Welcome back to the Fall 2015-Spring 2016 school year!  Not only our we welcoming back the school year, but we are also welcoming back returning students from their Cross Culture journey!  Let’s take a look at where the students went over the summer:

 

Nicaragua

Two pre-dental students, Tareq and Ruchir, had the opportunity to go on a dental mission with the organization International Service Learning.   Over the course of 3 clinic days, the students saw and provided dental treatment to a total of 65 patients.  The patient population was comprised mainly of pediatric patients, in lieu with disabled children.  From this experience, Tareq and Ruchir learned various dental procedures and techniques as well as patient interaction skills.

 

Kentucky

Two pre-health students, Diana and Vip, had the opportunity to go on a healthcare mission.  They were joined by two recent M.A. in Biomedicine graduates, Sharang and Katarina, who were completing their program requirements.  During their time in Kentucky, these students had the opportunity to shadow physicians.   The patient population was comprised mainly of patients who are at risk or are on Medicaid.  The students had frequent encounters with drug dependent patients, whose drug of choice was Krokodil.  Krokodil consumption causes terrible effects on the body, especially of the skin.  Another aspect of this trip involved medical ethics.   So for example, let’s say there were two patients who came to the hospital/ER at the same time.  One patient is currently having a severe seizure while the second patient had a lung condition. The students said that the hospital/ER gives priority to patients who have immediate heart and lung conditions. From this experience, Diana and Vip obtained first hand exposure and experience to medicine and medical ethics.

 

Guatemala

Three pre-health students, Rachel, Jared, and Alex, had the opportunity to go on a healthcare mission with the organization Concern America.   The students were in a clinical setting for a duration of one week, and encountered different types of healthcare: primary care, environmental health and education, and preventive medicine.  They also pointed out that in clinic, women’s health was in a separate corner as this topic is considered a type of taboo.  The patient population was comprised mainly of residents in rural areas.  Patients from this population had frequent diagnoses of diabetes, hyper tension, and obesity, which is also very common in America. From this experience, Rachel, Jared, and Alex obtained first hand exposure to rural medicine.  Jared even got to administer a cortisone injection into a patient’s shoulder!

 

Belize

Three pre-health students, Hannah, Chanel, and Nikita, had the opportunity to go on a healthcare mission with the organization International Service Learning.  The students were enrolled in classes while in Belize.  One class was about Emergency Medicine while another class focused on suture techniques.  The students provided freehealth care and on average saw 30 patients a day!  The patient population was comprised mainly of residents in remote villages. Patients from this population had frequent diagnoses of Scabies, Dengue Fever, and infections caused by Enterobius and Amebas. From this experience, Hannah, Chanel, and Nikita obtained first hand exposure to pediatrics, women’s health, and even pharmacology!

 

Overall, all the students had a memorable trip with eye opening patient interactive experiences!

 

Like us on Facebook!

For more information, visit the M.A. in Biomedicine homepage!