Guatemala |
Winter Institute |
Six RIT students took part in the 2014-15 EWH Winter Institute in Guatemala. This was the first time EWH had a program in Guatemala. The Winter Institute was set up as a shorter version of the Summer Institute. Students lived in Antigua, Guatemala for 3 weeks working in public hospitals in Antigua and Guatemala City.
Preparation
To prepare for the trip, we had weekly meetings and workshop sessions. In these sessions, we used "labs" EWH provided us to learn important skills we would use in the hospitals like troubleshooting, soldering and making power supplies. We also learned about medical devices used in developing countries and their common issues. Our wonderful instructors were Mark and Jennifer Indovina.
Troubleshooting
Many of us were not familiar with how to troubleshoot a problem before this trip. As students, we are often presented with a situation with a clearly defined problem. Obviously, that was not the case in the hospitals. Most of the equipment we worked on came with little insight to what the problem was. Asking would usually lead to an answer like, "it's broken." Yes, but why is it broken?
After a bit of learning by experience, we understood the process of troubleshooting and the resources we had to figure out what the problem was. With the little internet access we had, we were able to find maintenance manuals for most of the equipment. In some cases, we were also able to compare the broken device to a functioning one the hospital had.
After a bit of learning by experience, we understood the process of troubleshooting and the resources we had to figure out what the problem was. With the little internet access we had, we were able to find maintenance manuals for most of the equipment. In some cases, we were also able to compare the broken device to a functioning one the hospital had.
Working in Public Hospitals
Reception from the hospital staff varied among the three hospitals we worked at. Some of them were very excited to have us while others were a bit skeptical at first. However, in one of the hospitals, the lack of initial trust was not because they did not know us but because of the bad reputation of the maintenance department. In the past, doctors sent equipment down to maintenance but never got it back. When they went to retire, they were presented with a bill for all the equipment they signed out and went missing.
This is not to say the maintenance staff were incompetent. In fact, it was quite the opposite at some of the hospitals. They had 30+ years of experience and, for all our training on medical equipment, could easily show us up by shear experience. So why could they not fix the equipment? In some cases it was a lack of resources, be it parts or finances. However, one of the biggest issues was their inability to access maintenance manuals. Even if they had the manuals, they could not read them because they were in English.
The one consistent thing we saw in all the hospitals, in regards to the staff, was their eagerness to learn. Many of the maintenance staff are looking into EWH BMET training programs.
This is not to say the maintenance staff were incompetent. In fact, it was quite the opposite at some of the hospitals. They had 30+ years of experience and, for all our training on medical equipment, could easily show us up by shear experience. So why could they not fix the equipment? In some cases it was a lack of resources, be it parts or finances. However, one of the biggest issues was their inability to access maintenance manuals. Even if they had the manuals, they could not read them because they were in English.
The one consistent thing we saw in all the hospitals, in regards to the staff, was their eagerness to learn. Many of the maintenance staff are looking into EWH BMET training programs.
Equipment We Worked On
- Infant warmers
- Patient monitors
- Anesthesia machine
- Incubators
- EKG machines
- Centrifuge
- Defibrillator
Social Interaction
One of the goals of EWH is to give students an appreciation of other cultures. While our cultural experience in Guatemala was relatively limited, we did come away with an increased level of cultural awareness.
While in Guatemala, we lived with host families in groups of about 7 students. This was a new experience for most of us as many of had never lived in a house with a 3 generation family and 7 college students! It did get rather crowded which, to some extend, encourage interaction with the family.
One of the host families and most of the hospital staff did not speak English at all so we had to make a concerted effort to talk to them in their language. This was easier for some than others! Fortunately, we had some help along the way. Every day for the first week we had 3 hours of Spanish lessons at a language school in Antigua. We were taught in small groups of 2 or 3 by a local who were all very friendly and eager to help us learn.
We also made an effort to make some experiences of our own. With the help of the Spanish school, a group of 7 of us were able to take a day trip to Panachel and Santiago Atitlan. Our chapter president, Laura, had connections at an orphanage there so we took the day to learn a bit more about what life was like for them. Please visit their website to learn more about their work. The experience was amazing as proven by our inability to stop talking about it for the rest of the trip!
While in Guatemala, we lived with host families in groups of about 7 students. This was a new experience for most of us as many of had never lived in a house with a 3 generation family and 7 college students! It did get rather crowded which, to some extend, encourage interaction with the family.
One of the host families and most of the hospital staff did not speak English at all so we had to make a concerted effort to talk to them in their language. This was easier for some than others! Fortunately, we had some help along the way. Every day for the first week we had 3 hours of Spanish lessons at a language school in Antigua. We were taught in small groups of 2 or 3 by a local who were all very friendly and eager to help us learn.
We also made an effort to make some experiences of our own. With the help of the Spanish school, a group of 7 of us were able to take a day trip to Panachel and Santiago Atitlan. Our chapter president, Laura, had connections at an orphanage there so we took the day to learn a bit more about what life was like for them. Please visit their website to learn more about their work. The experience was amazing as proven by our inability to stop talking about it for the rest of the trip!
Other Experiences
Our trip to Guatemala was not all work and culture. Some of it was just fun! As part of our itinerary, EWH included one classic tourist activity in Guatemala, volcano hiking! The Saturday of our first weekend, we had the opportunity to hike Vulcan Pacaya. It was a tough hike, though one of the easiest volcanoes to hike, but we eventually made it and got some great views along the way. We also got to roast marshmallows on the lava, so that was fun! On our way down, we had a wonderful view of the sunset behind the volcano.
As mentioned above, the hike was harder for some than others. This was not helped by the decision by most of the group to go on a several hour bike tour of Antigua and the surrounding areas that morning.
As mentioned above, the hike was harder for some than others. This was not helped by the decision by most of the group to go on a several hour bike tour of Antigua and the surrounding areas that morning.