Submitted by Stephanie Adams on the 2017 winter session program in the British Virgin Islands sponsored by the College of Health Sciences…
During our second week here in the British Virgin Islands, we have fully immersed ourselves in clinicals at Peebles Hospital. It was very interesting to see how our healthcare system differs from theirs. Safe drinking water is limited here and they are not as busy as a hospital in the United States. I’ve been working in the ICU and there had only been two patients! Some of my peers have told me stories about how instead of using sterile saline in wounds, they use vinegar which is not something we are used to seeing. They also do not have as many safety measures in place as we do in the United States. They recap needles with their bare hands whereas in the States we have a built in cap with the needle that rises when you hit it against a table.
Besides being at the hospital all week, we took a trip to the elementary school here in Tortola. We taught the kids the importance of hand washing and how to take their own pulse. We donated books to their school. The school surprised me since it was only about six rooms and had a multipurpose room and an outside playground. The kids loved to play with my hair and before us they had never seen a Caucasian! It’s crazy how different the culture is here and at times, I find myself missing home, but the Islands may have captured my heart!