Countrified

"ALRIGHT MAN... ALL THE BEST."

7:32 AM MONDAY MORNING, and I'm on my to Roseau, cruising down the Dominican "main road" on a Nissan Peoplemover (my way of describing the public vans that transport people around the island) at about 100 km/h with 7 of my other colleagues to Goodwill (one of Roseau's Suburbs, where Princess Margaret Hospital is). I have my headphones on and I'm listening to my favorite crusing music (most probably something on Eric Clapton's Complete Clapton compilation). The sun's popping out over the mountains to the east, and I'm just staring out and thinking... about what? I have no idea. But I know that it's another day I'm looking forward to working over at good old Princess Margaret.

PMH has grown on me. Mind you, I was really looking forward to this experience for quite a few semesters now. At Ross, with fifth semester you get a choice to go to fifth semester either in Miami, Michigan, or Dominica for what they call Advanced Introduction to Clinical Medicine (full-blown lingo for getting thrown into the real medical world). I have heard the stories about what you get to see in the hospital (i.e. in surgical observation) and how much you time you can actually get to study for exams (a lot more) were compelling reasons to stay. However, this was an opportunity to go back to the states, and finally enjoy America again...

SO I STAYED...

I'll be honest, working in a Dominican hospital has been more than I ever imagined. I've seen some of my friends participate in the operating room, get scrubbed up, and assist in operations such as herniaplasties (removal of intestines or other organs "sticking out" where they shouldn't be, like near your abs). We have access to all the tools needed (that PMH has) to assess a situation, and not to mention most of the doctors here are truly willing to help. Some of them even invite us to come back at our own time (provided we have the time).

However, one of the things that impresses me the most is how the Dominicans respect us. I remember walking in one day to interview a patient. He was sitting up on her bed, and she greets us with, "Good Morning, Doctor." ... But no, we're medical students! ... "Good morning, Doctor." The patient had treated us with the same respect as her real doctor, although we were truly there to just interview him and perform some physical exams simply for practice. When we left, he said to us... "All the best." (That's Dominican-Caribbean for our American "Take care.") We'll come back to check on her two days later and she'll still know us, and treat us with that same respect.

Not to mention, I enjoyed walking into the dialysis department with my wards group and feeling comfortable wishing everyone in the room a "Good Morning," and every person in the room saying back to me "Good Morning." Mind you, it's the morning, so not everyone is quite perky, but you could tell that the custom of respect has been so ingrained that it just becomes instinct. It occurs all over Dominica... on the sidewalk, getting on the bus, entering a store... there's always a "Good Morning," "Good Afternoon," and you guessed it, a "Good Evening."

In conclusion, this small-town feel is really getting to me. Getting appreciated what you can do, knowing that you made a difference, and being able to build that rapport with patients is what's compelling. However, that hospital feel of networking, working with a team & staff, and getting "exciting" cases is still very attractive to me. Princess Margaret Hospital in Dominica offers a great combination of both.

However, it got me to start thinking... is the country really for me? Being from the suburbs of a large midwestern city... only time can tell. This definitely won't be the last countrified post...