After taking last year off from my medical mission trips, I'm back! This time...Panama!
April 26-May 3 I will be in western Panama in Ngabe-Bugléto provide physical therapy services as part of an interprofessional medical team from Samuel Merritt University. I am so excited that we were able to coordinate dates across the University to allow FNP, PA, DPT, and nursing faculty and students to provide much needed medical services in under served rural areas in Panama. Best part (aside from the fact that I've never been to Panama or even Central American) is that we have 1 DPT student and 2 DPT alumni from SMU also coming along!
As always, if you have cash burning a hole in your pocket and you would like to be a part of my trip through financial support, you can donate to offset my costs (or as a birthday gift!) by visiting my donation site: http://gogetfunding.com/project/medical-volunteer-trips-to-panama-2013. $5 minimum, all donations handle securely via PayPal. Any amount is very much appreciated.
I am probably going to return to Panama on our August medical trip (dates still not firmed up), again with some DPT students and alums and again as part of an interprofessional group from SMU. I'll keep you posted on that.
I've already had the joy of my visit to the travel doctor. Had to find a new one this year, the guy I usually see had retired. But the new place is great, and now I'm all boostered up on my typhoid vaccine and have my prescriptions filled for anti-malarial meds and antibiotics. And because I only needed a week at a time for these trips, insurance was not an issue like I had the last time I went to Haiti.
I'm really starting to get excited about this trip. Especially since our first and our last day in Panama will be at a beach resort near Panama City. I think that's a great way to both start and end a busy 5 days of medical clinics from dawn to dusk, don't you?
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Typical day:
7 am--morning meeting. Updates from hospital departments (internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, observation which is like an emergency department, and cholera unit) and overnight activity like admissions and discharges and census. Other hospital-wide announcements. Then a brief presentation. We've had UTI presentation / treatment in infants and children, DVT prevention, and radiology cases from ortho and internal medicine. This lasts from 30 mins to 45 min and is conducted in both French and English.
After meeting: rounds. I've been going on surgery rounds which is awesome since PT can chime in and clarify orders (esp. post op) and get to see wounds and radiographs.
9 am: PT meeting to assign inpatients. In theory outpatients have appointments for what day to return, but usually just show up and wait until someone can see them.
9:15-11:45 am: treat patients, or for me supervise students.
12 - 1:30 pm: lunch. We walk 5 min to our house for lunch and some down time during the heat. Sitting in front of a fan is awesome.
1:30 - 4:00 pm: see the rest of the patients, sign student notes, follow up on stuff from the morning. All while sweating a lot.
4 pm: we've heard a rumor this is when peds rounds are, but after 2 days sweating in the hallway until almost 4:30 with no luck, we may give up on this.
After work: go to the house and change so we can walk 5 min to the pool. It is so nice when you are sweaty and tired just to swim around a bit.
Try to get back to the house before 6 pm so we don't miss the evening water!
Evening: have dinner, chat, fill out our daily logs about the students and cases, plan for tomorrow. Also time to email, read, chat, and watch a movie on the computer. I'm usually in bed before 10, sometimes 9, but often read or watch something on the computer for a bit. The power goes out for a few minutes at 10 pm and 3:30 am, so best to not be up and about because its super dark and I don't want to run into any bugs!
7 am--morning meeting. Updates from hospital departments (internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, observation which is like an emergency department, and cholera unit) and overnight activity like admissions and discharges and census. Other hospital-wide announcements. Then a brief presentation. We've had UTI presentation / treatment in infants and children, DVT prevention, and radiology cases from ortho and internal medicine. This lasts from 30 mins to 45 min and is conducted in both French and English.
After meeting: rounds. I've been going on surgery rounds which is awesome since PT can chime in and clarify orders (esp. post op) and get to see wounds and radiographs.
9 am: PT meeting to assign inpatients. In theory outpatients have appointments for what day to return, but usually just show up and wait until someone can see them.
9:15-11:45 am: treat patients, or for me supervise students.
12 - 1:30 pm: lunch. We walk 5 min to our house for lunch and some down time during the heat. Sitting in front of a fan is awesome.
1:30 - 4:00 pm: see the rest of the patients, sign student notes, follow up on stuff from the morning. All while sweating a lot.
4 pm: we've heard a rumor this is when peds rounds are, but after 2 days sweating in the hallway until almost 4:30 with no luck, we may give up on this.
After work: go to the house and change so we can walk 5 min to the pool. It is so nice when you are sweaty and tired just to swim around a bit.
Try to get back to the house before 6 pm so we don't miss the evening water!
Evening: have dinner, chat, fill out our daily logs about the students and cases, plan for tomorrow. Also time to email, read, chat, and watch a movie on the computer. I'm usually in bed before 10, sometimes 9, but often read or watch something on the computer for a bit. The power goes out for a few minutes at 10 pm and 3:30 am, so best to not be up and about because its super dark and I don't want to run into any bugs!
Sorry for the lack of updates, it's been busy! Plus, the Internet isn't so good here which make updating difficult.
I'm one of 2 PTs supervising the 6 rehab tech students. They've been on clinical for 4 weeks, and will get a week off after our 2 weeks with them. They are seeing adult and peds inpatients and peds outpatients.
We have a special cholera unit here, as this is the original cholera region, and the rainy season has brought it back. They are cordoned off, have a triage tent, an area for the very ill, and then a few tens for those getting better. There is a shower/bathroom tent and an education table. When you leave the area you have to wash your hands with soap and water (not normal here) and have the bottom of your shoes sprayed with disinfectant.
Big news today is Hurricane Emily is supposed to hit tonight. However, not a lot of details about how bad they think it might be or any precautions we should take.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Deschappelles is great so far. I'm in a great house, am getting familiar with it's quirks. Big difference is we only have running water for 3 hours a day (3 one hour periods; 6 am, noon, and 6 pm). Did venture over to the pool on campus. Also plotting to go to the beach (1 to 1.5 hour drive in a taptap) next weekend, either for the day vs overnight. We've decided to acclimate today after the long traveling day yesterday, and save getting organized and oriented until tomorrow.
Thunderstorm I coming--big looming black clouds and audible thunder. Seems to be an afternoon occurrence here.
I know I'll fit in since someone in the house is playing Love Shack!