Cape Town

 This is my second time working very closely with pediatric patients in the hospital. Before I started medical school I worked at Nationwide Children's Hospital as a patient care assistant. I remember this being extremely challenging because of seeing children in such bad conditions and in such bad health and also seeing their parents have to watch them and feel so helpless. This field and this specialty is extremely challenging, but what is so important is the difference it can make. My role is only as an international student here, but I am able to spend time playing with the children in the wards helping them to make friends with the other children and to help keep them feeling like children even when they are sick in the hospital. For anyone interested in this specialty or interested in this rotation, I think it is important to know that it does take an emotional toll and many people you talk to can tell you how it has affected them and how they try to cope, but the most common...

During the weekends and when I am not spending time in the hospital I have had the opportunity to see why Cape Town is a city that people from all over the world flock to for a holiday. There is incredible scenic views, a surplus of activities, wildlife, and hiking. I was able to go to a beach and have penguins come up right beside me. I was also able to go for a ride in a boat and see seals, dolphins, and whales. You can go skydiving, bungee jumping, paragliding, and even shark diving. There are endless possibilities for what you can see and do here and through the program I have had plenty of opportunity to enjoy Cape Town. 

 The University of Cape Town gets medical students from across the world doing rotations at the various hospitals in town including the one I am at. As a result of this, I have met other medical students from a variety of different countries across the world. I have spent a lot of my time with a student from Italy and a surgical resident from Spain. Over the short time we have been here we have formed close friendships with on another that I know will last a lifetime. We have also had a number of conversations over differences in healthcare, culture, and our perspectives on issues across the world. These conversations have deepened my insight and greatly broadened my perspective helping me become a more thoughtful and rounded individual. Most of all I have been able to spend time with truly wonderful people creating memories I will cherish for my entire life. 

 The hospital I am at is a public hospital and in South Africa the poorest individuals in the country are the ones who receive care at the public hospitals. Walking around South Africa, there is a well distributed mix of individuals who the people here distinguish as "white", "black", or "colored". In the hospital, the children receiving care are almost all black and are from neighborhoods that during the time of apartheid were distinguished as black neighborhoods. When being driven around Cape Town, I am shown the different neighborhoods that were designated as being for "white", "black", and "colored" and the difference in housing quality and location is massive. Although apartheid has ended, these neighborhoods are still pretty true to those designations largely because of the way apartheid has set individuals who were not white back in terms of wealth and equality. I am also seeing first hand in the hospital the way in whi...

 Today at the hospital, some of the mothers received clothing and toys for their children. I have never seen people light up so much with joy and excitement. These mothers were filled with so much joy because they now had the chance for their children to have some things that they likely desperately wanted to be able to give to them, but were without the opportunity or means to do so. I think about my own nephew and the never ending supply of clothing and toys he has compared to the children I have seen here in the hospital. 

I am in the Pediatric Trauma Surgery department at Red Cross Memorial Hospital. Red Cross is a public pediatric hospital and it receives patients from all over South Africa. Here I have learned from talking with the local residents, attendings, and staff that a large difference exists between the private and public hospitals in terms of financial support and resource availability. However, through my own observation, I can see that the staff here do an incredible job at giving top tier care while struggling with this lack of resource availability and while mitigating waste within the hospital. I am looking forward to continuing to broaden my knowledge of the healthcare system here and fully understanding the challenges faced. 

 Staying with a family is an incredible experience and allows full immersion into the culture and way of life. I feel so fortunate that this family has not only allowed me to stay in their home, but has also made me feel so welcome and comfortable in a new place. They also share with me a lot of their insight into the current politics and problems faced by members of the community. This is insight I truly do not believe would get to experience in such a candid and regular manner if I were not staying with a host family and through my conversations with other international students in other programs not with a host family, it is something they are lacking. I also get home cooked, authentic meals, as well as people to give me regular information on safety and travel plans which is so important when traveling to a new place. 

When I first arrived, the local coordinators arranged for me to go on a tour around the city. This tour was primarily focused around the history of Cape Town and specifically the history and impact of Apartheid. For me it is so hard to comprehend how recent in their history Apartheid occurred. It still has such a massive impact on the peoples lives and likely will for most of their history much like our history of segregation has strongly impacted our nation. It is such an important topic that is a regular part of conversation here and without some sort of understanding of its history I feel it would be hard to understand these conversations and to really understand the healthcare here.