preparing and going through a few trainings. The next morning, we had to take a boat and another van to Pueblo Nuevo, where we actually held the clinic, and began to set up camp. We slept in hammocks while we were there, which ended up being quite the adventure since it was the middle of their rainy season. We woke up to people literally waiting by our hammocks to be seen, and following a very quick breakfast, started the clinic. We were split into small groups, some doing intake, others doing vitals/HPI, and the rest assisting physicians. Each group also had a translator. Going in to this experience, I assumed I would be helping with intake or vitals, typical expectations of a first-year medical student, but what I didn’t anticipate was being the sole Spanish translator in my small group, having marked “Advanced” but not “Fluent” on my application. At first, I was terrified, but as time went by, so much had come back from my classes years ago, and I felt very confident in basic medical conversations. I was even able to shadow one of the Panamanian physicians, who spoke little to no English, and was able to learn so much from him by the end of the day. He allowed me to assist in further history taking, physical exams, and health education. This was probably my favorite part of the experience, because it gave me a glimpse into the everyday life of these patients and the different health problems they faced. Unfortunately, we were only able to hold one day of clinic, because the next morning we were evacuated. However, when we returned to camp, we spent a day learning more about the Panamanian health care system and the Ngäbe culture. Overall, the experience was simply amazing.
What are some moments that stood out for you?
One of the biggest moments that stood out to me was while I was shadowing one of the Panamanian physicians. It was a full family consultation, and it was interesting to see how he was able to talk to each family member individually, and come up with individual treatment plans, while also incorporating health education that could help the family as a whole. Having limited access to basic health care, many of the patients we saw didn’t have things we take for granted like eyeglasses or over-the-counter medications. I was struck by the trouble the family was going to have to go through in order to get their little girl a pair of glasses, something she desperately needed to perform well in school and other everyday functions. After the consultation, I had the chance to talk to the physician about health care in the area, and what problems he saw day to day. It was fascinating to learn that many of the issues faced by these patients, especially in access to health care, were similar to issues that I have witnessed in underserved and rural parts of the US. Despite being in two completely different countries, with different languages and cultures, the problems in health care were eerily familiar.
Samantha Pendleton, COM '22
How did you become involved?
When I was thinking about what to do with my summer between first and second-year, I knew that I wanted to get some kind of shadowing experience, and I hoped to be able to travel. When the global health trip was announced, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to get to do a little bit of both! I was really excited to get to learn about a culture and health care system so different from our own, while also getting to explore such a beautiful country.
Tell me about your experience.
Our trip was to Bocas del Toro, Panama. We arrived to the coast by bus, and then took two boats to an island where the main
base of Floating Doctors was located. We spent a day there