Clinic Abroad

Hello-

I know, I know..... it's been a while since my last post, huh!? Before you get mad, let me explain... I haven't posted since the end of May because I WAS ON VACATION!!! YAHOOOO! Normally between trimesters we have a one week break, but in June every year something special happens. Every year before the start of the July trimester, we are blessed with a three week break! YAY! Three whole weeks of no class, no studying, no homework or papers or practicals and it is amazing. Most people visit their families or tour cities they may want to practice in. Some people stay and work in the clinic (that was my summer fate) and a select few get to travel abroad to treat the people of third world countries.

Four of my close friends went on clinic abroad trips over the break, and as we met for dinner last night to talk about their experiences- I was in awe of the power of Chiropractic. Tara, who went to Honduras, told stories about treating patients that come into the clinic sight in wheelchairs and hoped to leave without needing one. I wish I could say she adjusted them and they walked away, and although that was not the case, she said that their symptoms did improve. She told me about an encounter with a man who had dislocated his hip. She said that as her and her staff doctor were treating him, she could feel the hip go back into place. Over the two week time frame her and the group spent in Honduras, they saw an incredible 2400 patients.

Ashley, who traveled all the way to Vietnam, said people were waiting in line for hours just to be treated. She said that a lot of the Vietnamese patients she saw had knee arthritis as a result how the culture sits. She also told stories of the orphanages her and her group visited- stories about babies that had brain encephalitis (normal bodies; huge head) and other children with their upper bodies facing the opposite direction as the bottom half. She said the most memorable patient she treated was a man who still had a bullet lodged in his arm from a war 7 years ago.

Overall the girls said they had an amazing time on their trips and they were happy to have had the experience. Clinic abroad is an opportunity everyone in 8th trimester and above can take advantage of, and it's sure to produce some amazing memories. I just lived vicariously through the stories of friends, and I was inspired! If you want to know more about clinic abroad or have any other questions about campus or Palmer, please don't hesitate to post or email me!

I'm off to clinic now... and off to begin my 9th trimester on campus! I'm so close to being done it's CRAZY!

Regards!

Mary