week 3

Week 3
Day 1, Port Maria
The weekend was awesome!! Scuba diving at the resort, and ziplining and bobsled riding at Mystic Mountain Rainforest were amazing!! We also had dinner with Diane Pollard, Dr. McConkey, her husband , and two Biomed volunteers. It was lovely to meet them all and learn about the many things that Issa Trust Foundation does to improve medical care in Jamaica.
Today was back to work. Super busy day today. I saw 2 children who had stepped on nails, 1 had developed an abscess which I drained. I saw a child with spina bifida who was having chronic knee pain. An overweight male with chronic knee pain who I was sure who had have a SCFE who did not. Saw multiple other lacerations which were too old to repair. I saw a little girl with a history of macrocephaly and recurrent and persistent thrush. In my time here I have become more reliant on my clinical skills and my instincts. I have also found myself treating with antibiotics more than I would at home, especially for pharyngitis symptoms after learning there is a significant amount of rheumatic fever here and there is no rapid strep or throat cultures available. Perhaps, the biggest surprise of the day was when a mother of a 3 month old boy asked me to be her child’s godmother! I felt honored, but unfortunately as I am leaving in 2 days, I could not.

Day 2, Port Maria,-My Last Day
Today I felt as if I was in an ED and not a clinic. Multiple cases of asthma exacerbations. A case of abdominal pain which is challenging to evaluate without imaging. The girl kept crying that her stomach hurt, but had only mild tenderness on exam. I did an AXR which showed lots of stool, asked for bloodwork, and kept her for several hours for observation. Had to rely on my exam and the wbc alone to r/o appendicitis. Thankfully after several hours her pain and tenderness resolved

This has been an amazing opportunity in so many ways. It is a great learning experience to evaluate and treat children without so many of the tools that you become reliant on. It is fascinating to learn about the healthcare system in Jamaica. It is interesting work in a different culture and really getting to know the people. The resort is absolutely amazing, the food was some of the best I have ever had, the staff could have not have been any nicer or more helpful, and the activities were awesome. I have definitely gotten a little spoiled at nighttime and on the weekends here!!
I would like to thank Diane Pollard and Dr. McConkey for all of their hard work in setting up this rotation. I am grateful to the medical staff and all of the different sites for helping us out with our endless questions. Thank you to all of our kind drivers!!! Thanks to The Couples Tower Isle and the amazing staff for hosting us.
A very special thank you to Dr. Chung Lee, my colleague and friend for the last 18 days!! Thanks for all of your help, and all of the fun memories!! I hope to see you again!!!