Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 7:30 PM
This evening marks my first 24 hours back home. What a luxury to return to my own place and the comfort of my own bed. Em quickly reestablished her place in the easy chair, then at the foot of the bed, then IN the bed with me early this morning to sleep in a bit.
As unaccustomed as it may sound, the phrase that keeps running through my head is God bless America. I am tired and glad to be home. My "gratitude fix" has been replenished after a month surrounded by dire poverty with too few solutions in view.
I am slowly making my way back into my normal routine. I return to work on Monday. It will take me a while to reconnect with everyone. I do want to say THANK YOU to all who supported my work, read the blog, and let me know that you were thinking of me back here. Special thanks go to Patty Smith who took care of all things at home, and John and Hannelore Daniel who provided a wonderful 5 star doggie foster home for Em!
I hope to eventually put a few pictures on this site. Until then, thank goodness for HOME. Judy
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Winding Down
Tuesday, July 21 at 4:40 PM
Still not sure when I will be able to post. We are in the middle of a HUGE tropical rain storm that is cooling off everything nicely. The wireless is back up if I can get to the library and log on before our guests arrive for dinner this evening.
Yesterday saw the return of Dr. Rolf Maibach, a Swiss Pediatrician, and Medical Director at HAS. This is the position formerly held by Dr. Duane Dowell who was back here volunteering with me the first 2 weeks of my stay. Dr. Maibach has started the morning conference in an interesting way these past 2 days. He puts a Haitian proverb on the screen in Kreyol and English. Then the staff (primarily MD’s and other managerial level staff) discuss the meaning of the proverb. It is an interesting exercise in culture and language. One of the proverbs today had a slightly different meaning for “blans” depending on how you translated one of the verbs. You could argue for either one, but the meaning is changed. I recommend going over proverbs as an interesting exercise in a cross cultural group. (In people of the same culture, it becomes an SAT test!)
Today I returned from lunch to find 2 white men going around with a cart and passing out food to people in the hospital, apparently both patients and visitors (remember that families must bring in their own food for patients). Out of curiosity, I asked my translator to inquire about them and he came back and reported that they were from “a church in Port au Prince.” They were working feverishly so I was unable to talk to them, but I do wonder what their purpose was on this apparently rather random mission.
Until later, Judy
Monday, July 20 at 6:30 PM (posted on July 21)
Only 3 more days of work to go, then I will be heading home on Friday. Once again, the time here has been what I have previously called a “gratitude fix.” So many large and small things that we take for granted--I will notice more of them when I return home. The list starts with drinkable running water, and goes on and on, large and small, to include air conditioning, infrastructure, and health care.
On the plus side for Haiti, doing without TV is not such a bad thing. I have read 3 books and started a fourth.
This week, though, I am wrapping up, giving away most of my clothes (purposefully brought primarily well worn items) and I am getting ready to head home.
No wireless access on campus today, so will post this when I can connect to a cable somewhere. See you soon, Judy
Still not sure when I will be able to post. We are in the middle of a HUGE tropical rain storm that is cooling off everything nicely. The wireless is back up if I can get to the library and log on before our guests arrive for dinner this evening.
Yesterday saw the return of Dr. Rolf Maibach, a Swiss Pediatrician, and Medical Director at HAS. This is the position formerly held by Dr. Duane Dowell who was back here volunteering with me the first 2 weeks of my stay. Dr. Maibach has started the morning conference in an interesting way these past 2 days. He puts a Haitian proverb on the screen in Kreyol and English. Then the staff (primarily MD’s and other managerial level staff) discuss the meaning of the proverb. It is an interesting exercise in culture and language. One of the proverbs today had a slightly different meaning for “blans” depending on how you translated one of the verbs. You could argue for either one, but the meaning is changed. I recommend going over proverbs as an interesting exercise in a cross cultural group. (In people of the same culture, it becomes an SAT test!)
Today I returned from lunch to find 2 white men going around with a cart and passing out food to people in the hospital, apparently both patients and visitors (remember that families must bring in their own food for patients). Out of curiosity, I asked my translator to inquire about them and he came back and reported that they were from “a church in Port au Prince.” They were working feverishly so I was unable to talk to them, but I do wonder what their purpose was on this apparently rather random mission.
