A few weeks, several births, countless pre-natal, postpartum, and gynecological appointments, and one volcanic eruption have brought ample learning opportunities.
Reflecting on my learning objectives from the start of my internship…
- Gain a close understanding of alternative medicine practices: I find myself not only becoming familiar with and understanding alternative medicine practices, but also constantly comparing some of the alternative medicine I’ve seen practiced here with the equivalent treatments of modern Western medicine. I try to keep a balanced part skeptical, part open-minded eye when evaluating each of these types of medicine. I find I have become even more familiar with traditional/homeopathic medicine than I am with Western medicine when it comes to obstetrics. In order to enrich my learning a bit further, I have started listening to podcasts by U.S. obstetricians to try and gain some more perspective. The numerous points of disagreement between these two schools of thought are fascinating (i.e. exercise habits during pregnancy, vaccinations for mothers during pregnancy and for newborns after birth, priority of action for newborns immediately after being born).
- Become more familiar with the women’s reproductive health and obstetrics sector of healthcare: As aforementioned – alternative medicine has not been the only uncharted territory for me here; I have gained vast insights into the field of women’s reproductive health in my time here. I have confidently mastered some clinical skills such as giving hormone injections, various blood tests, and monitoring fetal development. Other skills I find are requiring more practice and attention (i.e. performing PAP smears and determining the position of a fetus in utero). Beyond these practical skills – I have learned a great deal in terms of the maintenance of women’s reproductive health and the importance of maintaining it.
- Develop a wider, more open-minded perspective of the healthcare field and the world: The biggest thing I have taken away in my time here so far is perspective. Being in a country vastly different than my own – I am only just beginning to become accustomed to some of the culture differences. It took me a long time to really feel the normalcy of having children at age sixteen or seventeen here – it is simply something that comes with the culture. The attitude surrounding healthcare in general was so bizarre to me at first. The public (and some private) hospitals and clinics here offer pretty low-quality and unregulated care compared to U.S. standards. The average person here seems to prioritize their health/wellness much less as a result. They prefer to seek as little healthcare as possible because their options are so poor, and as a result – there is serious lack of preventative medicine. Of course this problem exists in the U.S. as well, but I see it to a more severe extent here. Most patients cannot rely on healthcare providers the same way most people in the United States can (i.e. the public clinic one regularly goes to for their birth control method may suddenly not have birth control in stock one month, and the patient suffers greatly as a result). All of these new and strange cultural phenomenons are all slowly overlapping and colliding to create a vivid mosaic of new perspective.
- Become more confident in my interactions with patients and peers/mentors in the professional setting: In my first couple of weeks here, I kept very quiet and second guessed myself every other time I took a blood pressure or gave a patient some advice (if I could find the confidence to speak up and give them advice in the first place). After a little more observation of mentors, practice, and doing some outside research to learn more on my own – I feel unbelievably more confident with patients than I did 4 weeks ago. I also feel that after expending honest efforts and applying myself for a few weeks, I have earned the respect of my mentors – lending great confidence in communicating with these coworkers.
- Further develop my Spanish with a focus on strengthening my ease and confidence of communication: With little choice but to speak Spanish most of the day, I feel my ease of communication has greatly improved. I can understand and keep up with conversations with locals, and it is a very rewarding feeling. The locals really appreciate the effort I put into communicating with them, leading to stronger relationships with my Spanish-only-speaking coworkers. As a plus – I have developed a very in-depth (albeit extremely narrow/specific) vocabulary in the category of all things related to women’s health and babies.
I am currently working on a fundraising project for the clinic. The clinic runs a free pediatric service for which funding recently was withdrawn. In seeking funding for this project – I have been communicating with leaders of the clinic in order to identify and prioritize their funding needs as well as reaching out to doctors/healthcare providers/healthcare affiliates that I know personally in the United States to try to organize some sort of sponsorship through their hospitals/clinics/practices.
Manos Abiertas operates with the bare minimum resources required to provide the high quality and breadth of care that it does. (It is by taking such maximum advantage of few resources that the clinic is able to offer such affordable, accessible healthcare). With these conditions – I have many responsibilities here and there is an extensive level of independence expected in regards to these responsibilities. The learning curve was quick because the work demanded it, and I think that is a large part of leadership; being receptive to information and learning in order to be a leader for others. Additionally the independence aspect plays a role in leadership. Being independent and accomplishing tasks (however daunting, or with whatever doubts one may have) independently breeds the confidence necessary to be a leader. I think the opportunity to learn and be independent so simultaneously has been a great support in my development as a leader. The learning piece adds some much-needed humility and appreciation for collaboration to the independence/confidence aspect, and together these components interact strongly to better prepare to be a leader.
Manos Abiertas is completely owned and operated by women, the clinic’s motto being “Care for women and by women.” Every nurse, doctor, and midwife here is an inspired female leader, and I learn from them all. Being in this female-dominated environment (especially in the historically male-dominated healthcare field) constantly reminds me of the equal capabilities between male and female healthcare professionals. In looking up to the role models I have here at the clinic, I have further developed and fine-tuned my idea of what it means to be a female leader; to make meaningful and powerful contributions that affect all humans positively and to do so with care and efficiency and without expectation of any gender capabilities.