Entry 3

Our last two clinical days were full of patient care.  On Thursday, I was in one of the Hospitals in Chitre where I was immersed in the Central American culture and was able to experience the hospital care given in Panama.  In the hospital it was very difficult to communicate with the health care professionals and determine the patient’s stories.  However, I was still able to get by and practice some skills in the ER.  Inserting IV’s and reconstituting meds fulfilled my day. When I went to the ICU, I mostly just observed and was given a refresher course on central lines.

 After spending the day with the nurses in the ER and ICU I found that their practices are very similar to American practice yet there are some differences.  It was interesting to see the differences in care.  I noticed that the doctors in the hospital spent more time with their patients and really interacted with them.  I feel that this is part of the Latin culture and that its customary to treat patients as if they were your own family.  I thought it was so great how much attention each patient receives and how involved they are with their treatment.

The next day, Friday, we went to a psychiatric institution which was a little frightening at first.  Here in America, we don’t have institutions anymore where we house people with mental illnesses for years.  So it was interesting to see a facility with patients who have been there for 20 plus years.  Also, the type of patients I saw and encountered was very different; I had never been around patients with such chronic and apparent mental illnesses. 

While in the psych institution, we as a group provided activities for some of the patients.  Activities such as going around and doing introductions, art therapy and a dance party were done with the patients and I could tell that they all enjoyed themselves.  It was so great to see so much participation and positive attitudes towards us being there.  After the initial shock of the hospital wore off I was so happy to have had the chance to visit there.  It gave me a good feeling to know that I and our group brought a smile to the patients faces who are living in the hospital.  Going to Panama was a great experience and I am so glad that I had the chance to perform my community clinical there.