Trabajando juntos

Buenas noches, ustedes! Today was another action-packed day in Managua. We started off the morning working at el "Centro" (community center), followed by a tour of a private hospital, Hospital Bautista, for the remainder of the afternoon.

One thing I have learned about blogging- it is difficult to write a long entry after a hard day of working (especially all in Spanish)! Therefore, I will follow Alicia’s lead by using a collection of bullet points.

-This morning at the “Centro de salud” I worked in the “consultorio” with a doctor where she interviewed patients, assessed and prescribed. Every patient we saw had severe hypertension so I had the opportunity to help with some nutritional education – eat your fruits and veggies, people! The doctor perfomed consultations fairly quickly – she saw over 5 patients in one hour--which in any healthcare system in the United States is pretty comparable.

-Yesterday I had the opportunity to work in the epidemiology room at the community health clinic with rapid HIV testing. A doctor, nurse, two Nicaraguan medical students and I were all present in the room. While the woman was waiting for her HIV results, several people in the waiting room entered the room to consult the nurse or doctor about treatments or when their turn would come. Strict privacy? Not a factor in healthcare here.

-Hospital Baustista: I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to see this facility. A nurse gave us a tour of the entire hospital. She was dressed head-to-toe in white including the traditional white nursing cap (“cofia”). One thing Alicia noted during the tour – the prices for the majority of the services are displayed on the wall. Not only does this serve as a reminder that the service is not “gratis.” but it is also an upfront way of displaying the costs of the service. There are no surprise bills later.

-Please note the photograph of the wheelchair from Hospital Bautista. One word: resourceful! You can see, it's trending in other parts of the world as well.

-I love when it rains here. Today was our first day without rain, and I can honestly say that I missed it. It usually rains around 3-4 in the afternoon. It always seems to rain just at the perfect time – like yesterday when we were in the homes of our families in the heat of the afternoon. The cool breeze through the front door was a sense of calm and relief I’ll never forget.

-Today, I think the shell shock from culture has let off a bit. I feel like I’m starting to understand the Nicaraguan culture more—our hotel feels a bit more like home and the UPOLI faculty and students are feeling a little more like family (YES, even after just a few days). “L,” one of our leaders, is amazing. She is patient, knowledgable about nursing and really knows the Nicaraguan community. Being placed in a busy, humid room to assist a doctor with consultationss can be exceptionally overwhelming. It was reassuring to have her by my side to explain things “mas despacio” (more slowly) in Spanish. I love working with UPOLI so far.

- I can’t believe how much I’ve learned about community health nursing in just 3 days. The combination of working in the clinic, touring healthcare facilities and working in the barrio (Villa Libertad) with our families has made epidemiology, complicance issues and barriers to access in healthcare all become real.

That’s all for tonight.

Hasta manana,

Sarah