Final Days

This amazing trip is coming to an end. It is my last few days here in Liberia, and what an amazing ride. It has been filled with awesome experiences, frustrating politics, rewarding patient experiences, epic saves, and disappointing losses. There are several people I will always remember. Below is a pano of part of the main ED. Patients are crammed together in 3 large rooms. With close proximity, they become their own community, often helping translate English to English for each other and keeping each other honest about how many times they went poop, if they vomiting, or to remind the nurse if they are past due for a medication.

The nurses here have never seen nursing care in the US. They have no examples to go on. When I ask them to move faster, do more things at the same time, etc - they can only think that I'm asking them to go way above and beyond their peers... not make their way up to some standard. Despite this, they have worked very hard and are improving themselves because they believe in what we are trying to do and take pride in their work.

Liberian people are very kind, wonderful hosts. By nature they are social, conscientious, and grateful. I find it very hard to accept that they were in civil war for 15 years. Their customs are a mix of traditional African culture, and an interpretation of American culture as seen through music and television.

The elections for the second president following the war will be held on October 11 this year. As a result the various political parties are beginning to campaign and escalate the hype surrounding their candidates. The main parties in this race are the Unity Party (UP) including the current president Sirleaf, and the CDC party. The CDC by stereotype is primarily comprised of younger people with a lot of energy, interrupted education, and unemployment. There is a general uneasiness about how things will go with this group as the elections approach. You can google search the Liberian Observer to follow Liberian news surrounding the elections.

The PAs here have been patient with us as we push them to stretch their boundaries and continue their learning. I have made some excellent friends. I am hoping to bring a particular intern back to Stanford to shadow for 4-6 weeks once he completes his internship. He may be Liberia's first ever emergency physician. How often can one say they helped create a specialty in another country?

I fly home tomorrow evening and will get back into town on Monday afternoon. I will get to the airport 4 hours early as to not miss my flight. Oh yes, people have been there 2 hours early and missed their flight. Liberian security runs on Liberian time... even if there is only one flight that day.

I want to thank all of you for following my blog and sharing with me here in Liberia. Thanks for all the supportive emails. I miss home and can't wait to see you in a couple days!

Ben