After a well-needed and appreciated night´s rest, our team awoke to a day of preparation, education, and training for the days ahead (after a delicious breakfast of course!). Although our team has been learning and preparing for the trip while in Williamsburg, a crash course on medicine in Nicaragua was certainly appreciated.
Sonia, our trip leader, was able to arrange for the the doctor and the dentist who we will be working worth in Nicaragua to come and teach us about working in the clinic. One of the most important things discussed was SOAP. SOAP stands for subjective, objective, assessment, and plan. This is our guideline for diagnosing and treating a patient. We must first listen to the patient and be attentive to what they tell us. However, we must make sure to help guide the patient in providing objective, medically relevant information about their ailment. We then make an assessment and diagnos the patient. It is at this point that we can develop a plan or course of action to effectively treat the patient.
The team also made sure to practice taking vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, etc), reviewing the symptons and presentations of common medical problems, and solidifying our understanding of the appropriate treatment.
While there is much one can do in the way of studying, memorizing, and practicing taking a fellow team member´s pulse, one cannot adequately prepare for what they will see in the coming days as we visit some of the most impoverished communities in the world.
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