Wednesday, July 18, 2012

from David Daar, medical student

Today I worked in the gynecology dept., and it was a very positive experience.  Week 2 began today, and we had two new OB/GYN docs leading the clinic, Dr. Aliyah Khan and Dr. Frank Goicoechea.


I always had an impression of GYN that it wouldn't be for me, but my experience today really opened my eyes to the field.  It is a great mixture of clinic and procedures - and if I want to go on mission trips like PAMS in the future, it is a highly requested and needed specialty.  I really got my money's worth today.  We saw over 45 patients and scheduled several operations for later in the week that will significantly improve our patients' health, including 2 hysterectomies to prevent continued excessive bleeding and possible endometrial cancer in the future.

Another aspect that I learned a lot about today was the dedication to patient comfort and modesty - something especially pertinent to GYN.  Moreover, in general there is a high level of modesty amongst the Peruvian community, and being able to respect that while still effectively examining a patient was a task that takes both finesse and compassion.  Our docs today were phenomenal role models, and I appreciated how much time and energy they spent teaching us.

Another solid day in Ayacucho, can't wait for tomorrow!

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