Blog 2

Blog #2

                Our first week of clinicals here in Panama is supposed to take place in what is like a health clinic. Then we spend the next two weeks in a hospital and psych hospital. At first, I really didn’t know what to expect. After taking time to think about it, I expected clinicals to be both similar and different from the ones back in America. I knew Panama probably wouldn’t have the health technology like America, so I expected simple treatments. However, I expected sterile procedure, alcohol, and PPE to still be popular here for the safety of the patients and the nurses. I wasn’t sure what size needles were used or if the nurses here did injections like subcutaneous and intermuscular. I was interested to see how instructors taught as well.

                At the clinic the first week, we did rounds in the nebulizer/injection room, pediatrics, and gynecology. The language barrier was the hardest part, which I expected. I didn’t expect to see that nurses did not wear gloves when interacting and examining patients. The nurses I’ve seen giving IM injections also aspirated where in America we don’t have to. I learned that the clinic was mainly for referring patients to other doctors or clinics. Instead of using alcohol to clean or for injections, the nurses use normal saline because of how the injection is made. When giving injections I’ve noticed that the needles were similar sizes to the ones in America. In gynecology, it was an experience to actually be the nurse giving a woman a PAP smear, since in America only doctors and nurse practitioners do so. I enjoyed my time at the clinic because even though there was a language barrier, the nurses were some of the best nurses I have learned from so far. I did not feel like I was getting in the way or slowing my nurse down like how I sometimes do in America. The nurses genuinely wanted to help you learn.

                My experience in the hospital was also a great experience. I learned that health care in Panama and America is both very similar and very different. I was surprised to see how up-to-date the ventilators and monitors were in the ICU. However, for the isolation room, they don’t use disposable gowns; there is a gown that hangs outside the room to be reused because of lack of hospital materials. The different duties nurses can and can’t do are surprising as well. Here in Panama, a nurse cannot insert a foley catheter or insert a nasal gastric tube, but they can suction trachs, deliver babies, and start IVs. Overall, I would say that you can see Panama’s health care developing into more technology and newer investments in hospitals.