Experience Validated My Desire to Pursue Medicine
As this was my first trip alone, I was a little scared of what I might encounter in Kenya. However upon landing, Benson and Brian were very sweet and I felt already secure. When I approached the resident I felt safe to know that there was a security guard at all time and there were also cameras outside the door. The resident was clean and comfortable. Naomi and Joshua were amazing. They were super sweet and accommodating to whatever I needed. They’re energy and continuous smile was pleasant to see in the morning. Benson was very accommodating when it came to seeing the city and always asking for feedback, which I really liked! The program was very organized. The time table helped to know what and where I should be at all times. There were a lot of rotations and so I was able to get my first pick. The mentors at the hospital were very helpful and asked a lot of questions. I found this experience to be very educational.
All in all, my time in Kenya was eye opening. This experience was a validation for me that I want to be in the medical field and I want to be helping people in every way I can. I want to use my knowledge on how they treat patients and expand it to other countries that are way less developed. I have learned balance and not dependency. To further elaborate, I want to be able to talk with patients and understand their symptoms as well as looking at labs and testing to decide on a conclusive diagnosis. It takes a lot of practice to be able to spot diagnosis a patient as there are many diseases and similar symptoms. This trip has made me realize that I am eager to learn. I didn’t know the answers to many questions asked by the interns and medical officers due to the fact that I simply didn’t learn. But when the medical officers were asking questions I was motivated to think outside the box. I was able to adapt to their style of thinking to figure out how to diagnosis a patient. This is a skill that I learned via this internship and I plan on expanding my knowledge even further. Not only do I want to become a PA and be able to provide care for those needed, I also want to teach and educate patients. As mentioned before education is key for prevention. I strongly believe that educated youngsters can play a huge effect in promoting good health. A story to tie with how a simple education can go a long way is the Red Cross. This name is a commonly known world-wide and it all started by a simple businessman, Jean-Henri Dunant who organized local relief assistants to partake in basic wound care for hit soldiers. This act of selflessness has saved many lives and now currently Red Cross has over 97 million volunteers saving lives on a daily basis. I want the knowledge I have to be spread and passed and that is why I want to become a Physician Assistant.
