Personal Narrative-Lack Of Medical Care In Nicaragua

In my sophomore year of college, I had the opportunity to travel through a Jesuit organization to Nicaragua. I was elated to be accepted into the Immersion program, but had no idea the effect it would have on my life. From a young age I have been passionate and eager to learn about the lack of medical care in impoverished countries. On my Immersion trip, I was humbled to see this inadequacy, most memorably during my time spent with a host family. I will never forget their story. Their resource-limited neighborhood of Estelí, Nicaragua was a forty-five-minute drive up the mountain away from the nearest town. There was only one bus that came to the mountain neighborhood – once in the morning taking people to town and one return trip at night. It was

I began in a dermatology practice, working the office and observing the medical professionals any chance I had. Next, I spent a summer in the Surgery Center of Jefferson Hospital, observing nurses provide peri-operative care. I learned the flow of their system – review history, examine the patient, and then prepare for anesthesia – and witnessed how each step built upon the next to ensure the patient’s comfort before and after their procedure. I worked the following year as a patient care assistant. This was the most exciting opportunity for me. I was finally working hands-on with patients and was able to see how my care directly influenced their conditions. I realized through this job how powerful, and wonderful, it is to provide care. You have the chance to make a difference and when you see that smile on a patient’s face, you know that you helped them, and that is what fuels my passion. As my time in this position continued, I felt I had mastered the PCA role and yearned to provide more definitive care. Knowing that I wanted to expand my abilities to help others I constantly found myself coming back to the Physician Assistant