Cup half full

I am half way into my service learning experience. I feel like I have learned so much in these four weeks. In the morning I start off in Orthopedics at 7am. There is a seminar for the residents and then there is a morning report of all the patients.  I have learned about the research that the residents are conducting and other topics such as the equinus condition. After that I usually help the first year residents with their duties. The residents have showed me a lot about fractures, wounds and how to apply different types of casts, depending on the wounds. I always have on a white coat and use gloves when handling patients.

            In the afternoon I volunteer in Pediatrics. I usually spend some time with the burned patients and then go into the Aula (schoolroom) with the other patients. The burned patients are the ones who usually stay the longest, so I get to know them and their families pretty well. There have been a couple of patients that burned their hands, and after they are instructed to start moving their fingers I bring them clean Lego blocks. Since it is a toy they are distracted and don’t realize they are moving their hand. The patients are usually scared to move their hand(s) at first. One day El Camino church group came and passed out hot wheels, which also helped encourage one of the patients to use his fingers. The group El Camino were extremely nice and they gave coloring books and crayons to the children. We also went down to Pediatrics in the ER. They left me bags of toiletries for the patients that I saw most in need. I passed them out to patients in Pediatrics and also in maternity. 

           

In the schoolroom we usually play with two sets of blocks and four puzzles. The children that stay in the hospital for long periods end up making the puzzles many times. This upcoming week I will be bringing in the toys that were bought for Pediatrics. The Professor is really good at coming up with ways to work on problem areas with the children. For example, sometimes we will read them a story and they have to write it out correctly, or we will do math problems with pictures. The professor sees in what area the children need help and she also assigns them homework if they are going to be in the hospital longer.

Last Saturday I got to attend an event for Orthopedics. There was a recognition ceremony for the founder of the school of Orthopedics and Traumatology in León.  His name is Dr. Jaime Granera Soto, and there was a plate and painting put up in the Orthopedics department for him. In the event they talked about his journey to becoming a doctor, and also a priest. I was greatly honored to attend and meet Dr. Granera. After the ceremony there was reception, and I witnessed my first tremble in the earth. It was not an earthquake, but I did feel the movement. I was not scared; I always imagined that it would be much worse like in the movies. I moved to the center patio, and then it was over. But due to this there was safety precautions taken and some patients were given permission to go home but they would have to come back on Monday. All in all, everything was fine.

 I like volunteering in Pediatrics and Orthopedics because sometimes there are Pediatric patients that are also Orthopedic patients. I am allowed to go into their surgical procedures, and I have noticed that this helps calm their nerves. During their treatment I see that they are calmer and don’t cry as much when they see a familiar face that they are more or less comfortable with. I am excited for this second half of the experience, and I am also grateful to be where I am.