This was the first time we used public transportation in Argentina, for some their first time ever using a subway. The hospitals were in different directions so the 8 at Roffo took an hour long bus trip while the Gutierrez group walked to the subway and had a shorter, 25 minute commute. Upon arriving both groups were surprised to find separate buildings with outdoor corridors and significantly smaller parking options (likely attributed to the use of public transport.)
The group at Roffo were taken on a tour around the site by one of the many volunteers present. This was followed by a brief presentation on the hospital, in specifically the makeup and importance of the volunteers. One evident disadvantage they have locally is that there is no electronic patient system in place meaning the secretary for each area has to physically take the information to the person that needs it next. This pales in comparison to the amazing programs they have in place for patient relaxation, such as art therapy, reflexology and virtual reality. We had an opportunity to meet the nursing staff and they explained that they require an additional 2 years of specialized oncology training to work there.
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| Back Row: Johnathan Lake, Kim Lake, Angela MacDonald & Daniel Boutilier Middle: Jenny Hines, Megan MacNeil, Taylor Allan, Mikayla Ayre (pink shirts are the volunteers) Front: Chantal Caron & Katelyn Delaney |
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| Standard double room |
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| Inpatient chemotherapy unit |
Meanwhile at Gutierrez the group were brought in by a long-standing volunteer, who was the supervisor of all of the volunteers. We were brought to the area of the hospital where the volunteers gathered. The regular volunteers, who were there in schedules through the week, brought anywhere from 1-5 students to do various things around the hospital. Some students brought a bunch of toys to play with some kids in a busy waiting room, some walked around the inpatient units offering them bread and asking them if they or the patients needed anything, and some students helped in the pharmacy. One thing we all noticed at this hospital was how many doctors and resident doctors that were there. The volunteers and nursing staff commented on always having doctors and residents available if they need one. We mentioned the situation was a little different back home, that access to a doctor could be tough at times! We were all very impressed by the kind volunteers, some of them even said goodbye to a few of us in a traditional Argentina farewell. Overall, we had a wonderful learning experience at this hospital!
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| Hospital de Ninos |
After clinical we all enjoyed some delicious Argentine food before heading out to La Bomba, a traditional Argentine percussion show. This was not totally as expected, the show was a general admission outdoor event with more people than Walmart the day before a snowstorm 😂 The music was rhythmic, upbeat and fun to listen to with no shortage of dancing. The entertainment didn’t stop there, to our surprise we were treated to some 80s hits by a busker on the subway en route back to our hostel.
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| La Bomba |
Sounds exciting, try to bring some of those Doctors back to Cape Breton. Glad you are enjoying the music and food because all work and no play is "No Fun"
ReplyDeleteBe safe and enjoy!