Last Day and Last Night

I don’t have very much to report for today. We slept in because we stayed awake pretty late last night (but we didn’t quite make the sunrise). Then we all sort of hung around the compound and this afternoon we all packed our bags. It was a really emotional time for me because I am really sad to be leaving right now.

There are so many things that I will miss from here. I will miss being able to do so much hands on work in the hospital. I will definitely miss the fact that we are truly making a difference here, caring when no one else really seems to care about these lives. I have learned so much here about the value of life. I have a much greater appreciation for doctors and our healthcare system. I know that it isn’t perfect, but at least doctors are still doing their jobs and caring for patients despite these problems. I have learned that the money a patient is paying for a service has no relation to the quality of service that patient should receive. Also, no patient who truly needs a service should ever be turned away because they can’t pay. I’ve seen too many injuries that will never properly heal because the patient couldn’t afford to get a bone set or to have surgery.

I have become much surer of myself working in a situation like this. I feel that I could go anywhere now and be able to perform the job that I needed to confidently. We all really learned how to take control of situations, even when we weren’t totally sure if we were doing the right thing. Healthcare is really all about using what you know and thinking of a logical solution. I also learned how to work well as part of a team. We all worked together and cooperated both in situations where we were helping a patient and situations where we had to compromise and take turns in certain areas of the hospital. We also learned to share our knowledge with one other so that we could all be more effective providers. I’ve learned so much more than these things, but it’s really impossible to put it all into words. I feel like I have grown up so much here. I’ve had to get beyond my personal feelings about a situation and just do what needs to be done. The lessons I’ve learned I think transfer to any part of my life, not just a job in healthcare and that is really what has been most valuable about this experience.

Tonight we went out to eat one last time as a group at a really nice seafood restaurant. I had the best fish that I have ever tasted, red snapper with a champagne sauce.

A couple of us girls went to the hospital one last time tonight. It was really bitter sweet because I felt like we were saying goodbye to everything. We did get to do a dressing or two and hang some IVs. There was also a lady with a really, really gruesome arm wound who had been in a car accident. That was pretty cool to see. Otherwise, we mostly took vitals and just hung around trying to be useful.

I will probably not update my blog anymore until I do a quick update when I make it back to Brookings. The plan for tomorrow is to finish packing and any other last minute details in the morning and then to leave for the airport around 12:30. Our flight leaves at 3:30 and hopefully, if all goes well, we should be in Minneapolis by about 1:30 on Sunday. I am excited to be home and to see everyone again! I’m not excited that we are starting school the next day, but I guess that’s how it goes.