The Hospital at the End of the World

There are 2,600 hospitals in Asia, Africa and South America which could be classified as "Mission Hospitals" - far off the beaten path, providing basic medical service to the poorest people of the world. The Hospital at the End of the World tells the story of a nurse from the USA and his first experience as a teaching nurse in Nepal.

Joe Niemczura brings to life the day-to-day realities of life in a rural teaching hospital, literally at the "end of the road." The harsh realities of a lack of modern medical equipment when mixed with the humanness of endurances demonstrates that above all, it is the individual who matters; both patient and caregiver. All else pales in comparison. The strength of this story is in relationships with students, physicians, other nurses, patients, families and most importantly with Nepal itself. There is a sense of community connectedness which the author brings alive as the reader becomes one with the story. The heartbreak and grief of death to the celebrations of life will elicit those same emotions. The thread through it all is the author's own journey as he discovers himself and renews his spirituality. The reader is immediately pulled into the drama and nakedness, and the beauty and mystery of this incredible part of the world.
Ellen L. Bridge, RN, BS, MTS, Public Health Nursing Consultant
 

Opening Note
Dedication
The Bubble
Making a Map of the Beds
Leaving Honolulu
Hiring My Didi
The Christian Church in Tansen
Celeste
The Cardboard Box
Surgical Ward
Working With Beginner Nursing Students
Padma and the Tuscany of Nepal
If you’ll be my bodyguard, I will be your long lost pal…
Surgery Rounds
Dressing and Looking the Part of a Magar Hill Woman
Rescuing Patients
Maternity and Nativity
Missionary Comings and Goings
The Last Night of the Proms
Sandy’s Report From Mugu
The Messenger of Shiva
The Wizard of Auz
The Mona Lisa of Nepal
Children on Pallets
The Students Buckle Down
An Unexpected Person Outside the ER
Advice From an Aussie
New Uses for Banana Leaves
Fourth of July
Rati Asks for a Favor
Baptism by Fire
The Maoists and the Attack on Tansen
Visitors From Kathmandu
Trip to Pokhara
The Hotel Barahi
In Search of Serenity
Will the Monsoon Ever Arrive?
The Missionary Position and Others
Sanjita Takes a Vacation
Padma Visits Pediatrics
Saying Goodbye to the Students
Leaving Tansen
Boudhanath
The Week in Kathmandu
What I Missed
Return to Honolulu
Wrapping It Up
Acknowledgements
About the Names
Appendix 1: What Would Florence Nightingale Do?
Appendix 2: Within the Walls of the Hospital Compound
Appendix 3: Learning the Nepali Language
Appendix 4: What Is Different About Hospitals In Nepal?
Appendix 5: Nepal Travel Warning
Appendix 6: Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
Bibliography
Glossary of Nepali Terms
Confirmed Birds
About the Author