I’ve spent the past week with my dear friend Cathy Case as she taught Introduction to Advanced Cardiac Life Support and CPR in San Juan. Last week on Friday we went to the hospital in San Juan with the nursing students from CCED (one of “our” local schools) to have an extensive tour of the hospital as well as learn what they are learning and have available to them. It was eye-opening, to say the least.
The main hospital here in San Juan has the most wonderful hospitalist, Dr. Ranfis Baez, in the world! He is our contact guy and set up all of our classes for the first two days. He brought us 3 defibrillators to study, learn, and then teach to his staff. We also taught them how to use their monitors and supplied them with a few pulse oximetry probes and ambu bags. On Monday we taught two groups of physicians and residents in the conference center of the San Juan Hospital. On Tuesday the nurses from the hospital showed up. On Wednesday morning our own clinic staff participated in the class held in the Guesthouse. Wednesday afternoon was scheduled for the staff of the Juan De Herrera Hospital. And Thursday the entire day was dedicated to the CCED 4th year nursing students. It was a blast! Master translator Amaury Beltre translated for every single class and did a fabulous job. In fact, I think he could teach heart rhythm strips WAAAAYYYYYY better than me at this point!
(Ranfis, Cathy, and Amaury introducing the class)
(The first ACLS class- riveted by the "live" EKGs)
(the first 2 provider CPR)
(Class Number 1- SO PROUD to be certified!)
(Just a few of the supplies that Cathy bought, brought, organized, and sterilized for each class)
Two of the hospital surgeons- so happy to be there!
I'm not the most useful kid in the world......but........
(Class number 2- psyched!)
We were exhausted at the end- it was a lot of hard work for Cathy and Amaury. But to hear the comments or questions at the end of each class was humbling and inspiring and mind-blowing. The grand majority of people had never been in a class like Cathy and Amaury taught. Practicing CPR on mannequins was an incredible advantage to them, as well as watching real “live” heart rhythms on Power Point, youtube videos of open heart surgery and defibrillation, and live demonstration of how to use their own equipment. To hear folks say things like “ I think I am capable of saving a life now” or “I’ve never had a class like this before”, or “this was incredibly valuable” just about put tears in my eyes. Watching their confidence grow as they together performed chest compressions and ventilations was inspiring. And of course....two Dominicans in a room is always a party....so imagine over 20 doctors and nurses laughing and pointing and sitting in awe. One of the coolest moments was having the CCED nursing instructors participate on Tuesday...and then come again with their students on Thursday and help them learn CPR and heart rhythms. And of course our own Doctor Sandy Valdez showed up TWICE because he enjoyed the class so much. THIS is humbling to me. Again, the desire of the locals here to improve and learn and implement and study is awe-inspiring. On a poignant note, the hospital docs actually had a opportunity to use their knowledge on a very sick patient who showed up in the ER after most of them had taken the class. As Cathy and I watched them working together and efficiently with this patient in the ER and then in the ICU, we were again humbled to know that these guys are doing the very best that they can with what they have available to them. There is no other word to explain this than to say again.... I am humbled.
(the nurses on Day 2 at the hospital)
(Amaury, Cathy, and Ranfis on Day 2 in the hospital)
(The hospital nurses....THRILLED!)
(So good at CPR!)
Day 3- our ROCK STAR clinic staff doing CPR!
(Cathy teaching mouth-to mouth with mask)
Our own Dr. Sandy Valdez "saving a life" with Gary Straley (Dan's dad!)
Stellar crew- every single one! (Note the Guesthouse staff included!)
Dr. Pierre from Juan de Herrera- master of compressions!
The first CCED nursing class- glued to the screen watching!
Did I mention that I can be very useful when they need me for a monitor?
CCED students rocking the ventilations!
The two class MASTERS!
Moises from our clinic helping the CCED students...
The second CCED class practicing chest compressions...
CCED students with their wonderful instructor Elizabeth....
Over and over again, the request was the same: “We want more”. The local public high school wants THEIR nursing students to take the class, as well as another private nursing school. The hospital wants a class on how to use their 5 new unused ventilators, as well as an ABG machine that is still in its box and unused. We are hoping and dreaming of implementing a Post Anesthesia class, and an Assessment class...and an Introduction to Pediatric Advanced Life Support...and...well, the sky is the limit right about now. It’s exciting stuff!
And as for me...well. I always like to learn. I never got sick of hearing the heart rhythms and watching folks practice chest compressions for the first time. I loved watching Amaury demonstrate how to hold the masks on the mannequins and do ventilations. I was enthralled (just like the classes) watching Cathy review the algorithms of ACLS. I think my favorite part is just making connections with folks. I just dig meeting and learning together with the docs and nurses and residents at the hospital, knowing that I will see them again here in San Juan and that maybe even some of them will work at the new clinic in a few years. I loved starting off each class with prayer and stopping in the middle of the second day of classes to pray for the Code happening in the ER. That just doesn’t happen in the States. :) I loved Cathy’s heart for education and Amaury’s dedication and Ranfis’s direction and Sandy’s enthusiasm. For me, it was all good, even if we didn’t sleep all that much.
On another note in the Loony Life of Nik Eby, Laura and I have become little birds flying to a new nest. We are now the proud residents of Apartment 302 in Building 5 in Mesopotamia- more or less across the street/bridge from our old digs. Of course life in the Guesthouse is and was fabulous and we will miss it...but it’s time to be Dominicanas and move out of the dorm scene. We’ll both be at the Guesthouse every day working...but we will retire to “La Meso” (as I affectionately call it) at night and on the weekends. Photos of the new “palace” (HA!) to follow soon.
Entonces, God is good. October is good. Education is good. New apartment life is good. Annnnndddddd as Cathy has reminded me several times after hearing a sermon recently in the Sates....”Life is short-- live today to the fullest. Seek Jesus in everything you do”. We have seen this a few too many times this week..... Young folks going too soon. Tragedies hitting. Sick kids. You all know the drill. So it’s a good reminder: Life IS short. Pray hard... work hard...play hard and LOVE really really really hard. Seek Jesus in everything you do. He’s THERE.
