Clinic

So it´s been a while since anyone has updated this, so I´m gonna try to go over what we´ve done in the past week clinically. Each of us students have been divided into various areas of the clinic, either in triage, as a physicians assistant, or in pharmacy/integrated health. We have 9 clinical days of work so every 3 days we rotate areas, so most people will get a taste of all three. Everyone coming in goes to triage, were they get vitals taken, chief complaint written down, and relative labs taken. They then go to the physicians and get diagnosed and a treatment prescribed. We have seen all kinds of things here so far, bacterial and fungal infections, gastritis, a lypoma, siezures, genetic diseases. Probably the most common we´ve seen in back pain and UTIs.
One of the things we do for long term care is integrated health, were they are taught the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, brushing and cleaning, how to properly take the medicines we prescribe them and educate them on treatment of diseases. The unfortunate thing is that some of these conditions are chronic, and we are only able to treat them for the short term in those cases. There are hospitals here, and we do what we can to aid them and refer them to where they can be treated. Today Jon and I diagnosed a patient with type II Diabetes for the first time, and being able to provide her proper education on how to take care of herself is essential.
Well, I´m out now. Hopefully we can update you on our treks through the jungle this past weekend. I know Tina and Allie had a blast walking through the rain and mud in their golashes.

With Love from Peru
- Will

Arrival in Puerto Maldonado

So the rest of us arrived in Lima pretty late, and after going through customs and getting to the hotel we didn´t get into our rooms until 12:30 in the morning. Considering we had to get up at 5:45 to go back to the airport we were all a little sleep deprived when we got in. So most of us proceeded to nap. We meet up with Jon and my Parents and several more people with MMI trickled in over the weekend. Overall we have 35 people, and are providing for clinical, dental and opthamological care, as well as a pharmacy and spirital counciling. Sunday afternoon was spent organizing the pharmacy and our roles in the clinic.

Arrived in Peru!

I arrived today in Lima, Peru at 10:00pm on the same flight as Joe & Toni Klutho, two pharmacists from St. Louis, MO and Will's parents. The rest of the Creighton team will be arriving tomorrow night.

The weather here is reasonably pleasant, hazy, slightly humid at 60F. Apparently most of the nights here are rather like that. 'Til next time.

God's blessings.
-Jon