29
COM Outlook . Summer-Fall 2014
out the week and taught us a great
deal of clinical knowledge we had
not yet encountered. In the clinic, we
had our choice to shadow and partici-
pate in several specialties, including
nutrition, internal medicine, physi-
cal therapy, neurology, dermatology,
cardiology, and endocrinology. Our
group also attended several lectures
on important topics impacting Brazil’s
health care, specifically on Dengue fe-
ver, tuberculosis vaccination, tobacco
cessation, and stress management. As
we learned, the Brazilian public health
care system manages its minimal
funds by advocating for preventive
health—a subject well familiar to us
D.O. student physicians. It was inter-
esting to see the similarities between
our health care systems and also to
appreciate the differences.
Throughout the week, the precep-
tors were always by our side to serve
as educators and teach us the skills we
had not yet learned. Dr. Trif, a pathol-
ogy professor in the NSU College of
Medical Sciences, joined the students
in the patient rooms and was able to
elaborate on a number of infectious
diseases. In dermatology, several stu-
dents had the opportunity to observe
conditions not commonly seen in the
U.S. hospitals, which included pa-
tients with leprosy and tropical fungal
diseases. Dr. Murchison, a first-year ER
resident in West Virginia, assisted stu-
dents in wound care with the patients’
dressings, willingly answered students’
questions, and elaborated on the con-
ditions we encountered in the clinic.
In pediatrics, Dr. Faillace was able to
use his expertise to demonstrate the
steps involved in doing physical exams
on children—something most of us
had only recently encountered in class.
While doing a children’s eye screening,
several students proclaimed, “I finally
saw the red reflex!”
“To no surprise, one of the favorite specialties we shadowed was physical therapy because
we were able to help patients using our beloved osteopathic techniques.”
To no surprise, one of the favorite
specialties we shadowed was physical
therapy because we were able to help
patients using our beloved osteopath-
ic techniques. In addition, we were
fortunate to observe new techniques
performed by the Brazilian physical
therapist that could be incorporated
into our knowledge base of manipula-
tive medicine. Each of us was enthu-
siastic to lend a hand and yearned to
gain exposure to a different type of
health care management so we could
return to the United States as more-
holistic student physicians.
At the end of the week, Dr. Fail-
lace surprised us with a visit to the
children’s hospital ward at the large
public hospital where the medical
students did their rounds. Dressed
up in quirky costumes with props and
tambourines, we followed Dr. Faillace
while he played his guitar through the
quiet halls, singing children’s songs
for all to hear. A parent of one of our
students donated small toys to give
to the sick children, and the Brazilian
parents were just as pleased as their
children when we paraded through
the door dressed as animals and
clowns. It definitely gave them some-
thing to laugh about. The joy on the
children’s faces was the perfect last
souvenir to a memorable week.
We will continue to integrate in-
ternational medicine into our future
careers. As future osteopathic physi-
cians, we are instilled with the duty
to give back to the community and to
use our skills to help as many people
as possible. Many of the students
agreed that this trip was an experi-
ence to remember because it filled
in a piece of the puzzle of our long
journey to become physicians. We
are fortunate that NSU-COM offers
one of the few D.O. programs in the
country that coordinates medical
outreach trips, allowing students to
experience the endless possibilities
the profession of medicine and the
world hold in store.
