Local chapter, global outreach
Patients waited in a long line to receive health care from the Global Brigades team. Nicholas Paulson: “Student pharmacists gave medical students a crash course in pharmacy workflow. In no time, they were naturals.”
This year, during the first week of June, 37 students from the Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) Jefferson College of Pharmacy (JCP), Sidney Kimmel Medical College (SKMC), and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) traveled to Nicaragua with Global Brigades, an international organization dedicated to providing health care and stability to underserved communities across the globe. Global Brigades organizes student-led trips to ensure dozens of communities receive health care services several times per year. Providing regular health care allows communities to focus on establishing a sustainable infrastructure.
The organization strives to empower these communities to become completely self-sustainable, and has been successful in 11 communities since 2007.
Patient patients
Each day, we traveled through the beautiful countryside of Nicaragua to the remote communities of Puertas Azules or El Cebollal. We arrived to crowds of people who had walked several hours to then stand in line for several more hours, patiently waiting to be seen by our team.
As they poured into the clinic each day, teams would staff the triage station, which involved recording a full medical history, evaluating chief complaints, and taking vitals, all in Spanish. Here, students from both professions shared clinical skills knowledge and communication techniques. Nicole Leshko, a second-year PharmD candidate at JCP, attributed her success at triage to previous communication and clinical skills courses. Leshko noted, “I was able to get to the root of any given chief complaint quickly and effectively by knowing the right questions to ask. Interacting with hundreds of patients gave us the confidence to use these skills and conduct successful patient encounters back at home.”
Shadowing the professionals
Following triage, students shadowed the team of physicians as they evaluated each patient. Physicians walked us through how and why they arrived at each diagnosis, which provided extremely valuable insights. The medical students, fresh off their anatomy block, gave us very helpful explanations during these encounters. Refreshing your anatomy and physiology knowledge is always a good idea!
Next, the adult patients attended a talk (or “charla”) about preventive health. Community leaders provided patients with information about proper hand hygiene and water and food preparations. Meanwhile, we gave the children fluoride treatments, taught them about oral hygiene, and played many outdoor games with them!
La Farmacia
Finally, back to those patient patients who waited in line at the pharmacy. Just like in America, this pharmacy got very busy, so student pharmacists gave medical students a crash course in pharmacy workflow. In no time, they were naturals.
SKMC’s Ricky McEnteesaid, “I have a newfound respect for what pharmacists do and how much really goes into getting patients the meds that they need safely.” Given that all the medications, doses, and instructions were in Spanish, attention to detail ensured our success regarding medication safety.
Two of our amazing experienced pharmacists (one from America and one from Nicaragua) effectively led each pharmacy team despite a language barrier. Leshko said, “Two pharmacists, both who speak very little of each other’s language, can work together so well just by sharing the same interest of pharmacy.” Their dynamic reminded all of us that when passionate people with common interests work together, they can accomplish anything.
Our brigade did not know each other before the trip. We did not know the names, faces, backgrounds, and sometimes even the language of those that we would work with. But we knew medicine, we knew how to work as a team, and we knew that we had a passion for helping others. Given these circumstances, we proudly attended to 873 patients. The next brigade in 2018 is currently being planned.
Nicholas Paulson is a second-year PharmD candidate at the Thomas Jefferson University Jefferson College of Pharmacy.