Until later, Judy
Monday, July 20 at 6:30 PM (posted on July 21)
Only 3 more days of work to go, then I will be heading home on Friday. Once again, the time here has been what I have previously called a “gratitude fix.” So many large and small things that we take for granted--I will notice more of them when I return home. The list starts with drinkable running water, and goes on and on, large and small, to include air conditioning, infrastructure, and health care.
On the plus side for Haiti, doing without TV is not such a bad thing. I have read 3 books and started a fourth.
This week, though, I am wrapping up, giving away most of my clothes (purposefully brought primarily well worn items) and I am getting ready to head home.
No wireless access on campus today, so will post this when I can connect to a cable somewhere. See you soon, Judy
Saturday, July 18, 2009
WOW!
Saturday, July 18 at 6:30 PM
WOW! That was a rainstorm!!! Palm trees blowing, branches on the ground, rain coming in sheets, huge puddles in the grass and flowing down the sidewalks. Of course the power went out, but it is back on already! I have turned off my AC. When the rain slowed down, I opened the door to my little balcony to find that it is actually COOL outside. I still have the door open enjoying the fresh smell of the rain that is now coming down lightly along with rumbling thunder and lightening. When I saw the rain moving in, I almost went to the outdoor bar to sit under the overhang and read a book while sipping on a Sprite. Glad I brought the Sprite back to my room! I would have blown away! II imagine that dinner will be quite delayed while the staff puts the outdoor dining area back together. They were moving fast to take it all away earlier--one reason I decided it best to return to my room. What a display by Mother Nature! Now I’ll see if the wireless access is up and running again.
WOW! That was a rainstorm!!! Palm trees blowing, branches on the ground, rain coming in sheets, huge puddles in the grass and flowing down the sidewalks. Of course the power went out, but it is back on already! I have turned off my AC. When the rain slowed down, I opened the door to my little balcony to find that it is actually COOL outside. I still have the door open enjoying the fresh smell of the rain that is now coming down lightly along with rumbling thunder and lightening. When I saw the rain moving in, I almost went to the outdoor bar to sit under the overhang and read a book while sipping on a Sprite. Glad I brought the Sprite back to my room! I would have blown away! II imagine that dinner will be quite delayed while the staff puts the outdoor dining area back together. They were moving fast to take it all away earlier--one reason I decided it best to return to my room. What a display by Mother Nature! Now I’ll see if the wireless access is up and running again.
At the Beach!
Saturday, July 18 at 2:15 PM
At the Beach!
Made it! With Shaun’s help, I was able to negotiate a ride with Levy, the main Haitian gardener at HAS, and a friend of the Dowells. We spent over 2 hours late Friday afternoon slowly bumping over one of the dustiest poor quality roads I have ever seen. I arrived soaked in sweat and exhausted, but VERY happy to be here for a break. As I mentioned in my last post, there is a cumulative effect of the heat that left me exhausted by Friday. There has been no rain in Deschapelles for several days to break the heat. Nights are a wrestling match of tossing and turning with the sheets half way off the bed by morning.
Right now, though, I must STOP complaining. Last night and today are GREAT! Some things change and Moulin Sur Mer where I am staying is one of the few things in Haiti that is better than when I last saw it 3 1/2 years ago. (Check it out at MoulinSurMer.com) The grounds have improved and they have chased away the beach people trying to sell you stuff, except for a few that have a vendor badge. All food is served buffet style which is faster and it is plentiful. There is wireless access throughout the resort, including here in my room. That is definitely the biggest change of all.
There is a greater percentage of Haitian visitors here this time--in the majority--as opposed to more ‘blans’ in the past. There are also Americans who appear to be of Haitian descent. I just met a group of young people who are in Haiti to put a new roof on an orphanage, and there are other ‘blans’ here and there.
My little room has an air conditioner and I slept COLD last night for the first time since leaving Dallas. There is a warm shower. I will soon be crashing for a cool nap.
So this weekend begins my partial re-entry back into the world of the USA. I needed this rest to have the energy to finish off well with the students and, I hope, leave them with a positive impression of my help.
