Clinic and Pharmacy

I wanted to get more in depth about where I work in the morning, what I do, and what happens Monday- Friday.  So here I go! :)

Hillside clinic is open from 8am- noon. Patients take a number at the front of the building and wait to be called into triage. In triage their chart is found, vital signs are taken, and patients state their main complaints. Medical and/or PA students call patients to be seen. (The medical students are split into two teams. For example, Team 1 stays to work in the clinic and Team 2 goes out to villages to provide healthcare. Everyday or every other day Team 1 and Team 2 swap places.)

We have three exam rooms. First room is private. We try and use this room for patients who need pap smears and minor procedures done. Curtains separate the next two rooms. All the rooms have exam tables with necessary supplies near by. When really busy we even see patients outside to the back of the clinic at a picnic table. After the medical students assess the patient they present their findings to the working MD that day. Usually it’s the medical directors Dr. Thomas and/or Dr. Brown working, but quite frequently we have volunteer doctors helping out as well.

The doctors know I enjoy wound care and minor procedures so they call me to gather the supplies and assist them. Those are my favorite days in the clinic. I’m also available to help the med students find supplies, write prescriptions, assess patients for a second opinion etc. I also enjoy drawing blood when labs are ordered. I do the urinalysis and pregnancy tests when needed.

Our staff is Belizean (expect the volunteers like me!). Ages range from 17-29. Most are interested in the medical field and are planning on going into pharmacy, nursing, or medical school. Our older staff member Jenny is in her first year of nursing school. Victor just applied to a medical school outside of Belize. (Belize has no medical schools). Alva and Alfia have been doing an online pharmacy course. 

How the jobs are organized:

Intake- 1 staff member

Pharmacy- 1 staff member + a pharmacy student + our volunteer pharmacist Natalie Ryan

Laboratory- 1 staff member

Clinic – 1 staff member + 4-5 medical students + MD

Mobile (going out to the villages) - 2 staff members + 4-5 medical students + MD

We try and help each other out when things get hectic and busy. Almost all staff is cross-trained so help should be readily available to the doctors and students. The staff are extremely fun to work with and they have taught me a lot about teamwork and communication. I enjoy spending my mornings around them. The clinic gives me a chance to practice more skills and see more acute issues vs chronic than I do during home visits.

Setting up for a afternoon colposcopy appointment. Dr. Thomas brought this colposcope from the states!

Examination rooms #2 & #3. Separated by a curtain in the middle.

 Inside exam room #1

One of my coworkers Virginio getting ready to transport blood in a coffee container. 

 Cleaning medication bottles so we can reuse them.

 Inside our laboratory. Very basic.

Can you see how our medications are organized?

We get many of our medications through various organizations for free. We also buy medications as well. We rely heavily on donations and on our medical students who pay to come volunteer.

No more scabies and lice!!

Victor!!! He's applying to medical school. Very intelligent. Getting ready to leave for a village in the mobile.