11/30/2011
Today I went to Hospital ISSSTE, which is a hospital limited to those that work for the state and government. Because this sector is limited, they have a lot more funding and there are less people to service. This was very clear when we walked in the hospital, as everything looked new and the halls weren’t crowded like they were in Hospital Civil. It was like walking into a top end hospital in the US.
Once my astonishment faded, I went to the surgery ward to spend the day. In surgery, I saw two surgeries that I also saw in Hospital Civil, but I was shocked at the differences between them. At ISSSTE they had all the top of the line technology, unlike Hospital Civil. For example, I watched a ureteric stent be placed in about a half hour. In Hospital Civil this surgery would have taken about two hour because they perform the surgery manually, which involves cutting the person open. At ISSSTE they went through the patients urethra using a resectoscope and didn’t have to cut the patient open at all. The atmosphere was also very different in ISSSTE. There weren’t half as many people as in Hospital Civil and no one was running around in a panic. The surgeries were very calm and relaxed as well. Surgeons seemed to take their time more and not be worried about finishing as fast as possible. It was very interesting to look at these difference first hand.
Once my astonishment faded, I went to the surgery ward to spend the day. In surgery, I saw two surgeries that I also saw in Hospital Civil, but I was shocked at the differences between them. At ISSSTE they had all the top of the line technology, unlike Hospital Civil. For example, I watched a ureteric stent be placed in about a half hour. In Hospital Civil this surgery would have taken about two hour because they perform the surgery manually, which involves cutting the person open. At ISSSTE they went through the patients urethra using a resectoscope and didn’t have to cut the patient open at all. The atmosphere was also very different in ISSSTE. There weren’t half as many people as in Hospital Civil and no one was running around in a panic. The surgeries were very calm and relaxed as well. Surgeons seemed to take their time more and not be worried about finishing as fast as possible. It was very interesting to look at these difference first hand.
12/01/2011
For my last day in clinic I went into the gynecology ward at ISSSTE. Again, the atmosphere here was very different compared to Hospital Civil. In Hospital Civil, there were beds full of pregnant women everywhere: in the halls, in the doorways, in the waiting rooms. At ISSSTE, there were only two pregnant women and they each had their own room. There was a recovery room and two surgery/birthing rooms that were available whenever the women were ready.
My partner, and good friend, and I waited until the woman was ready and then helped prepare the woman for a C-section. The woman had preclampsia and a natural birth wasn’t an option. My partner asked if he could assist in the procedure and they said yes. I agreed to take pictures throughout the entire surgery. It was very cool to watch my partner scrub up for surgery. He had to scrape his hand and arms clean and then put on a surgery gown. Then, once everything was ready, the surgery began and my partner was alongside the surgeon. He performed minor tasks that never put the patient at threat, like holding the incision open with a tool or deposing of used towels. It was a very cool experience to record in photos and to witness first hand. Although I have never enjoyed surgery that much, I can see myself as a doctor helping out young people that are interested in medicine, like the surgeon here did.
The experiences I had in clinical rotations are experiences that I will never forget and I will carry these experiences with me into my own world of medicine. This has been a life changing experience for me and I have learned so much about others and myself. Because of this trip I feel more confident in medically treating people from other cultures and I believe I am more valuable as a person, both in and out of medicine. The most valuable thing I learned in Mexico is to change my perceptions of people and no one person is the same as another. I will take these lessons and apply them in medicine and in the rest of my life. Thank you to everyone who made this experience possible and thanks for reading.
My partner, and good friend, and I waited until the woman was ready and then helped prepare the woman for a C-section. The woman had preclampsia and a natural birth wasn’t an option. My partner asked if he could assist in the procedure and they said yes. I agreed to take pictures throughout the entire surgery. It was very cool to watch my partner scrub up for surgery. He had to scrape his hand and arms clean and then put on a surgery gown. Then, once everything was ready, the surgery began and my partner was alongside the surgeon. He performed minor tasks that never put the patient at threat, like holding the incision open with a tool or deposing of used towels. It was a very cool experience to record in photos and to witness first hand. Although I have never enjoyed surgery that much, I can see myself as a doctor helping out young people that are interested in medicine, like the surgeon here did.
The experiences I had in clinical rotations are experiences that I will never forget and I will carry these experiences with me into my own world of medicine. This has been a life changing experience for me and I have learned so much about others and myself. Because of this trip I feel more confident in medically treating people from other cultures and I believe I am more valuable as a person, both in and out of medicine. The most valuable thing I learned in Mexico is to change my perceptions of people and no one person is the same as another. I will take these lessons and apply them in medicine and in the rest of my life. Thank you to everyone who made this experience possible and thanks for reading.
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