Problems to Solve
Morning conference with the medical staff was very interesting on both Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, the 3 Haitian internists on staff talked about risks/procedures related to accidental exposure to blood. As all my medical friends know, this is a common problem but so much more difficult to deal with here where resources are limited, conditions are crowded, and access to even soap and water can be delayed.
On Friday, the MD in charge of the conference reported that the UN had found a case of swine flu in Cap Haitian. This sparked a discussion on how to manage patients at HAS in the event that there is an outbreak of swine flu. Space for isolating patients is almost nonexistent. There is no tamiflu available at the hospital. Crowded conditions and past history indicate that many staff members are likely to be infected if there is an outbreak. No one mentioned if N-95 masks were available (the more protective kind needed in this situation for staff). I doubt that there are resources for fit testing (another procedure needed to ensure that the masks are providing complete protection against airborne infection). A negative pressure room in Haiti (used for airborne diseases in the US) consists of a room with a window fan that blows air outside the room---onto the campus!
In 6 days I will be heading home. The month has gone by quickly as I knew it would. There is still work to do, so posts may be few. Thank you all, again, for your support. Judy
At the Beach!
Made it! With Shaun’s help, I was able to negotiate a ride with Levy, the main Haitian gardener at HAS, and a friend of the Dowells. We spent over 2 hours late Friday afternoon slowly bumping over one of the dustiest poor quality roads I have ever seen. I arrived soaked in sweat and exhausted, but VERY happy to be here for a break. As I mentioned in my last post, there is a cumulative effect of the heat that left me exhausted by Friday. There has been no rain in Deschapelles for several days to break the heat. Nights are a wrestling match of tossing and turning with the sheets half way off the bed by morning.
Right now, though, I must STOP complaining. Last night and today are GREAT! Some things change and Moulin Sur Mer where I am staying is one of the few things in Haiti that is better than when I last saw it 3 1/2 years ago. (Check it out at MoulinSurMer.com) The grounds have improved and they have chased away the beach people trying to sell you stuff, except for a few that have a vendor badge. All food is served buffet style which is faster and it is plentiful. There is wireless access throughout the resort, including here in my room. That is definitely the biggest change of all.
There is a greater percentage of Haitian visitors here this time--in the majority--as opposed to more ‘blans’ in the past. There are also Americans who appear to be of Haitian descent. I just met a group of young people who are in Haiti to put a new roof on an orphanage, and there are other ‘blans’ here and there.
My little room has an air conditioner and I slept COLD last night for the first time since leaving Dallas. There is a warm shower. I will soon be crashing for a cool nap.
So this weekend begins my partial re-entry back into the world of the USA. I needed this rest to have the energy to finish off well with the students and, I hope, leave them with a positive impression of my help.
Problems to Solve
Morning conference with the medical staff was very interesting on both Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, the 3 Haitian internists on staff talked about risks/procedures related to accidental exposure to blood. As all my medical friends know, this is a common problem but so much more difficult to deal with here where resources are limited, conditions are crowded, and access to even soap and water can be delayed.
On Friday, the MD in charge of the conference reported that the UN had found a case of swine flu in Cap Haitian. This sparked a discussion on how to manage patients at HAS in the event that there is an outbreak of swine flu. Space for isolating patients is almost nonexistent. There is no tamiflu available at the hospital. Crowded conditions and past history indicate that many staff members are likely to be infected if there is an outbreak. No one mentioned if N-95 masks were available (the more protective kind needed in this situation for staff). I doubt that there are resources for fit testing (another procedure needed to ensure that the masks are providing complete protection against airborne infection). A negative pressure room in Haiti (used for airborne diseases in the US) consists of a room with a window fan that blows air outside the room---onto the campus!
In 6 days I will be heading home. The month has gone by quickly as I knew it would. There is still work to do, so posts may be few. Thank you all, again, for your support. Judy
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Hallelujah!
Thursday, July 16 at 4:00 PM
Hallelujah!
