve lifestyle modifica on may lower blood pressure as much as an individual an hypertensive drug. Combina ons of two or more lifestyle modifica ons can achieve even be er results.

ALBERT AMAGYEI

Wing and Chairman for drafting the

Counselors'

Manual

GHAMSU- KNUST Local. Though he struggled in accepting his course of study, he is glad and convinced to say today that it was God's perfect Will for him. He has also learnt numerous life lessons through

nursing.

Again,

received a standing ovation (First Class

Honours)

during

his

graduation in June, 2014. As a good Christian (Methodist), his interests centre much on studying and sharing the engrafted Word of God as well as reading extensively to build his knowledge capacity. He is affable, kind, an intelligentsia, self-motivated and purpose-driven in life. He is a

MEET THE

young man of principle because he believes that in life, â&#x20AC;&#x153;if you don't stand up to something, you will fall

NSA President

for everythingâ&#x20AC;?. With the grace of God, he is working assiduously to realize the noble dreams of his life.

Of 2012/2013 Administrative Year

He says a big thank you to God and NSA for the privilege given him to

recious

Kwesi

Adade

exams and was admitted into the

feature in this edition of the

Duodu hails from Agona

Department of Nursing, KNUST in

Syringe Magazine.

Nsaba

August 2010.

the

His birthday is on 7

Central n

July. He

attended Agona Nsaba Methodist

In KNUST, he served as Class President

and

NSA

Judicial

Committee Secretary for almost

'B' Primary School and Agona

two (2) years before been elected as

Swedru Greenfield Preparatory

the NSA President (2012/2013

JSS. He proceeded to Agona

administrative

Swedru

represented students' interests on

Senior

High

School

year).

(SWESCO) as a General Science

various negotiation tables as far as

student where he became the

the national level. Simultaneously,

Overall Best Student during the 50th

Anniversary

celebration in 2009. He passed his

he served as the Vice President of Welfare, Visitation and Counseling

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school's

A Decade Of Training Professional And Competent Nurses At Knust Dr. Alexander Yaw Debrah (BSc. [Hons], M.Phil., PhD) Dean of Faculty of Allied Health Sciences

“I acknowledge that the special training I have received has prepared me as a responsible member of the community. I promise to care for the sick with all the skill I possess, no ma er what their race, creed, colour, poli cs, or social status, sparing no eﬀort to conserve life, alleviate pain and promote health. I promise to respect at all mes the dignity of the pa ent in my charge…..”

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t is with pleasure that I write this as the Dean of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences. The Faculty is made up of four departments, one of which is the Department of Nursing. The department was established about 10 years ago with a core mandate of training competent and professional nurses and had the mission of training nurses to work in hospitals, in the communities and also to teach. As a Faculty, the question we have to ask ourselves is “have we been able to achieve our mandates for which we were established'? Casting our minds back, we can beat our chest with pride that we are on course of achieving our core aims and objectives. With the support of the faculty, the Department of Nursing has been able to produce competent and professional nurses and midwives who are contributing their quota to the health care delivery in Ghana and the world at large. There are good testimonies and compliments from our stakeholders about the professional manner in which our nurses and midwives discharge their duties. However, as nurses and midwives, we need to do more, looking at the nurses' pledge above. The nation and the nursing fraternity are faced with a lot of

challenges. Notably among them are, the low nurse–to-patient ratio in the country and how to achieve the millennium development goals (MDG) 4 and 5, i.e. reducing child mortality and improving maternal health respectively. The faculty is doing everything possible to achieve these important international dreams. That's why I would like to congratulate my predecessor Rev. Prof. John Appiah Poku, the current and the past heads of Department of Nursing for introducing BSc. Midwifery and BSc. Emergency Nursing and also increasing the intake of nursing students over the years. The nurses and midwives trained here are doing their outmost best to achieve these set goals. I am very optimistic that sooner than later we will be able to achieve the MDG 4 and 5. Notwithstanding the above achievements as a faculty, as the new Dean of the Faculty, I have inherited a number of challenges that must be addressed to move the faculty to the next level. Some of the challenges confronting the faculty that need immediate attention are:  Offices for lecturers and staff: It is my wish that by the time I leave office as the dean, lecturers and staff will have enough and decent offices in order to carry our their duties. 

