You don't have to go to Africa....

It seems like the cool thing to do in medical school is a rotation in an a foreign country. Hell, even I went to South America for a month with aspirations of seeing rare pathology and getting to perform procedures that a medical student would not routinely perform stateside due to that ever-present (and annoying) chain of command. I was fortunate to see a lot of things that I never imagined were possible. The irony is the weirdest things I saw south of the border are nothing compared to what I experience daily in the E.D. here. I've seen maggot infested wounds, basketball sized goiters, and obese women "poop" out a baby because they were unaware they were pregnant. The majority of these patients present saying they didn't come sooner because they were sure their problems would resolve on their own.

I guess my point is third world medicine, unfortunately, is right here in out backyard. I'd say we are the only country in the world that has both third world pathology and diseases of prosperity (obesity, diabetes, heart disease).

Is all of this a result of our current healthcare system, inadequate public health measures, or just plain medical apathy? I don't know. I just continue to show up at the start of my shift and do the best I can.

Nothing beats emergency medicine.