Mariah Campbell's Blog 3

As we prepare to leave Panama I am left thinking of all the amazing experiences I have had since coming here, and how much I have learned. After being here almost 3 weeks, I feel like I have had the privilege to get just a little glimpse of the culture and how the people here live.

While in the Soloy clinic, I got the opportunity to do, and see things I probably never would have while working as a nurse in the United States. During my first week in the clinic, I learned was how to read and administer nebulizer treatments, which is something that normally respiratory therapy does where we are from. I also saw an “ambulance” made by the indigenous people that looked very similar to a hammock, but with large stick added in order for people to carry individuals that are sick or injured. Unfortunately, although this man made contraption may make transportation a little easier on them; they often still must travel 4-6 hours by foot to even reach the clinic. Another thing I got to do was pap smears. Since this is normally a skill outside of the nurses practice in the U.S., it was a great opportunity for me to experience and learn here. After speaking with the doctors, I learned that as a part of their culture, it is considered acceptable for men to have sexual relations with multiple women. For that reason, many members of the community have sexually transmitted diseases. In an interview with one of the nurses at the clinic, I was surprised when he told me cervical cancer isn’t all that common in Ngöbe-Buglé community; and when seen, it tends to be more in women over 50. However, many other STD’s such as HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, etc. are quite common. As previously discussed in my 2^nd blog, respiratory infections are also prevalent in this area, especially Tuberculosis. Since the majority of the population live in poverty; most people are poorly nourished, and forced to live under unsanitary conditions. For this reason, they have an increased risk of acquiring infections and diseases. However, In efforts to improve health, the government will actually provide monetary incentives to families for coming to the clinic to get their physicals, vaccinations, pap smears, etc. Because these families are so poor, I found this to be a great way to encourage families to participate in necessary health care needs. Another great thing they do here is provide free health care to everyone. I was very surprised to hear this at first because all I could think of was how different that is in comparison to the U.S., where we are just constantly hearing about the high cost of medical bills & insurance.

Example of the Nurse from our clinic - out in the community
checking medical records    

Walking through the part of the Ngöbe-Buglé community,
going door-to-door giving vaccinations

Giving this women an influenza vaccine.
Poor baby crying because I had just giving her a shot too  :( 

Overall, I would have to say my favorite experience of the trip was being out in the community. Seeing how these people live from day to day was such an eye-opening experience, and being able to help (even a little) was very rewarding. I especially enjoyed getting to opportunity to see the role of the community nurse carried out, as one day we went house to house in the community checking each and every person’s medical record then providing shots to those that needed them. Since access for them is so hard to come by, it was awesome to see nurses from the clinic going that extra step walking around door-to-door and traveling to really ensure treatment was being provided. In addition to giving vaccinations, I also noticed the nurses would assess other possible health concerns they found in the community then work to find a remedy to the situation. I still can just not stop thinking about how hard these health care professional work to improve the lives of community members; and how great of a job they do despite the poor conditions and access to materials. After seeing all this, I have a whole new respect for the people that work and live in this community; and I am very grateful to have all the luxuries I do in the US. I am definitely very happy in making my decision to come on this trip and truly feel this was a great experience I will never forget! 

Some of our group together with my favorite nurse during our last day at the Soloy Clinic.