I am Jules Madden, a rising senior at Tulane. In my course of study, I have taken pre-med curriculum, and I have been pursuing a major in Public Health as well as a minor in Gender and Sexuality. This summer I will be traveling to Antigua, Guatemala to work at Manos Abiertas, which is a birth center providing prenatal, delivery, and holistic health care for women.
http://www.asociacionmanosabiertas.org/index.php/es/
Courtesy of Manos Abiertas Website: Hannah Friewald, Director Pictured
The center is staffed by only female caregivers and promotes individualized, feminist, and responsible care. My position will include shadowing doctors, nurses, midwives, and doulas in their appointments with patients. The center is a fantastic resource and I look forward to contributing my time and efforts; I hope to succeed in the following learning objectives:
1. Acquire understanding of best childbirth practices
2. Develop a broadened and increasingly global perspective on health
3. Improve Spanish skills
4. Learn about appropriate care in a specific cultural context
5. Gain comprehension of what living as a foreigner entails and requires
This internship is going to expose me to routine health care practices as well as those necessary for childbirth and prenatal care. I expect to be better prepared for my senior research project and a future career in public health. This type of knowledge surrounding health and best practices could afford me power to introduce change and educate others to advocate for their own and their families’ health. My future ambitions to attend medical school will also be served by the experience gained at Manos.
In order to prepare for my work this summer, I will be reading research journals on the subjects of Guatemalan health care and gynecology and obstetrics; learning Spanish basics; reading books on midwifery. I anticipate exposure to so much that I have never seen or heard about. The prospect of hands-on learning truly excites me, so I’ll be off to Guatemala anticipating hard work and a rewarding experience.