At the end.

So our three weeks in Panama have come to an end! I have learned so much regarding both community and public health and life in general. Overall, I realize that we in the United States are very fortunate in many aspects.

The last week in Panama, we visited the children's hospital. It was located near the city district right across from the Santo Tomas Hospital. The children's wards were mostly full. Different departments in the children's hospital were Oncology and Hematology, Orthopaedics, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Pediatric ICU, Neonatal ICU, and a surgical ward. One of the biggest surprises to me, was the level of technology in the Neonatal ICU. They had very up to date machines and equipment. Another interesting fact was that they had almost one hundred beds. That seems like a lot considering the acuity level of the patients in this department. Yet another interesting aspect was the "permanent" patients who have become residents in several of the wards. For instance, there was a twenty-two year old who was a hemodialysis patient since he was a baby. Because the hospital was so far from his family's home, they were not able to travel the three neccessary time per week. Instead, he has taken residence in the hospital so that he can get his weekly treatments. This brings up a dilemma worth considering. What happens as he continues to age? Should he stay at the hospital and continue to get treatments? What are his other options? Or does he have any? There were several other very interesting aspects of this hospital.

At the end of the week, I was excited to go home but sad to leave. It is nice to be back where there is not such a language barrier- everyone understands me and vice versa. However, I miss all the interesting and new scenery and the day-to-day learning experiences. Overall, I had an awesome experience on this trip!