The little boy with burns on both legs has returned! The story from his Mother is that she took him home (no reason asked by me or stated by the Mother), and left him in the care of his father while she went to Port-au-Prince (again no reason asked or stated). His burned legs were left open to the air while she was gone. This remedy of letting a wound dry out is exquisitely painful for a burn. When she returned, she somehow realized that he needed more care and brought him to a clinic in Petite Riviere. His legs were bandaged there yesterday and the staff told the Mother to bring him back to the hospital and fortunately she did so this morning.
When I first went in to see him with my students, he was sleepy and I was afraid that he was really sick. However, later he was awake and eating a snack. His legs are contracted in about 45 degrees of flexion. Stretching them back out with Physical Therapy will be agonizing. Some of the areas of deep partial thickness (second degree) burn may have converted to third degree after being left open to the air; this will mean more extensive skin grafting.
But he is here! He has a chance. Thank goodness his little body was tough enough to HANG ON.
Moving at a tropical pace . . .
These last few days, I find myself moving more at a tropical pace. The heat has a cumulative effect. I am slowing down much below my usual speed of moving and doing. I wonder how this effect of the heat must affect the culture of a place like Haiti when it occurs for a lifetime.
There is still much to do and as time runs out, I realize that I need to start making a list of priorities. However, with any luck that list will be neglected this weekend and I will head for the beach. The determining factor will be transportation. There is no regular public transportation in Haiti, only tap taps and private arrangements. The hospital can no longer afford the luxury of taking people back and forth except when absolutely necessary. We will see what happens. If not the beach, then I will plow through my third book and hit the pool when it is shaded (the water is too hot in the sun).
Wireless access seems to be down on campus, so there are email messages just sitting in my outbox. I will try posting this blog on an old computer in the library. I hope it works! Until later. Judy
Hallelujah!
The little boy with burns on both legs has returned! The story from his Mother is that she took him home (no reason asked by me or stated by the Mother), and left him in the care of his father while she went to Port-au-Prince (again no reason asked or stated). His burned legs were left open to the air while she was gone. This remedy of letting a wound dry out is exquisitely painful for a burn. When she returned, she somehow realized that he needed more care and brought him to a clinic in Petite Riviere. His legs were bandaged there yesterday and the staff told the Mother to bring him back to the hospital and fortunately she did so this morning.
When I first went in to see him with my students, he was sleepy and I was afraid that he was really sick. However, later he was awake and eating a snack. His legs are contracted in about 45 degrees of flexion. Stretching them back out with Physical Therapy will be agonizing. Some of the areas of deep partial thickness (second degree) burn may have converted to third degree after being left open to the air; this will mean more extensive skin grafting.
But he is here! He has a chance. Thank goodness his little body was tough enough to HANG ON.
Moving at a tropical pace . . .
These last few days, I find myself moving more at a tropical pace. The heat has a cumulative effect. I am slowing down much below my usual speed of moving and doing. I wonder how this effect of the heat must affect the culture of a place like Haiti when it occurs for a lifetime.
There is still much to do and as time runs out, I realize that I need to start making a list of priorities. However, with any luck that list will be neglected this weekend and I will head for the beach. The determining factor will be transportation. There is no regular public transportation in Haiti, only tap taps and private arrangements. The hospital can no longer afford the luxury of taking people back and forth except when absolutely necessary. We will see what happens. If not the beach, then I will plow through my third book and hit the pool when it is shaded (the water is too hot in the sun).
Wireless access seems to be down on campus, so there are email messages just sitting in my outbox. I will try posting this blog on an old computer in the library. I hope it works! Until later. Judy
Monday, July 13, 2009
Time Flying By!
Monday, July 13 at 3:30 PM
Today begins the second half of my work with the students. As I said at the end of my last post, time is flying by! After finding my student here with his elderly Mother on a stretcher Saturday morning, I returned later with Shaun to get the full story. His Mother apparently had a change in level of consciousness around 1:00 AM. My student had been up with her since that time, most of it sitting and uncomfortably waiting at the hospital. He had not had anything to eat. I broke the rules. I went back to the house and gathered a small snack for him. His reply in beautiful clear English was “Thank you for your support.” His Mother remains in the “Overnight Ward”, a gray zone for those who are not necessarily in need of admission, but still too uncertain to go home. My student just told me he will spend the night here, probably sleeping under her stretcher on the concrete floor. Maybe she will be discharged home; the main problem appears to be a fever. We can hope.
