Blog #2

Before I left for Panama I wasn’t really sure what to expect in the clinic, and hospital settings. I had the impression that the hospitals and clinics were going to be very outdated, chaotic, and somewhat unclean. I thought this because before I left we were informed that they were very limited on protective equipment and rarely utilized gloves. Furthermore I had this impression because we had to practice recapping needles because Panama hospitals and clinics didn’t have any of the new safety needles. I also thought they wouldn’t have any of the new technology we have in the U.S. For this reason I thought Panamanian nurses were going to have to be very resourceful, in using the supplies they had, to give effective patient care. As I thought more about Panama I started wondering if Panama nurses and doctors were still viewed in a traditional way. I wondered if there were only male doctors and female nurses. Moreover I was concerned whether the nurses would feel comfortable allowing American nursing students to practice skills while in Panama. I would think they would be hesitant to let us practice because they would be unsure of how different our practice would be from their own practice. Even though I wasn’t sure if they would let us practice I was sure I was going to learn a lot from these nurses and was excited to go and see how Panamanian nurses worked to help their community.

When I first got to the clinic I was a little nervous and unsure of what it was going to be like. The clinic looked old and the waiting room had no air condition and was packed wall to wall with people. We met our nurses for the week and they were so welcoming. It made me very excited to be there. The clinic was very much like walk-in clinics we have in the U.S. Even though the clinic seemed chaotic at first glance everything seemed to run smoothly. I was surprised when I started working with the nurses how eager they were to teach me and how comfortable they felt letting me perform such skills as injections and pap smears. While at the clinic I also noticed some things that were different than I had learned and that many of their supplies were outdated compared to America’s supplies. Also there weren’t many gloves around and some instruments were reused on multiple patients. So sterility in Panama isn’t as strict as the U.S. especially since they have limited supplies. Another thing I noticed is how independent and resourceful the nurses in the clinic were. They really understood what they were doing and they were doing it well. I did only notice female nurses; however, I was very surprised to see a female doctor.

We also visited the hospital in Chitre. To my surprise it was very modern and had a lot of the same advance medical technologies as the U.S. However I did learn that there are no privacy laws and that nurses and doctors don’t have to document as much to cover themselves in the case of a law suit. Nonetheless the hospital was still very understaffed and had very limited supplies. It also did not have a lot of protective equipment for isolation, so gowns and masks were reused. Furthermore, the hospital still has a paper charting system for documenting. I also learned that the nurses who worked at the hospital weren’t allowed to perform many of the same skills as nurses in America like, inserting foleys and NG tubes. While at the clinic and hospital I really learned a lot and was able to practice many of my skills and observe how nurses in Panama help the people of their community.