Comfortable classrooms for

A Letter From The

The Exchange Commitee

teaching and learning: The faculty needs well-equipped classrooms to make teaching and learning comfortable.  Good and well-equipped skills laboratories for demonstration and teaching.  Buses to transport students to clinical sites for practicals  Introduction of postgraduate courses to train clinical nurse specialists for Ghana and for the West Africa sub-region.  Increase research output of the departments and the faculty  Rebrand all the departments and the faculty. Admittedly, the above tasks seem very challenging. However, with all hands on deck they are surmountable. In conclusion I will say the future of our departments and Faculty looks bright, so let's all be proud of our faculty. LONG LIVE The Department of Nursing LONG LIVE The Faculty of Allied Health Sciences LONG LIVE KNUST

LAIASON OFFICER SAMUEL ASARE

The Syringe

here lived a toad in a well who thought that the well was the whole universe. One day a turtle from the Eastern Ocean was passing by the well when the turtle heard a voice coming out of the well. The turtle peeped into the well and saw that it's the voice of the toad. “Look how well I am off here!” told the toad to the turtle. “I can hop along the coping of the well when I go out, and rest by a crevice in the bricks on my return. I can wallow to my heart's content with only my head above water, or ankle deep through soft mud. No crabs or tadpoles can compare with me. I am master of the water and lord of this shallow well. Why don't you come here more often to have a good time? ". After hearing everything patiently, the turtle started describing the toad about the ocean world- “It's more than a thousand miles across and more than ten thousand feet deep. It has remained quite constant throughout the ages. That is why I like to live in the Eastern Ocean”. After knowing about the ocean world, the toad understood that the world had many secrets to unfold to us each day and night. We just need to open our eyes to get the fruit of knowledge. In this world of globalization, it is very important to have a detailed insight into the day to day happenings around the world. Since the end of World War II, the number of internationally mobile students continues to increase on a worldwide annual basis. The ow of students between countries creates a learning opportunity like no other. International education creates an environment of cultural understanding that exposes participants to new and different approaches to life, ways of thinking and governance. Only when we are able to develop an understanding of others and we can appreciate our differences will we able to have civil dialogue and work together on the world problems of tomorrow. International education and exchange plays a signiﬁcant role in bringing the world together. The international education exchange programs are designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of different nations. Educational and cultural exchange programs are run by different nations of the world so that our future generation can reap the fruit of international culture. Now we can witness a host of international schools in different cities of the countries where students are getting international standard of education. The free ow of information has now enabled the citizens of the different nations to become global citizens. For example, by embracing exchange opportunities, Ghana is gradually coming into the limelight in the world scenario and has raised a number of business leaders, politicians, educators, entertainers, journalists, healthcare providers, sportsmen and the like, who are making impact both locally and internationally because of their dynamic approach to solving problems in our developing society. It is important, therefore, to prepare ourselves as students for a more competitive world that we will face in the near future. Let us take advantage of the many resources at our disposal and build positive networks that will make us responsible and useful future leaders.

Discover your

Body Shape Straight

While we all come in different sizes and everybody is unique, experts have iden fied four basic body shapes that all women fall into. Body shapes are largely determined by bone structure, gene cs and age and, while lifestyle factors make a huge difference to the dimensions of your body, it can be difficult to change your basic shape. By iden fying your body shape, you can work with it to improve your overall health and appearance. Here are the four main female body shapes and what they mean for your health.

Apple shape/ Inverted triangle What is an apple shape? Apple‐shaped individuals carry excess weight around their abdomens (a “spare tyre") and lack a well‐deﬁned waistline. Weight gain tends to go straight to the tummy area and results in a rounded proﬁle. What does it mean for your health? Unfortunately, apple‐shaped women tend to be at greater risk of many health issues than those of other shapes. According to studies, those who carry extra weight around the middle are at higher risk of diabetes, heart problems, breast cancer, depression and fer lity issues.

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The apple shape diet and exercise plan Anybody who is carrying excess weight will improve their health and ﬁtness through diet and exercise. However, it is especially important for apple‐shaped women to take steps to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. To reduce your waistline, you should opt for a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio exercise every day (such as running, swimming, cycling and aerobics) to target fat and improve heart health.

It is important to also make dietary changes by cu ng back on calories (s cking to around 1500 calories a day), op ng for low‐GI foods and cu ng out saturated fats as much as possible. As research also suggests that stress can lead to increased storage of fat around the middle, apple‐shaped women may also ﬁnd it helpful to supplement their cardio workouts with a relaxing form of exercise such as yoga or Tai Chi.

