Greetings, I’m a PA that has been practicing over 10 years. There is a medical clinic in Nicaragua that I have been serving at for over 10 years as well. I also serve on their medical board. I’m proud to say the last 5 years we have had a full time Nicaraguan doctor and nurse serving at the clinic all year long. Medical teams from the US come down throughout the year. There is a large physician shortage so the role of the teams is to see patients and find the ones with highest need for the full time doctor to follow up with. This year I am leading 2 back to back groups of APPs, physicians, nurses, and paramedics between June 28 to July 15. We will be doing pediatric screenings, general medical clinics for all ages, home visits for those who are unable to travel, and teaching skills at a local nursing school. I will be in Nicaragua 2.5 weeks leading these 2 teams. We also have programs teaching local leaders about local hygiene, diet, sanitation, and they then share the information with their communities. We also have a program called Bright Hope that helps women before, during, and after pregnancy. There is also a program for malnourished children.
Nicaragua is one of the most poor countries in the western hemisphere with most communities lacking clean water, electricity, sanitary facilities, and adequate housing. These are the patients we reach. We serve patients of all ages including pregnant women. We perform home visits to reach those in most dire situations. While living in poor conditions these individuals are also the most grateful and kind human beings I’ve ever met.
We will likely see >2000 patients on our trip. Not only will these patients receive treatment but also will be educated on the best way to prevent disease. Every year that I go I learn exponentially more from an advanced disease aspect than I do practicing in the US. These trips also help expand my differential when treating people who are from or who have traveled to Central America. It also helps improve my Spanish which I use daily working in the US.
This is the 10th trip I’ve been on to Nicaragua and this was my favorite. I was able to spend 2.5 weeks and lead two different teams. We held clinic a few days on site and had patients come to us, but the majority of the time we were packing medical bags and going to the patients house. This gave us an insight into the patients life we never get in the United States. I saw the 5 year old with asthma constantly exposed to smoke from the cooking stove or trash burning directly beside the house. I saw the family with scabies that all slept in the same bed smaller than a twin. I saw the patient with diabetes with multiple prior amputations keeping her insulin in a lunch box cooler. We saw over 800 patients in intimate settings. Despite these poor living conditions, patients brought out chairs and insisted we sit and let them host us at their home. The level of happiness these people have is inviable. I’ve learned and relearned every year what really matters in life. We practiced evidence based medicine. Protocols at the clinic are highly influenced by WHO guidelines. Along with treating current illnesses we provided preventative parasite treatment to children. Education was also a key portion of our treatment plans. We also taught a nursing school 9 different topics. It was a tremendous trip I will never forget. Thank you your assistance is in this life changing opportunity.
