We Made It to the Top!!!

Well I am happy to announce that our final week in Panama has been successful! We have preformed new nursing skills, enjoyed a relaxing weekend in the mountain town of Boquete, and have said goodbye to what has become family at our clinic in Buenos Aires.  A major theme running through nursing school at USF has been collaboration amongst the interdisciplinary healthcare team.  That title has a whole new meaning in Panama!

            I have learned and experienced very much in my time here in Panama, but the thing that has left a lasting impression on me was the welcoming and giving nature of the Panamanian people.  From our first day in the clinic the staff treated us like family. They presented a bunch of strangers (us) who didn’t speak their language with welcoming presents and emotional goodbyes.  Since there was usually just one nurse on duty at a time in our clinic, the collaborations between the interdisciplinary team was more like a team of family members.  Throughout our three weeks at the clinic everyone sacrificed and went out of their way to help teach us new skills, act as our interpreters in the community, and foster our understanding of their culture. 

            Working in a small and isolated community health clinic the nurse is able to get to know and build relationships with the patients.  This enables the nurses to know the thorough health history of their patients and possibly partake in better health promotion efforts since they know the patients on a personal basis. 

            Within the past week I have done my first stitches, observed physicians teach about family planning and prevention of STD’s, and taught local elementary students about nutrition.  A group of us successfully summited the highest volcano in the country towering at 11,398 feet, and we all did screening assessments at a community health fair in Chami.  Overall the trip was a great success and I am sad to be leaving the hospitality and friends that we have made in Buenos Aires. I am leaving Panama with a new appreciation for all of the opportunities that have been granted to me throughout my life-access to quality healthcare, nutrition, education, and my family.  I hope one day to return to this beautiful place and expand on my nursing skills and my understanding of the Spanish language…but that will require just a bit more time!


-Chiara Stetson