Ruler/ Straight shape The “ruler” refers to a body shape where fat is distributed evenly and measurements of chest, hips and waist are all rela vely similar, giving the body a straight ruler shape. Ruler‐shaped women are not exempt from weight problems (you can s ll be overweight and a ruler); however many slender women do fall into this category. Ruler‐shaped women tend to have faster metabolisms than those of other shapes, meaning that they can lose weight more easily through diet and exercise. However, without an appropriate diet and exercise plan, ruler‐shaped ladies tend to gain weight on the stomach, leading to similar health issues as apple‐ shaped females. Luckily for ruler‐shaped ladies, weight gain and loss tends to be pre y even. However, this can also cause frustra on for women who long for a shapelier figure. As for those of all shapes, regular cardio workouts are essen al for keeping weight off and maintaining good health; however, ruler‐shaped women may also want to incorporate a program of resistance training to help sculpt the body. By building up muscles in the chest and bum area and ghtening their core, ruler‐shaped females can create defini on and add curves. Many ruler‐ shaped women are naturally thin; however it is s ll important for them to

Pear

Spoon

Hourglass

Top Hourglass

follow a healthy diet. While some slimmer individuals believe that they can eat whatever they want, a poor diet can s ll lead to poor health and energy levels regardless of your weight. Try to opt for a balanced diet high in nutri ous foods rather than empty calories.

Pear shape According to researchers at the North Carolina State University, just over one fi h of women are pear‐shaped, making it a very common body shape. Women of this shape have a larger hip than bust measurement and weight tends to se le on the lower part of the body; on the bum, hips and thighs. To begin with the bad news, research has found that pear‐shaped women are at greater risk of dangerous blood clots including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and are more likely to suffer from memory loss and arthri s later in life. However, on a brighter note, studies have also found that having a big bum and thighs has some great health benefits, as fat stored in this area mops up harmful fa y acids and cuts your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Although fat stored on the hips and thighs appears to be be er for your health than that stored on the abdomen, being overweight s ll has health implica ons regardless of where it is stored. Furthermore, without careful weight management pear‐ shaped women can start to pile on weight on the abdomen and waist too. To help maintain a healthy weight, pear‐ shaped women should focus on cardio exercises which target the lower body such as step aerobics, cycling and walking. Resistance training for the upper body can also help balance out your shape. Pear‐shaped ladies should also implement a healthy, balanced ea ng plan which can help with weight

Chocolate as a super sex food Inverted Traingle

Oval

Diamond

maintenance as well as helping to prevent cellulite. Ea ng foods rich in Omega‐3 fa y acids can also help ward oﬀ memory problems and Alzheimer's, which appear to be more prevalent in pear‐shaped women.

Hourglass shape The hourglass shape is one of the most sought a er body shapes but also one of the least common, belonging to just eight per cent of women. For hourglass‐shaped women the hip and bust measurements are of a similar size, with a much narrower waist measurement. Weight gain tends to accumulate on the chest, arms, hips and bum rather than the abdomen. Hourglass‐shaped women are lucky in that weight distribu on tends to be even, rather than accumula ng in one par cular area of the body. They also tend not to gain weight on the abdomen. Furthermore, research has suggested that women with hourglass ﬁgures are more fer le and may have higher intelligence levels.

Chocolate contains L'‐arginine, an amino acid that can be an eﬀec ve natural sex‐enhancer for both women and men. It works by increasing nitric oxide and promo ng blood ﬂow to your sexual organs, which increases sensa on, sa sfac on and desire.

S mulates and elevates mood Chocolate is known as a super libido food partly because it is a rich source of PEA, phenylethylamine, some mes referred to as the ''love supplement'' or the ''romance chemical''. As a s mulant and mood elevator, PEA can induce sensa ons of euphoria‐ and it's naturally released by your brain when you're in love. This chemical promotes the produc on of the neurotransmi er dopamine which enhances feelings of wellbeing, joy and pleasure. Final words‐ Before you grab a chocolate bar, it's important to know that all chocolates are not equal. And, the preferable choice is dark chocolate ‐cos is pure and unsweetened. BY JENNIFER SEFAKOR KPOGO

BY JENNIFER SEFAKOR KPOGO Nursing 3

Increases blood ﬂow to sexual organs

The Syringe

Hourglass ﬁgures tend to be quite well balanced, so hourglass‐shaped women should focus on maintaining their shape with full‐body workouts such as circuit training; combining cardio to keep oﬀ excess weight and resistance training to tone up. A healthy balanced diet will also help you maintain your curves. Like apple‐shaped women, hourglass‐shaped ladies may also wish to opt for relaxing exercises such as yoga, as studies suggest that stress can cause fat to shi from the hips to the waist. As curvy hourglass women are also prone to back pain, try doing exercises which strengthen the core and improve posture such as Pilates, and make sure you invest in a good, suppor ve exercise bra for all workouts.

