Before starting clinicals in Panama, I really did not know
what to expect. I assumed we would be working in clinics that would look like a
normal doctor’s office in the States with nurses taking temps, BP’s, giving
immunizations and measuring heights/ weights of patients. My first clinical
experience was at the Caja del Securidad Social. It is basically the health
department of Panama. I was pretty nervous because they offer many services and
I didn’t know what I would be expected to do there. Also, I was worried because
I knew the language barrier would be super difficult. The clinic pretty much
met my expectations as far as looks went. The first day I worked with in the
“walk in clinic” area and it was run sort of like a hospital emergency
room. Patients came in for wound
dressing changes, nebulizer treatments for asthma, and IV administration. I worked with a nurse who was giving IM
gluteal injections for inflammation, pain and infections. It felt great to
practice my skills. The second day I worked in home health and went out with a
doctor and nurse to 8 homes in Chitre. It has been interesting to see how
nurses in Panama do assessment verses how we have learned to do assessments.
Nurses here barely even touch patients all the nurse did on the home visits was
take patients BP.
The second week in Panama I went to the psychiatric hospital
in Los Santos. I was told that this hospital was very old and was like the
hospitals you see in the movies, and it really was. I really did not know how
much equipment they would have and was sort of surprised when I heard the whole
hospital only had 2 monitors and 2 ventilators, and they are used for the severe
patients in the ICU area. It was interesting to see how the hospital runs
without all the things the hospitals in the states have. There were no call
lights, no AC in parts of the hospital and no constantly waiting on the
patients every need and there was only 1 nurse for about 15 patients!!
In the psych area of
the hospital they had the men and women on two separate halls and they were
divided by 2 areas. The front area was for the patients who can clean, bath and
do basic skills, and the second area was a locked for the severe patients who
need a lot of assistance. I was surprised
to find that the front area was open and the patients could escape if they
wanted. The doctor was telling us that even though the patients could leave,
they won’t because they know they would have nowhere else to go. In the states
the psych hospitals have 2-3 locked doors before you can reach the patients!
Overall I have learned so much in the first 2 weeks of
clinicals and can’t wait to go to the schools and the other hospital next week.
Written by: Sarah Wilson
Clinic week 1 Caja del securidad social
Nurses Station
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