On Saturday afternoon, Shaun and I took a tap tap to the market in Verette. A tap tap is an open pick up with passengers riding in the back. When you want the truck to stop, you pound on the side--tap tap--to alert the driver. Riding one is a classic Haiti experience!
The market was, as in Vera Dowell’s original description to me, a complex almost overwhelming sensory experience---crowds, activity, sights, sounds, potent smells mix with dust and the ever present heat. I took a picture or two, but there is no way to capture the experience except to be there. Vision alone is not enough. A video would add sound, but still leave out the dust, the heat, the smell, and the touch on your skin of people pressing against you as you pass in the crowd.
Sunday morning at 4:00 AM brought Duane’s departure, and a last minute save. In the front pouch of his carry-on bag, Duane found the cookies that I had requested and that we thought had been lost in a mix up when he arrived. So yesterday and today, I have been enjoying a little sweet taste from home. I miss Duane, but we had a wonderful visit here.
Some things change--
At 6:30 AM Sunday morning, I decided to try one more time to get on the internet in the guest house where we stayed. From midnight to 7:00 AM, the “sonic wall” is lifted and internet access is available in a number of places. The remainder of the time, short term visitors must come to the library and use a code for access. (This procedure is to limit use of a system that has little bandwidth available.)
Lo and behold, it worked! I immediately pulled up the NY Times on line and quickly began downloading as many articles as I could before the sonic wall shut me down at 7:00. Despite the lack of coffee, I got over a dozen articles on my laptop and spent breakfast looking over the NY Times, a treat that has only become possible in the last few years.
Some things stay the same--
Later Sunday morning, Shaun and I went down to the PT Department at the hospital to do some cleaning, to inventory supplies and to organize handouts left here by many different people. I had taken a brief look earlier in the week and was concerned that some usable materials were buried, unused in a closet. We found lots of supplies in the closet, some that I recognized from 3 or more years ago. In this place of so much deprivation, it is extremely difficult to convince the Haitian staff to GIVE AWAY the supplies that we bring, with the assurance that more will come. This has been a problem the entire time I have been here. My only guess is that when you have so little, it is extremely difficult to make the decision to let some of it go, and to decide who will and will not receive the supplies. In one conversation with my students, she referred to these supplies intended for patients as a potential “gift” for the patient. I tried to convince her that these supplies were not a gift to the patient, but a means to accomplish the rehabilitation goals. Only time will tell if that helped.
Among the supplies and papers that we uncovered were handouts written by my students for my first trip here in 2000. There was a large box of toys intended to be given away for use with children who need motivation and stimulation to move. The box had rat droppings in the bottom. We took the toys back to our house to be washed.
This morning on Surgery Rounds, we found that a small boy with extensive burns to both legs had gone home AMA--against medical advice--his Mother simply took him and left. While this sounds terrible to us, from his Mother’s point of view she could do what the hospital was doing. He was receiving “cream” and bandages that she probably felt she could do at home, having no idea how crucial the correct topical medicine is for a burn. The boy could walk with only a little help to get up on his stiff legs. She did not understand that the Doctors were prudently waiting a few days to determine the full extent of the burn that is third degree before doing a surgical skin graft. There is little chance that the child will survive without medical care. He will become infected very soon. Our hope is that he will become increasingly ill, his parents will realize that they cannot manage the problem and will bring him here or somewhere for help. There is no Child Protective Services hotline in Haiti.
Despite this sad start to the day, it has overall felt optimistic to me. The students are slowly learning to be more independent. They are treating their patients. With any luck and the dedication of many people who have worked on this program they will bring rehabilitation services that were not here before to at least a few people.
Off to my Kreyol lesson--if it stops raining! Judy
Today begins the second half of my work with the students. As I said at the end of my last post, time is flying by! After finding my student here with his elderly Mother on a stretcher Saturday morning, I returned later with Shaun to get the full story. His Mother apparently had a change in level of consciousness around 1:00 AM. My student had been up with her since that time, most of it sitting and uncomfortably waiting at the hospital. He had not had anything to eat. I broke the rules. I went back to the house and gathered a small snack for him. His reply in beautiful clear English was “Thank you for your support.” His Mother remains in the “Overnight Ward”, a gray zone for those who are not necessarily in need of admission, but still too uncertain to go home. My student just told me he will spend the night here, probably sleeping under her stretcher on the concrete floor. Maybe she will be discharged home; the main problem appears to be a fever. We can hope.
