Done, Done and Done-er

We've finished our final clinic!!! It is definitely bitter sweet...such a free feeling being finished our nursing practicum for EVER, but I will miss the culture, the lovely people, the surrounding environment (even with the intense heat), and the unique learning opportunities.

This last week was a perfect way to end. We completed 3 clinics in rural communities (in Con Coma, Tanjoc, and Union Itza), 1 day of school screenings, 1 day of community development in Tanjoc, and one day shadowing the health care workers in San Louise at the local clinic.

My favorite day was completing the school screenings. I really felt like my nursing assessments were 'bang on'. I was able to 'diagnose' or 'recognize' an ear infection, a heart murmur, a high diastolic blood pressure, congested lungs/bronchitis, and lice. It is difficult to explain but after assessing many children that are mostly healthy, having the knowledge to pick up on abnormal presentations is very fulfilling.

I have really enjoyed the community clinics. It has been very neat seeing how each community has their themes. When we were assessing the locals in Con Coma, we began to see a theme of children with chicken pox, scabies, and tinea versicolor (fungal skin condition). Not to worry, we bathe in hand sanitizer every few minutes.

I spent a couple hours uploading my pictures but Blog spot is not cooperating. I will be home in 2 weeks and I can finally show you snip-its of my experiences.

6 of us are leaving the Finca Ixobel this Tuesday (April 7th). We will be spending 1 night in Flores, 2 nights in Tikal, and then heading to Belize for the rest of our vacation.

Wishing everyone well. Lots of love and misses xoxoxox

FYI. We followed up with the young boy in Tanjoc who presented with an upper respiratory infection and ear infection last week. I have to say, he looked like a different kiddo, he wasn't lethargic at all. His mother told us he was still having diarrhea, so we asked the right questions to distinguish between an Amoeba, Giardiah, or Worms. We provided him with some medication for worms. One frustrating part is that we are able to help with symptoms for only a short period of time, because it seems inevitable that the local children will become affected by parasites, scabies etc. again. For the rural communities living conditions to improve takes many many years. I've realized how much work, brainstorming, and dedication it takes to 'CHANGE' things for the better. This trip has definitely inspired me to be a part of changing and helping less fortunate communities....the big questions is...where to start????