These past few months I have found myself in a many different places that I never thought I would be in. It’s that kind of moment when you stop and think to yourself, “Man, I can’t believe I’m in (fill in the blank)”. Most of these instances have been thanks to having the time, a spirit of “why not?” and countless searches on skyscanner.com. As I type this I find myself in Panama City waiting for my next flight that will take me to Quito, Ecuador; my home for the next six weeks.
Five years ago my main worries were preparing for the dreaded MCAT and wondering where I might end up for medical school. In all the preparation I knew there was one thing for sure I wanted in a program: the ability to do an international clinical rotation. My two years spent as an LDS missionary in South America and prior travel experience left no doubt in my mind that I wanted to return to South America with more skills than just a fluency in the language. Those experiences gave me a love for the people of South America and a perspective on life that I carry with me today. So, fast forward five years and here we are.
I have been given a brief description of the work that I’ll be doing with La Universidad de San Francisco de Quito at the Centro de Salud but it’s mostly speculation on my part. What I do know is that I will be working in a primary care role taking care of general medical issues and whatever other complaints that might fit in that category. However if my time volunteering with Ascovime in Cameroon taught me anything it is to expect anything and everything. For all I know I might be treating tuberculosis patients and delivering babies. Or maybe just treating people with cold symptoms and giving antibiotics for chlamydia. Either way I’m ready to throw myself into whatever roles they need me to fill and learn about a thousand new words in Spanish for all the medical devices and terms I do not yet know. One thing’s for sure though; it’s going to be an adventure.
There are several things I hope to gain from this experience. One is to see how medicine is practiced in a third world county like Ecuador. Cameroon did teach much many things but that trip was between my first and second year of medical school when I only knew enough medicine to be a minor threat at trivia night, not care for a sick patient. Now that I have nearly four years under my belt I understand the system better and I’m excited to see medicine practiced beyond the borders of the United States. Next I am curious to see the different ways that physicians might treat the same conditions that people suffer in the United States not to mention the world. Do they use different antibiotics? Are there medications approved here that are not in the US? Do they incorporate alternative forms of medicine or stick to a westernized approach? Lastly I just hope to learn from my patients and their examples. As a future in physician (only four months left!) I am the one people come to for answers to the questions that they themselves can’t solve with regard to their health. However there have been many instances both in and outside the United States where I felt that I was the one who learned more from the encounter. Outside of medicine I just can’t wait to explore Quito! Oh and did I mention that this is the month of Carnival?
These next four weeks with USFQ are going to be unforgettable! I am humbled for this opportunity and all that it will teach me and can’t wait to share the experiences with everyone else. And of course, the two weeks of mountaineering afterwords with two great friends and a loving girlfriend might have me pretty excited too ;)
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