On Saturday afternoon, Shaun and I took a tap tap to the market in Verette. A tap tap is an open pick up with passengers riding in the back. When you want the truck to stop, you pound on the side--tap tap--to alert the driver. Riding one is a classic Haiti experience!
The market was, as in Vera Dowell’s original description to me, a complex almost overwhelming sensory experience---crowds, activity, sights, sounds, potent smells mix with dust and the ever present heat. I took a picture or two, but there is no way to capture the experience except to be there. Vision alone is not enough. A video would add sound, but still leave out the dust, the heat, the smell, and the touch on your skin of people pressing against you as you pass in the crowd.
Sunday morning at 4:00 AM brought Duane’s departure, and a last minute save. In the front pouch of his carry-on bag, Duane found the cookies that I had requested and that we thought had been lost in a mix up when he arrived. So yesterday and today, I have been enjoying a little sweet taste from home. I miss Duane, but we had a wonderful visit here.
Some things change--
At 6:30 AM Sunday morning, I decided to try one more time to get on the internet in the guest house where we stayed. From midnight to 7:00 AM, the “sonic wall” is lifted and internet access is available in a number of places. The remainder of the time, short term visitors must come to the library and use a code for access. (This procedure is to limit use of a system that has little bandwidth available.)
Lo and behold, it worked! I immediately pulled up the NY Times on line and quickly began downloading as many articles as I could before the sonic wall shut me down at 7:00. Despite the lack of coffee, I got over a dozen articles on my laptop and spent breakfast looking over the NY Times, a treat that has only become possible in the last few years.
Some things stay the same--
Later Sunday morning, Shaun and I went down to the PT Department at the hospital to do some cleaning, to inventory supplies and to organize handouts left here by many different people. I had taken a brief look earlier in the week and was concerned that some usable materials were buried, unused in a closet. We found lots of supplies in the closet, some that I recognized from 3 or more years ago. In this place of so much deprivation, it is extremely difficult to convince the Haitian staff to GIVE AWAY the supplies that we bring, with the assurance that more will come. This has been a problem the entire time I have been here. My only guess is that when you have so little, it is extremely difficult to make the decision to let some of it go, and to decide who will and will not receive the supplies. In one conversation with my students, she referred to these supplies intended for patients as a potential “gift” for the patient. I tried to convince her that these supplies were not a gift to the patient, but a means to accomplish the rehabilitation goals. Only time will tell if that helped.
Among the supplies and papers that we uncovered were handouts written by my students for my first trip here in 2000. There was a large box of toys intended to be given away for use with children who need motivation and stimulation to move. The box had rat droppings in the bottom. We took the toys back to our house to be washed.
This morning on Surgery Rounds, we found that a small boy with extensive burns to both legs had gone home AMA--against medical advice--his Mother simply took him and left. While this sounds terrible to us, from his Mother’s point of view she could do what the hospital was doing. He was receiving “cream” and bandages that she probably felt she could do at home, having no idea how crucial the correct topical medicine is for a burn. The boy could walk with only a little help to get up on his stiff legs. She did not understand that the Doctors were prudently waiting a few days to determine the full extent of the burn that is third degree before doing a surgical skin graft. There is little chance that the child will survive without medical care. He will become infected very soon. Our hope is that he will become increasingly ill, his parents will realize that they cannot manage the problem and will bring him here or somewhere for help. There is no Child Protective Services hotline in Haiti.
Despite this sad start to the day, it has overall felt optimistic to me. The students are slowly learning to be more independent. They are treating their patients. With any luck and the dedication of many people who have worked on this program they will bring rehabilitation services that were not here before to at least a few people.
Off to my Kreyol lesson--if it stops raining! Judy
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Back up!
