Last day at Clinica San Antonio de la Cal

Last day at Clinica SSA! It was a very emotional day because Lisa and I have recently really connected with the nurses and have felt totally comfortable in the clinic. I actually gave my first vaccine today because I figured I won't be able to do such a thing in America at this age. Lisa gave a woman an injection of birth control hormones, and was really terrified of handling a needle. She did well, and luckily the woman didn't protest to having an amateur give her the injection. I did my usual help with paperwork, and then helped some of the nurses wrap tongue depressors for sterilization. It was a pretty mellow day and gave us time to say our goodbyes to our newly made friends.

I have to say I'm happy with my placement at Clinica San Antonio de la Cal. Although I wasn't able to do that much hands-on work, I got to do more than I would ever get a chance to in America at this age. I learned a lot from simply observing and made a lot of comparisons with the American healthcare system, which I've now realized works very differently. There are both pros and cons to the system here, as well as the system we have in America. I do think it's wonderful that everyone can receive healthcare here and that there are so many programs that provide incentives for people to get educated about health. The main problem I have with the clinic is that it doesn't seem to be as sanitary as it should be. I want to buy the clinic latex gloves because I think part of the reason they don't use them is because they see it as an unnecessary expense that they can't afford to waste money on. It could also be a cultural belief that gloves are impersonal and create distance between doctor/nurse and patient. Nevertheless, I think it should be introduced and encouraged. Moreover, I'd like to know what is being done to educate people about sex and protection, because I have not seen anything that has.