Health Fair

Yesterday I volunteered to help with a health fair put on by AMSA out in the community. Wow, this experience certainly put some perspective on things in life. The community we were in was on the north end of the island (it took about 50 min. to drive there). Along the way, I got to see a good amount of the green and mountainous countryside while we drove on narrow winding roads. There were houses in place with their foundations built into the sides of cliffs. Looking around you could only see lush green forest, or the sea (and a few chickens here and there). The area we were in looked poor, and remnants of the hurricane disaster from last year were still prevalent around certain areas of the island we saw. There were about 15 St. George’s med students that had volunteered, and a few local doctors. Once we arrived and set up ‘camp’ at a local grade school, it looked like the entire community had lined up to be checked. It was a great hands-on experience in that I learned how to test blood glucose, take patient histories, and do breast exams (no pun intended).
Well, midterms begin a week from tomorrow, and we’re still covering a ton of material for biochemistry. In terms of course material this definitely seems like the most intensive class. In comparing it to my undergrad courses, this class is covers three courses in one…only we take it in one semester. As promised, here are some pics from yesterday’s health fair. Enjoy.