Back from the third world

Guatemalan girl
Originally uploaded by Dr Peppers.

The trip to Guatemala two weeks ago was simply amazing. For starters, the caliber and character of people I was with was of the highest quality. Their faith and encouragement kept the whole week nothing short of incredible.

We got to visit the western hemisphere's largest indigenous market in Chichicastenango Sunday, and we all spent large sums of money gathering lots of exotic goods.

Monday through Thursday we held clinics in three different locations; Tuesday and Wednesday were the same location. During my day to do medical consults on Thursday, I got the opportunity to do a fetal ultrasound, and I also got my digital rectal exam done (a requirement for all first year medical students). All in all, we saw approximately 350 patients, took several care packages to needy people, delivered a number of Bibles, prayed over and encouraged people, and left tons of pharmaceuticals for the permanent clinic in Chichicastenango.

Some of my favorite memories I will have from this trip include:
1. Running around the marketplace with the other four guys on the trip
2. Seeing the mountains of Guatemala from the clinics
3. Everyone feeling compelled to give me their food so I don't waste away
4. Singing "Battle Hymn of the Republic" in its entirety
5. Feeling a baby in the womb at 30 weeks
6. Praying with two old women to accept Christ
7. Standing in awe of the beauty of Lake Atitlan

As always, click the photo above to view additional pictures on my photostream.

Learning Leadership

This past Thursday-Friday was the annual Internal Medicine Residency PGY-2 (means a second year resident) Leadership Retreat. At the retreat, we had several lectures, breakout discussion sessions, and role play practice in how to employ leadership skills that help foster a positive learning and working environment. The lecture and discussion series was led by facilitators who have been trained through the Stanford Faculty Development Center and utilizes their Clinical Teaching Program curriculum. The focus was for how we, as residents, can facilitate a positive learning environment for incoming interns and for medical students on the team. It also focused on how to set goals for an inpatient team, and how to best use your attending as a resource. Overall, it was a great retreat. Though many people think that some people are natural born leaders, I think many leadership qualities, if not most, can be learned and trained. Sometimes those who have had some kind of training or learning in...

Of Mice and Midbrains

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Lexington Square

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Rural Rounds

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