Residency Program | International Medicine
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Lindsay Wylie, PL-1, examines a young Haitian patient.
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The pediatric residency program
at Washington University/
St. Louis Children's
Hospital offers an international
medicine elective in Honduras.
Stemming from a long tradition
of volunteer involvement
on behalf of the faculty and
support staff, and the dedication
of our institutions to
humanitarian endeavors, this
exceptional opportunity has
been shaped to provide residents
with an understanding
of health care issues and
health care delivery in a developing
nation.
When diagnostic and therapeutic
technologies are limited,
the resident's confidence in his
or her own clinical and physical
examination skills is reinforced.
The International
Medicine elective also affords
the resident an awareness of
conservation of diagnostic and
therapeutic resources as well
as medical equipment and supplies in
developing countries, and provides the
opportunity to experience diagnosis and
treatment of illnesses they rarely may
experience during their training in the
United States.
The International Medicine elective
carries five main objectives:
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"My short time in Haiti opened
my eyes to a totally different
world of medical practice.
When resources are few and
test options minimal, one is
forced to make decisions based
more on clinical assessment.
I was also reminded of how
blessed we are here at home,
and that we should always
strive to share our wealth of
knowledge and resources with
those less fortunate."
Lindsay Wylie, PL-1
|
Provide experience with diseases
residents would rarely see during their
regular practice, such as malaria and
dengue fever,
Familiarize residents with common
diseases at more advanced stages
of development, such as pneumonia,
Expose residents to the practice of
medicine under conditions of limited
diagnostic and therapeutic resources,
Enhance residents' experience of their
profession in another culture, and
Enable residents to acquire an
appreciation for conserving medical
resources in the face of limited supply.
Residents spend three weeks at the children's
hospital in Honduras, working
closely with the attending physicians, residents
and medical students. By special
arrangement, the resident may substitute
two weeks at a rural clinic for two weeks
at the hospital. The fourth week allows
time for residents to travel throughout
Honduras before returning home. Grants
for the elective are available from the
Department of Pediatrics.
An additional elective opportunity for
PL-3s in Honduras is now available at
the Roatan Volunteer Pediatric Clinic on
the Island of Roatan off the east coast
of Honduras.
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