During our time in Guatemala we have learned a lot about the health care system. We visited several Clinics including Madre Cabrini dispensary, AMI clinic in San Juan Laguna, and Hospitalo Atitlan, and a hospital in Guatemala City. Health care is incredibly hard to access in Guatemala it’s often not affordable so places like the AMI clinic or Madre Cabrini do their best to create affordable options for people in their communities. These clinics offer a wide variety of services including family practice, pediatrics, gynecology, dentistry, and therapy. They also have labs and pharmacies on site to make the experience a little bit easier for people seeking these services.

Something I appreciated through everything I learned about these different clinics is that they take a holistic approach to caring for patients which is an idea I am being taught as a nursing student but is something that is often over looked in medicine in the U.S.

Now on the flip side something I was appalled to learn through various lectures is that emergency medical services (EMS) can refuse to help patients based on any number of reasons. As an EMS provider myself this was unimaginable to me because in the U.S. unless the scene is unsafe for you to enter you have an obligation to help every patient. These are just a couple of things I have noted in my time in Guatemala learning about the healthcare system. I could keep going but then this post would be too long but I look forward to having conversations about my learning with people when I return home.

– Bekah Compagnari

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