A day in Guatemala

 I was in triage the first day of clinic. I was very excited to start seeing patients but also a little nervous. I take vitals and ask patients questions a lot at work and school clinicals but I found myself hesitating when it came to doing the same things here in Guatemala. After my first patient it was rewarding, I managed to triage a patient despite the language barrier. The team in the triage was very supportive and created an environment where I felt comfortable asking questions, trying new things and improving with each patient. Although I was nervous the past two semester of preparing for this trip paid off and I was ready for anything the day brought me with the help of my team. 

I was in PT the second half of my day. I was taking notes and observing the interview process. It was really fascinating to see another perspective of healthcare compared to what I have been learning in nursing school. But something that stood out to me was although it was different specialties there is still a similar process to gather information from the patient. One of the patients that came in for PT on my first day recently had a stroke. At the end of the day what it really came down to was that she was feeling depressed from the physical losses she is experienced after her stroke. 

One of the Jesuit values is cura personal is meaning to care for the whole person. It is important to care for the whole person no matter what kind of healthcare worker you are and to investigate the whole situation to deliver the best quality of care. I think this is being done here in Cobán with every patient. This team also shows the values of Magis, always wanting to do more. This does not mean do more to the point of exhaustion and burn out but it means to strive for better. We are striving for better healthcare in Cobán and the improvements over the past 13 years is unbelievable. 

At the end of the day we debriefed as a team. It was really insightful and impactful to hear everyone’s perspectives and experiences on the first day of clinic. I am so honored to always be apart of this family and spend time over the past year with 9 incredibly amazing girls. 

Krista Johnson