Shadowing in a social clinic

This Monday, I started what will hopefully be a six-week experience shadowing a doctor in a free clinic. The office is funded by a Spanish school here in Xela, and is open to anyone in the mornings Monday-Friday. Dr. Javier Sim, the doctor who works there, seems really nice. I went for the first time Monday morning to observe his consults. Just listening to his interviews with patients was useful as I want to work as a translator in Houston next year. Being a translator will help me keep up my Spanish next year, and I’ve heard there’s a big need for translators too.

There were a lot of patients coming in Monday morning, many with stomach infections, serious colds, etc. The free clinic seems like a great idea, because without it, many Guatemalans in the area probably would not even see a doctor. However, there are definitely limits to the clinic. Javier told me that he only gets medicines (which are free to patients when possible) from the school once a month, so he does not always have resources to fill necessary prescriptions. Also, he does not have resources to do extensive tests. One older woman (in her 60s) came in complaining of severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, and she had also lost a lot of weight. Javier did a physical exam and prescribed her an antibiotic. Afterwords, he told me that her chronic stomach issues and especially her extreme loss of weight can be indicative of a more serious immune disorder like HIV. So, I asked him if she needed a blood test to test for the diseases, but Javier did not even mention it to the woman because he knew she could not afford the expensive blood test. This consult was obviously a bit depressing, but I think that Javier does a lot of good for many people as well.

Javier also told me that he wants me to participate more. He asked me to read about general clinical examinations as homework, and eventually, he wants to conduct a few of these exams and some of the interviews. I’m nervous about actually interacting with the patients in Spanish, but I’m hopeful for a great experience over the next couple of months.