Saturday, July 11 at 7:00 AM
Late Wednesday evening brought the return on Shaun Cleaver, Physical Therapist, to campus. He stopped by to chat with Duane and I around 8:00 PM. Shaun has been in Haiti for 2 years or so and is a model for PT’s who might strive to do this kind of work. He is completely fluent in Kreyol--amazingly so. He is well known on campus and at HAS and much liked and admired for the work he has done. Note to academic programs everywhere--are we encouraging our students to consider international work? Providing experiences for them while they are in school???? Are we, as licensed professionals modeling that behavior???
From my standpoint, though, Shaun’s return has meant that I had BACK UP. He has provided much needed and appreciated help with the students. I had been struggling to find activities to keep the students occupied at the hospital for what I perceived to be a full day of clinical work. It turns out that the students were expecting to be there no longer than the number of hours that they had been in class. They took the student contract that they signed at the onset of the program very literally. Shaun was able to negotiate freely with them in Kreyol and we have come to a compromise that involves moving the start time earlier to accommodate ward rounds, a longer lunch break, and finishing within the total number of hours that they expected. This type of negotiation would never have been possible through the substitute translator that we have had for the past 2 days. Back to the need for more skill in languages . . .
So my Kreyol lessons continue with some rescheduling for the days that it rained around class time. My instructor arrives on a bicycle and pedaling in a tropical downpour just doesn’t work. I have much empathy for the ESL students that I see struggling to learn at NDSM each week.
Thursday brought a shared laugh that I will treasure. There is a Haitian LVN who has been trained to do some limited physical therapy services and is doing so while the more formal program continues to prepare the Rehabilitation Technicians (my students). She was on the surgical ward helping the nurses there by putting in an IV. The details are too long to ramble on about, but the bottom line is that I watched and wondered about what exactly was going on with the patient. Then in the most calm, nonjudgmental voice I could muster, I asked my translator to ask her a question about the situation. She told me and laughed. I, too, laughed at the answer. It felt like a breakthrough. She was comfortable enough with me to answer my question about something that looked a little amiss without becoming defensive or evasive.
Overall, Ghislaine, the LVN above who is doing some physical therapy, has been remarkably open to having me around invading her world. The first week here, I shadowed her a couple of times to familiarize myself with the patients in preparation for assigning them to the students. After she saw one patient who became dizzy after walking for the first time, she gave me a brief lecture on postural hypotension. I did my best to look concerned and grateful for this “new” information. Apparently it worked, as she has answered “pas gan problem” to all of my requests. Would I do the same for a foreigner who suddenly began buzzing around in my work space???
Thursday evening Duane and I hosted Dr. Daniel Perez and Danny Malebranche for dinner. Dr. Perez is a surgeon from Switzerland who has returned for a 3 week stint, and brought along Danny who is a third year medical student. Danny is of Haitian descent, both of his parents are Haitian, but this is his first trip to Haiti! We had a fascinating evening talking about their lives and bemoaning the rapidly decaying condition of the orthopedic surgical instruments here that turned a simple 45 minute femur fixation into a 4 hour improvised ordeal. Dr. Perez is determined to return to Switzerland and talk to a manufacturer there about some new donated orthopedic equipment. Anyone out there have some connections???
Last night was wonderfully cool after the rain and this has been a cool early morning. I am afraid that is rapidly changing, so will head to the library to get this posted, then over to strategize with Shaun at 9:00.
“Mom” has been receiving frequent updates about Em from her new best friends, John and Hannelore Daniel, who are generously caring for her while I am gone. She is feasting on dog food with chicken broth, has learned to use the dog door and finds this quite convenient, and takes daytime naps on John’s bed! She is having such a good time with her new person friends and their 2 dogs that I am not sure she will want to move back to East Dallas! We’ll see.
Thanks for all your email notes. Half of my time here is done and time is flying by. See you back in the USA. Judy
July 11 at 8:45 AM
As I entered the hospital to post this entry and passed by the intake area I ran into one of my students who was standing by an elderly woman on a stretcher. It is his Mother who is here with severe vomiting. I helped him push her stretcher and the IV pole to the lab for tests ordered by the MD. Life here is so uncertain . . . . .Plsease add them both to the prayer list.
