Today was an exciting day in the
hospital! Franco and I went to Puebla Ortopedia y Trauma hospital which is a
public IHSS hospital. IHSS is the healthcare program for workers in Mexico.
O&T is a mid level teaching hospital. It’s definitely nicer than some I’ve
seen, but still subpar compared to most hospitals in the U.S. When we got there
we met one of the attending physicians and three of his residents. Residents at
O&T go through three rotations over the course of four years: emergency, columnar
(spine), and long bones. The residents we worked with today are doing their
rotation in long bones. (I’m sure there’s a better translation but that’s what
they call it). We started with morning report where we sat in a 5th
floor conference room overlooking puebla and listened to the residents report
on the new patients who had arrived during the night. The residents had x-rays
for the new cases and explained to us how to read long bone x-rays, how to find
the angles of broken bones, and how to name fractures. The naming system is
different in Mexico. In Mexico they use numbered quadrants. For example the
upper arm is one, lower arm is two, thigh is three, calf is four. Then each
quadrant has three numbers; for example the upper arm shoulder end is one, mid
upper arm is two, and elbow end is three. So a fracture in the middle of the
upper arm would be a 1-2. After morning report we went on rounds with the attending
doc and residents. One of the residents reported on each patient (old cases and
new) and the doc gave orders for care. After rounds the residents split up to
see their patients. We went with one of the residents and helped him see his
patients. Most of the patients in long bone have closed fractures or complete
breaks and many have screws, plates, and open wounds. Most are motorcycle or
car accidents. A few are falls or severe osteoarthritis. So most of the work
was bandaging, setting casts, and assesing x-rays for surgery. We saw around 30
patients today. Most of them needed fresh bandages and we got really good at
cleaning wounds and wrapping broken legs; the resident we worked with showed us
how to do everything, from cleaning and dressing wounds to setting a plaster
cast. I loved the hospital today because I felt like I actually got to do a lot
of hands on learning. The hospital itself was a little scary. Except for the
resdidents and Franco and I, I never once saw anyone wearing gloves or a single
plastic bag (trashcans don’t have liners in Mexico). I’m not saying it wasn’t
safe, it was just different: in the U.S. you can’t TOUCH a patient without
gloves. Like the other facilities I’ve seen in Mexico, it was crowded, I don’t
know how better to describe it. There were very few private rooms. There were
long hallways with 10 beds, curtains between each bed, and a common bathroom.
There were a handful of private rooms for the most severe cases where patients
had been living in the hospital for months. The atmosphere wasn’t bad though.
All of the nurses were happy and friendly and wearing spotless white uniforms
and caps. The residents really impressed me too. They were just kids (not any
older then me) but were very mature, quiet, respectful doctors and always
talked to their patients with compassion and patience. It was a great
experience. I’m not gonna lie, I really enjoyed doing rounds with the residents
in my bata blanca, my labcoat. And they call me doctora here =)
Later we spent the evening with
the international students who are all leaving tomorrow…it was a sad day. It’s
making me think about how we only have a little more than a week left in
Mexico. Time is going by so quickly and a month just isn’t enough…I never want
to leave!!!
