Emi

This being my second trip to Antigua, while some insights remain the same, some are reinforced.

I am amazed that a group of random people can come together and work well together in a place that is not familiar to them. Being an “outsider” mainly working at OSP, I was not familiar with a lot of our group. But the same thing can be said for those at TCA who are used to each other, but not familiar with the members that came from California. It was also amazing to me how much more we felt like a team in Guatemala. Everyone’s ideas and professions were accepted and appreciated. I didn’t feel as much of the “medical hierarchy” in Guatemala as I do back home. At home I feel a lot of “My education is higher, therefore I am better than you.” or even amongst the nurses “My department is better than yours.” in Guatemala it was how it should be –  “We all have different strengths, we respect each other’s strengths, and we are here for a common goal – the patient”. I am still in awe about how much waste we create in the medical field in the US. I know I have made a point of reusing medical supplies in a safe way at home. Like when we use oxygen in prep for a block, I make sure to send the nasal cannula with the patient if they need it in PACU. Or if I am in PACU I keep refilling the same flush syringe from the patient’s IV bag. Simple things that can add up to a lot.

Thank you again for extending an invitation to go on this trip. These trips and my learnings from them are things I hope to instill in my career as an RN.

– Emi