Late Wednesday evening brought the return on Shaun Cleaver, Physical Therapist, to campus. He stopped by to chat with Duane and I around 8:00 PM. Shaun has been in Haiti for 2 years or so and is a model for PT’s who might strive to do this kind of work. He is completely fluent in Kreyol--amazingly so. He is well known on campus and at HAS and much liked and admired for the work he has done. Note to academic programs everywhere--are we encouraging our students to consider international work? Providing experiences for them while they are in school???? Are we, as licensed professionals modeling that behavior???
From my standpoint, though, Shaun’s return has meant that I had BACK UP. He has provided much needed and appreciated help with the students. I had been struggling to find activities to keep the students occupied at the hospital for what I perceived to be a full day of clinical work. It turns out that the students were expecting to be there no longer than the number of hours that they had been in class. They took the student contract that they signed at the onset of the program very literally. Shaun was able to negotiate freely with them in Kreyol and we have come to a compromise that involves moving the start time earlier to accommodate ward rounds, a longer lunch break, and finishing within the total number of hours that they expected. This type of negotiation would never have been possible through the substitute translator that we have had for the past 2 days. Back to the need for more skill in languages . . .
So my Kreyol lessons continue with some rescheduling for the days that it rained around class time. My instructor arrives on a bicycle and pedaling in a tropical downpour just doesn’t work. I have much empathy for the ESL students that I see struggling to learn at NDSM each week.
Thursday brought a shared laugh that I will treasure. There is a Haitian LVN who has been trained to do some limited physical therapy services and is doing so while the more formal program continues to prepare the Rehabilitation Technicians (my students). She was on the surgical ward helping the nurses there by putting in an IV. The details are too long to ramble on about, but the bottom line is that I watched and wondered about what exactly was going on with the patient. Then in the most calm, nonjudgmental voice I could muster, I asked my translator to ask her a question about the situation. She told me and laughed. I, too, laughed at the answer. It felt like a breakthrough. She was comfortable enough with me to answer my question about something that looked a little amiss without becoming defensive or evasive.
Overall, Ghislaine, the LVN above who is doing some physical therapy, has been remarkably open to having me around invading her world. The first week here, I shadowed her a couple of times to familiarize myself with the patients in preparation for assigning them to the students. After she saw one patient who became dizzy after walking for the first time, she gave me a brief lecture on postural hypotension. I did my best to look concerned and grateful for this “new” information. Apparently it worked, as she has answered “pas gan problem” to all of my requests. Would I do the same for a foreigner who suddenly began buzzing around in my work space???
Thursday evening Duane and I hosted Dr. Daniel Perez and Danny Malebranche for dinner. Dr. Perez is a surgeon from Switzerland who has returned for a 3 week stint, and brought along Danny who is a third year medical student. Danny is of Haitian descent, both of his parents are Haitian, but this is his first trip to Haiti! We had a fascinating evening talking about their lives and bemoaning the rapidly decaying condition of the orthopedic surgical instruments here that turned a simple 45 minute femur fixation into a 4 hour improvised ordeal. Dr. Perez is determined to return to Switzerland and talk to a manufacturer there about some new donated orthopedic equipment. Anyone out there have some connections???
Last night was wonderfully cool after the rain and this has been a cool early morning. I am afraid that is rapidly changing, so will head to the library to get this posted, then over to strategize with Shaun at 9:00.
“Mom” has been receiving frequent updates about Em from her new best friends, John and Hannelore Daniel, who are generously caring for her while I am gone. She is feasting on dog food with chicken broth, has learned to use the dog door and finds this quite convenient, and takes daytime naps on John’s bed! She is having such a good time with her new person friends and their 2 dogs that I am not sure she will want to move back to East Dallas! We’ll see.
Thanks for all your email notes. Half of my time here is done and time is flying by. See you back in the USA. Judy
July 11 at 8:45 AM
As I entered the hospital to post this entry and passed by the intake area I ran into one of my students who was standing by an elderly woman on a stretcher. It is his Mother who is here with severe vomiting. I helped him push her stretcher and the IV pole to the lab for tests ordered by the MD. Life here is so uncertain . . . . .Plsease add them both to the prayer list.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)