Benjamin Telsey in Peru (Intl Family Med): A final blog post about la fuente

This is my LAST WEEK OF MEDICAL SCHOOL!!!

I am working three days this week at the clinic and then we fly out of Cusco on Thursday morning.

When I walk out of the clinic tomorrow, it will be my very last time wearing a short white coat. Also, at least for the foreseeable future, it will be my last time seeing an adult patient.

I have loved medical school, as it has been the culmination of a lifetime of dreaming. Ever since elementary school I have wanted to be a doctor…at times my obsession was self-serving (I wanted to do something impressive and make money) and at other times the dream felt impossible (when I started off college with mediocre grades). The Lord was gracious to change my heart and to help me get accepted to Tulane. Now that this much anticipated chapter of my life is going to end, it feels surreal. It’s not that I don’t want it to end (believe me, I won’t mind not receiving another grade for the rest of my life), but I do kind of get emotional realizing the thing I wanted so badly, for so long…it will be over in 11 days. Or should I say, just beginning.

There have been many highlights along the way, but for sure my 2 month Family Medicine rotation here at La Fuente stands out as the single best learning experience of the past 4 years. The doctors here are true examples of what it means to serve/love your patients and I hope that I can adopt their compassionate approach to patient care.

Here is an excerpt of the things I listed at "the strengths" for my feedback evaulation for my Intl Family Medicine rotation

-The number one strength was the dedication to compassionate care the physicans exemplified. I was literally in awe of the capacity to serve, listen, care for and be patient that the doctors showed.

-The doctors LOVE teaching and it’s a charity-based clinic, so there is no rush to see patients to make more money. When there wasn’t a line out the door, the doctors loved taking time to discuss differentials for basic complaints like “abdominal pain” or “headache”. I felt very challenged to be thinking critically with every patient

-I got to see active cases of Leishmaniasis, Tuberculosis, yellow fever, acute altitude sickness, a host of rare parasites, and life-threatening diarrhea (all diseases I never got to see in New Orleans).

-I got to see the differences between the American hospital system and the Peruvian system. I left feeling that despite the brokenness of the US system, it could be a lot worse and we have a lot to be thankful for.

-I was forced to use my Spanish for hours, every day, a challenge that I eventually found to be fun.

-You really feel like you are a part of something special, from the nurses to the cleaning lady to the doctors. Everyone who works at the clinic believes in the mission of serving the poor in Peru.