Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Panama 2011

Today is pretty much half way through the trip! It really has been an amazing experience, I've definitely adjusted to a different lifestyle. Clinicals have been good so far, I've been able to give many IM injections which I hadn't done before coming to Panama. I haven't seen a live birth yet but I'm hoping I will be able to see one before I leave. The community where I am doing clinicals is called Soloy. It is a very poor community that has little health care and no filtered water. The clinic is unsanitary. My group is doing clinicals along with the UNACHI nursing students which is pretty cool because they teach us how they do certain things and we teach them how we do. I was in their Emergency Room yesterday and it is nothing like it is back home. It's an open room with no indicidual private rooms. Everything basically happens in the open, which is completely different thaN the U.S because we are very strict in practicing patient privacy. The school that is up the street from the clinic has over 700 students. The classrooms aren't merely as sophisticated as the classrooms I've seen back home. But students don't know anyhing else so they are content with what they have. Today we taught 4 different classes dental hygine, proper handwashing and about the different vitamins found in fruits and vegetables. It felt good to inform these children on things can do to prevent getting sick and transmitting bacteria. Tomorrow we will be going back to the school and teaching the students about the importance of recycling. Overall, I've noticed the people living in these communities are living the simple life. It doesn't get any more simple then living their life. Goin out into the communities a d seeing all these families that have lived their whole life without clean filtered water is amazing. I've definitely taken drinking water from the faucet as granted. Their lifestyle has given me a new prospective on life. I hope the next few days are filled with good experiences! :)

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