Health Fair- A reminder and a really good time

Health Fair with AMSA- April 18, 2015




I joined AMSA (American Medical Student Association) a week ago with the intention of getting involved in one particular event-the health fair. This weekend, medical students and veterinary students traveled to the most norther part of the island to put on a health fair for the Grenadian people and their pets. It was a great experience!

I had only gotten 4 hours of sleep before waking up to catch a bus and head out to the town of St. Patrick's.  I soon forgot about how tired I was as I took in the atmosphere around me. The fair took place at a school that was very old and very european in character. Gorgeous in a rugged and historic way. AMSA set up station outside under a large tent with tables for intake of patients, history, review of systems, blood pressure and vitals, blood sugar readings, vision and hearing testing and then they were passed along to the doctors in the school. Up until this point, my medical exposure has always been in clean clinics and hospitals -or at least "modern" buildings with separate patient rooms and a variety of medical tech equipment. It is safe to say that this fair was run by people and brains and even though technology has a necessary component in the field of medicine, not one computer-besides our smart phones- which don't work anyhow, was within the premises.

I loved talking with the people-I spoke one on one with men and women from 20 years to 89 years of age and one 17 year old boy. The pediatric cases were triaged to the pediatric club. Most of the complaints I encountered were mainly centered around vision problems, diabetes, hypertension and sexually transmitted diseases-in that order. I had to quickly learn to ask the patients if they had "problems with sugar or pressure" as many would say they had no diseases but take medication for "sugar or pressure." It was interesting at how honest the patients were I talked with about their alcohol use, sexual activity and psychiatric health (these were all parts of our history taking) because when I documented histories back home-it felt like people were not usually upfront with these particular topics. Yesterday, I learned that it's not uncommon to start having kids when you are young as a Grenadian and then subsequently have 7, 11 or more kids. When asking women about pap smears and breast exams, they looked at me as though I spoke another language; yet when I asked about having received STD testing, the majority had undergone these and many times over their life. I talked with patients who were more concerned with their vision problems than they were with the potential of having a STD. Which makes sense if you think about it-vision directly affects their everyday lives. However, they had many partners and the majority don't use any form of protection.  It was just interesting to me-but also sad.  I think preventative medicine would be beneficial to the island. I alternated between many of the stations, sometimes just staying with my particular patient at that time and moving with them to each station where I proceeded to perform each test/exam. I cannot remember how many patients we saw-but it was in the hundreds. It was amazing-at one point I was sitting next to a young Grenadian teenager under the tent and the rain was falling just inches from us and his mom was undergoing an exam as well while their dogs and goats were feet away from us being examined simultaneously. I still don't know a word to describe that feeling. If you could see my face right now, I am still sifting through my thoughts of the entire day.

It was sunny, HOT and humid all day-besides that moment of rain-but I really enjoyed myself. I was able to practice communicating with people and that was my favorite part-talking to them and observing them. All in all, it was a good motivator to study and learn. I came home TIRED-but in a really good way-and I proceeded to study for the remainder of the night with those memories in the back of my mind.

Lastly, God's plans are far greater than mine. I don't give Him enough credit. It is all because of Him that I have been blessed with these opportunities and I just pray that my faith-which often feels like the size of a mustarded- is enough to keep pushing forward.

-M.H-

Week 11-12-13

Week 12-13...

"A change in place and a change in pace = a change in perspective"

So much has happened in the past few weeks- it has been tough to keep track of everything!.... time is FLYING by-I am amazed at how fast the days and weeks go. One month until finals...

We have moved on to studying the head and neck from the lower limb. The lab for lower limb was not overly difficult and I think it has been almost as straight forward as the information pertaining to the back. I hope this is the case for the final exam! Head and neck....well I have a lot to study.

I am continuing to change my study habits-and this experimentation process has been working out well. I have a number of people-all with various ways to study-that I meet with on a one on one basis or in a 3 person setting and find these sessions to be very helpful. We are able to talk through the information and share ideas of how to understand concepts. Up until a few weeks ago, I had been meeting with the same group repeatedly-however this new variety in study people/groups-has been much more beneficial.

The more I meet with these people-the more I want to learn. This schooling process is a developing  combination of individual curiosity, grit and resilience along with necessary teamwork. I am driven to learn because of my own interest in the material but I am driven to study because of the motivation and dedication that I see in my friends and classmates.

My individual study time therefore is more focused and effective because the group study time brings attention to the areas that I am lacking in knowledge. I spend the majority of my time in the anatomy lab and start my mornings in there. It is my favorite place to be besides the beach. I always leave the lab knowing more than when I arrived and I always leave with new questions and things to research to further my understanding. Looking at the different bodies and how they are similar and different from each other is a good way to ensure that I can identify structures on a variety of people. Just thinking about it makes me feel good. Hahah. I told my roommate that I view going to the lab like going "to the spa" because it calms me, slows me heart rate and relaxes me" she looked at me like I was crazy and said those are likely effects of the formaldehyde. We had a good laugh.

One of the visiting professors last week was from Oregon and was AMAZING. It was a blessing to have connected with him because he introduced me to the head and neck and I cannot think of a better person to have taught me the basics of head and neck. He was a doctor and anatomist that works at OHSU and COMP-NW of all places! That was a very cool interaction as we know the same people  in Oregon and are from the same area-what a small world! It just made me realize that of all the places and times-we met here and now. The timing of things is amazing.

I recently went on a hike (hash) on the northern part of the island and it was one of the best experiences I have had since being here. We traveled to the town of Victoria-which is not as "manicured" as St. George's and is appears more mountainous than the beachy area that I live in.  It was a great way to fulfill that sense of exploration that I was craving and it was a good workout. We were trudging through the jungle on no formally made path over looking the beach. I felt like I wasn't even on the island/on campus because the change in scenery was so dramatic. It was nice to "stop thinking" and just hike and sweat and laugh and have to figure out the hiking trail with complete strangers who became new friends. Small gatherings of shredded paper were the trail markers and were placed in coconuts or street stumps. This was unlike any hike I have every been on! We saw nutmeg, pineapple, coconuts, some Grenadian fruits I cannot spell, limes, bananas, goats, dogs and a donkey. We jumped over rocks, slid down muddy paths, tripped over huge tree roots and strained our necks looking up at the huge palm trees. It was gorgeous to say the least.

For the hundreds of hours spent studying, breaks like this are important. Sometimes people at home don't realize that a picture at the beach or out to lunch was just a moment in the week. I am in "paradise," but I also spend much of my time looking at cadavers, books, models, lectures, paper, etc. as opposed to the beach. The beauty however, is that I do have those beautiful beach sunsets to look up at from my studies.

Lastly, I know that God has been so present here-from the people I meet at just the right time, to the way information connects at just the right moment -to the moments of grace I experience on a daily basis whether it be in a question, quiz, interaction, ect. It is through Him that I find my strength, confidence, focus and endurance.

-M.H-


PS-
Even though the studying is going better-I still always feel like there is more to know and this feeling can be very frustrating. People around me always say "we have learned so much" and I agree-but still feel like "there is still SO much to learn..."
My learning style -which was always very linear-has had to adapt to a more integrative approach. I liked this quote from a book on medical school student learning personalities:

1. The skills of the polar opposites can be learned without requiring you to undergo a personality change 

I know this is true because I have been undergoing this process since week 1, 3,5, 10, now and will likely continue to develop my learning style.