An Uncommon Experience
We have completed five days of clinical practicum at the clinic in the village Llano de Animas, and these have been the most amazing days in my life. The learning experiences acquired were unexpectedly diverse. We provided care to patients with pediatric illnesses, adult illnesses, post-operative care (i.e., suture removal), OB-GYN, immunizations and tropical diseases. However, this would not have been possible without the gentle guidance of the nurses at the clinic and of Dr. Elry.
I tend to think that there are many knowledgeable individuals in the world, but few are actually able to impart their knowledge to others. Dr. Elry is one of those one-of-a-kind people, whom you wish you could spend more time learning from. He has been a great teacher to me and the students.
One of the toughest jobs was performing an assessment of a child's throat. Despite how often we would show the child how to stick the tongue out, the child still would not do it and he would bite the tongue depressor. Dr. Elry showed us multiple times how to have the parent hold the child on the examination table and how to turn the tongue depressor to visualize the throat. He never lost his patience with us and never complained of being tired (though I did see him yawning and closing his eyes while sitting down.) I watched (in flowery pajamas) as he provided care to a patient who came to his clinic (in the Amatitlan church) at 9 p.m.
Dr. Elry is an amazing example of servant leadership and I wish that I could be like him, someday. - Mihaela Zegrean
Helping a young patient while always teaching
Clinic in a van: taking medical help to people in a remote village
Nurses Griselda & Casta of the Llano de Animas health post
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