Yesterday was a pretty easy going day. We split up into two groups and went to two different hospitals. The hospital my group visited was a maternity hospital and was locket about 40 minutes outside of the city. Fortunately for my group members and I, this allowed us to take a nap on the way to the hospital after waking up around 7 am.
When we arrived to the hospital we got a tour from the head nurse, Maria Green, and were able to ask questions about the hospital. At the end of questions and answers, Maria gave our group the tour, and we saw most of the facility. The hospital building was extremely old and although they provided great care, the infrastructure of the hospital caused challenges for the staff. For example, there were many leaks in the ceiling, so some rooms couldn’t be occupied. However, Maria, explained how dedicated the nurses in the hospital were to providing quality care. She explained how many of the nurses weren’t even high school graduates but were some of the best nurses she had ever worked with. It was interesting to see how all these women were happy to serve and make a difference in the hospital community.
Speaking of making a difference, later in the day we visited the Evita Perón Museum. At the museum we had a beautiful tour by a beautiful tour guide, and she told us about the impact Evita had on Argentina. Our tour guide explained how Evita changed society and was kind of a Cinderella story in the sense that she didn’t start out from much and made it to the top. Evita was a figure that represented beauty, power, and justice. Her actions made many social impacts in Argentina’s society and she showed the potential of not only women, but also the working class.
Evita was a huge advocate for women’s right and was determined to help all women get into the workforce. She established the Evita Perón Foundation which helped to aid women getting jobs in the workforce, and having larger roles in Argentina’s society. She was also an advocate for quality healthcare for everyone. To kill two birds with one stone, Evita was able to help establish the Nursing School, la Escuela de Enfermeras. This school helped women become nurse and enter the workforce, and between 1950-1951, the school graduated 5,000 nurses.
Evita’s work and figure has had a huge impact on the nursing system in Argentina. It helped women get into the workforce and helped better the healthcare system. I now see that many of the nurses in the hospital we visited may just be trying to do their part in society, and as they do, they are being watched over by the women who help start a movement.