I will be providing anesthesia for general surgical procedures including laparoscopic cholecystectomy and hernia repair in adults
Financially disadvantaged adult men and women in a rural region of Guatemala. We serve this population because it is a historically underserved both medically and financially.
I am expecting to help improve the lives of the patients I care for by providing high quality anesthesia care for their surgical problems. I know that for many patients, repair of a simple hernia can mean that they can return to normal, productive activity in their home and worklife that they may not have otherwise been able to do. Moving forward, I hope that providing care to people of Guatemala helps me to provide culturally competent care at home for my Latin American patients through both cultural understanding and improvement of language and communication skills.
What an honor to be able to take care of the kind and generous people in Retalhuleu, Guatemala. The purpose of our trip was to provide general surgical services to the adult population in this rural area of Guatemala. We had three surgical teams to perform around 60 surgeries over 4 days. The surgeries that were done were either laparoscopic cholecystectomies or hernia repairs. Our patients ranged in age from 14-75 and many travelled from great distances to get care from our team. In addition to the surgeries, we also had one day where we dispensed reading glasses to anyone who came to our makeshift vision clinic.
Providing medical care in a remote area with limited access to to resources we are used to at home presents unique challenges but inn the end, it is genuinely easy to provide safe and effective care using the tools you are given. Digging deep into your own reservoir of patience is often required and ultimately, a huge payoff. The patients were well cared for and grateful and you could go to sleep after a long day knowing the team did a good job.
