DR - I

Clinic at the ILAC medical campus reminded me of Hines General Surgery clinic, except with a more tropical flavor. This consisted mainly of a) the presence of a Spanish translator, b) mosquitoes and c) the fact that I had a rather nice view of a palm tree from my window. Otherwise, the long lines of patients waiting outside and the implicit pressure to see as many as possible as quickly as possible were both familiar and exhilarating. What surprised me most was that none of the patients that I saw ever stopped an interview and asked for "the real doctor" to come in. Indeed, they were as grateful for the opportunity to be seen as I was for the opportunity to see them. Despite the immediate availability and supervision of several attendings, the amount of autonomy provided to us medical students was unprecedented. It truly was an excellent learning experience.

This enthusiasm for medical care extended to the surgeries; a patient walking from the preoperative area to the operating rooms was always accompanied by a quick prayer, a pep talk and applause. It was in rather sharp contrast to the somber atmosphere that accompanies the American patients’ journey to the ORs at home.

On a side note, I rue the day I took French as opposed to Spanish in high school. Even though it helps slightly with understanding certain culinary terms, no one at LUMC has ever asked for a French translator.

I was on call with another non-Spanish fluent student on a night when the patient dorms were full of patients who had thyroidectomies. Prior to our shift, we'd attempted to learn choice Spanish sentences and phrases ("Are you in pain? Do you have tingling around your mouth and fingertips? Are you nauseous? May we see your wound?"). We asked these questions upon checking our patients every two hours, all the while hoping that the answer would be "No," as anything other than that would necessitate further questions in broken Spanglish and probably a change in management. Through sheer luck, the answer was always "No." It was a good night.

Ryan JE Salvador, MSIV
Santiago, DR