Many people have heard that chocolate is for lovers. But it's not just because women love chocolate and get excited about opening a red heart‐shaped box. There's a biological basis for chocolate's sexy eﬀects. Dark chocolate contains substances that aﬀect our moods, energy and sexual func on in truly remarkable ways. Chocolate can help you feel healthier and sexier through the following ways;

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE NSA PRESIDENT FOR 2013/2014 ADMINISTRATIVE YEAR

y name is Baah Nantwi Augustine. I was born to Mr Kingsley Joseph Nantwi and Madam Margaret Animah on 7th July at Tepa in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. I am the third born of six children ( 3 g i r l s & 3 b o y s ) . I started school at Tepa Presby Primary School and then continued to Fountain of Life JHS at Tepa. After completion, I had admission into Opoku Ware School for my SHS education with the school number BK 306. I entered KNUST in September 2011 to pursue Nursing and will be graduating in June 2015.

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In KNUST, I had the opportunity to

serve as the Judicial Committee member of my class from 2011 to 2013. I became the President of NSA-KNUST in the 2013/ 2014 administrative year. I also served as a parliamentary member of the KNUST SRC parliament in the same year and was serving on the Budget and Finance Committee of the Parliament. I am currently the President of the University Nursing Students' Association of Ghana (UNSAG). My hobbies are singing and playing football. My favourite quote is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Respect great people to pave way for your own greatness".

Ward

The Syringe

HEALTH

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WEEK

The Syringe

REPORT ON THE EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH THE NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

am Evelyn Opoku-Afriyie, a third

year midwifery student. I made a trip

to the United Kingdom for a study

program.

I completed this ward on the 18th July and started C32 as a ward

Glory and Honour be to God for how far

I had been given a mentor so on arrival to

He has brought me; it is indeed His will.

the ward she already knew I was coming.

On arrival on the 28th June 2014, my

She introduced me to the other staff and

supervisor, Dr. Linda East welcomed me

oriented me on the ward.

at the national express bus station to

The ward actually is both gynaecological

bring me to my hostel.

and antenatal ward. Some of the activities

I started the registration and orientation

I took part was the vital signs, taking

the following week and had to write an

history, examination of the vagina using

information governance exams to get a

the speculum, how to determine the

certiﬁcate before I could start the program

wellbeing of a foetus using scan and how

at the hospital. My blood sample for the

to test for pregnancy using the Human

measles, rubella and varicella test was

chorionic gonadotropin test and the scan

also taken. I had the result on Friday 4th

(gestational sac).

July and had my placement as well.

I also had the encounter to know how to

I started the gynaecology (Loxley) ward on

talk to patient when they have a

Monday, 7th July at 7am till 6pm.

miscarriage.

At the ﬁeld we had to administer drugs,

But one thing that was so amazing was

vital signs, bath patient who are bed

that almost all the patient came with their

ridden and prepare patient for surgery.

husbands which made things easier for

Most of the things they do, they use

the nurses to console them but in Ghana

machines so it makes the work easier and

you won't ﬁnd that. There was even a

faster. The nurses are very polite to the

separate room for somebody to cry out

patient and really understand the patient

tears after scan if anything goes bad

right; the nurses are very nice to the

about the foetus before she is seen by a

patient as much as possible. Procedures

doctor and a nurse.

are thoroughly explained to patient before

The crying in a way calm the person and

it is started. There is also a clear

now accept it somehow. I realise it

demarcation of what every nurse is

relieved them and though still hurt, they

supposed to do on a shift. Also infection

are prepared to hear from you better than

control is very high especially the use of

Ghana where they just tell you the result

hand washing to prevent infection.

and you go home. When there is a

One thing that I saw which seem not to be

miscarriage they take the foetus to the lab

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which I think is very bad. I suggest we help as future midwives implement that and that can help reduce the natality rate as estimated. I really learnt the importance of men in pregnancy. As midwifes too, we should try our best

to let the Ghanaian men

know that they are involved in all the processes of their wives pregnancy. It even makes the work easier when the woman is supported. The nurses, sonographers at this particular ward was willingly to teach me and even the doctors. However I was able to meet some of my objectives but could not meet them all. This is because of my health status speciﬁcally the immunisation. I was immune to rubella, measles but not to varicella so the coordinator said the babies' immune system are not developed and therefore did not allow me to go to the neonatal unit. These immunisation can't be taken at a time and sometimes have to be taken with monthly intervals which the notiﬁcation came late. If possible an individual can only take one at a time but they wanted us to take all the shot which is not possible. In Ghana too, I learnt that they don't give varicella unless you have chicken pox so I suggest the program should be made known to people before we even start with the formal registration

helpful was the long shift because I

and assure you that they are going to ﬁnd

realised that after 4pm, nurses response

the reason why the foetus couldn't

to patient call was poor. Due to that they

survive and encourage the person to

especially the midwifery students since

go for break and even take more than the

move on, it isn't over yet, she can still

one hour given to them.

make it.

they mostly deal with the neonate. The mentorship set up is very good

In Ghana, no foetus is sent to the lab for

any investigation

the following week.

so that those interested can make the necessary test. This will really help