It’s Off to Work We Go!
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, July 29-31, 2024
What a wonderful week! Our group of ten CUAA student nurses (all seniors, who will graduate in December) is serving in clinics in six locations. The past three days have seen us move our bags (13 large suitcases in all) each day into a new setting. On Monday in Succotz, Tuesday in Benque, and Wednesday in Spanish Lookout, we set up our clinic in a local church where free medical care was already advertised by the local pastor. Registration is handled by one of our translators, a registration form handed to the patient (or patient’s parent) and then an approximate half-hour to 45 minutes traverse through the following clinic “stations,” with half-daily rotations insuring each student serves in each station a couple of times during the week. Forty-five minutes may stretch into an hour or more for a patient with significant issues.
1. Triage, where blood pressure, temperature, weight, blood sugar reading (if needed) and purpose of visit are recorded.
2. Ear care, where each ear is examined, and if needed, wax removed. Our experienced E.R. Nurse, Stanley, oversees the work of the students here.
3. Consultation with one of our two practitioners, while they oversee the work of the students. This is a valuable opportunity for each student to participate in the diagnosis process, use additional screening methods such as ECG, ultrasound, testing for infections (throat, vaginal), and testing for pregnancy. Any needed meds will be prescribed at this point. Prayer is offered and gratefully accepted by most patients.
4. Pharmacy. The prescribed meds are dispensed and carefully explained to the patient through a translator, if needed. Goodbyes and blessings expressed: “Dios les bendiga!” “God bless you!”
As a team from a Christian university, Concordia University of Ann Arbor, working through M.O.S.T Ministries and serving in local churches, our objective always is to model the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and to let the community know that the church is a place for more than just weekly worship. Each pastor spends the day with us, greeting each person and offering prayer.
Our mission this week as an educational institution is to give our student nurses the learning opportunity of using their professional skills under the tutelage of our practitioners: CUAA professor, Dr. Z, and a Belizean E R nurse Alicia. A wonderful secondary objective is the cross-cultural experience of learning about their patients’ needs, their language, and the social & economic factors at play in Belize that impact the patients’ health problems.
We have learned thus far this week about the financial poverty of many patients. Some of them do not have refrigeration in the home; others do not have a source of safe drinking water; several families seen do not have two parents in the home, transportation is a challenge for many.
Belize is an interesting situation for those of us who regularly take teams to Central America. Many adult Belizean speak English, and all the children are learning it in school. One of our first questions following registration, is whether the patient speaks English. If not, a translator is called over to help. We notice the differences in communities. The closer we are to the border with Guatemala, the more likely the adults are Spanish-only speakers. In addition, we encounter Guatemalans and Salvadorans who have immigrated here, and who are less likely than the Belizean to speak English.
You will see from some of the following photos how much the children in our clinic are drawn to our nurses, and vice versa. Every day sees games, “horsey rides,” hugs and more. Our students comment in each evening’s debrief session about their conflict with having to frighten a child by peering in his/her ears with a scary-looking otoscope, but then having that same child run back for a hug before leaving.
Please enjoy some of our photos, below.
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