We are back at the villas at the City of Knowledge in Panama City after spending the last week and a half in San Felix. Words cannot describe the amazing opportunities we all had during our stay in the mountains, visting 3 different communities: Alto Cabellero, Soloy, and Hato Juli. It really was a shock to see the kind of poverty that the indigenous Ngobe-Bugle people live in. It was also quite an experience staying in the compound in San Felix where we had no A/C or hot water, and it rained most of the evenings that we were there. Bottles and bottles of bug spray were shared by everyone, and hand sanitizer since soap was hardly available. I really enjoyed being in the communities instead of at the compound, providing help to the natives. I had 2 days of clinicals in Soloy, where I gave immunizations to adults, children, and babies. Then we had a health fair in Alto Caballero where about 400 natives showed up to receive care and checkups. I gave more flu shots and other vaccines in those 7 hours we were there than I have given during the entire 3 semesters I have spent in the hospital for nursing school. Blood pressure and developmental screenings, emergency care, women's health care, and dental care were also available at the health fair. In the OBGYN room I did a Pap smear, which usually only nurse practicioners can perform, so it was a great opportunity for everyone. The language barrier was a bit of an issue that day since I am not familiar with Spanish medical terms. I also struggled with "Cemento" in the emergency room, which is a form of penicillin that basically turns rock hard once it gets into the muscle. My issue was that it became solid in the needle before I could inject it, really tricky stuff.
Until my next blog, which I will probably write when I get home, or during our 6 hour layover in Miami.
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