The end is near..

Our time here in Thailand is coming to an end. I have learned so much over these past 4 weeks. It sure has been quite an experience, traveling to numerous hospitals, universities, markets, temples, hotels, and eating various Thai dishes.

It was amazing to see the many differences, as well as similarities, there are in the healthcare system between Thailand and the U.S. Just like the U.S., Thailand is continuously trying to improve their system. After we visited Bangkok Hospital in Chiang Mai, the pharmacy manager asked if we had any recommendations on how they could improve (this hospital was a private hospital, already very well run (reminded me of hospitals back home), and gorgeous). Since Thailand has universal healthcare coverage, almost all medications are free and healthcare is reasonably affordable being about 1 baht (equal to $1). This has its pros, like making it easier  to see a doctor. Comparing this to home, many people cannot afford to see the doctor and then on top of that pay for their medications. Then there are cons, such as spending your whole day at the hospital between waiting to see the doctor, nurses, and then the pharmacist. Since Thailand is a developing country, many medications that we use back home are too expensive for Thailand to get, but they still try to use drugs that have good efficacy but less expensive. Also, there is a lot of use of herbal medicine and massage. If the doctor recommends this as therapy, it will be paid for by the government. I also thought that it was interesting that pharmacy in Thailand adopted the U.S. 6 year program, but their residency program is 4 years and not paid.

We also got to visit a community pharmacy, which is very different than community pharmacies back home. In Thailand, you don't need a prescription for many medications, so the pharmacists can counsel and prescribe medications to patients. In the U.S., we are working hard to get this. I feel like this can lead to trouble because there can be drug-drug interactions and also many antibiotics are sold without a prescription, they get misused just like in the U.S., and then resistance becomes an issue. I liked hearing that the pharmacist has this "power" but I also like that we leave the diagnosing up to the doctors. 

Thai people are so welcoming and polite. No matter where we were, we were always welcomed with sawadeeka (which means hello) and a smile. If you had any questions, they would try their best to help you out, even if they couldn't speak good English. They would also apologize when they couldn't find the right words to say. Its amazing to see how other cultures are welcoming, polite, and caring. This reminded me to continue being nice and welcoming to people you encounter, even a smile can change someone's day

The food was one of the major concerns for me since before going on this trip, I never had Thai food and I can be somewhat picky and don't like too much spice (which Thai love). This trip has taught me to be open to trying new things, as there were times I wasn't 100% sure of what I was eating. We ate a lot of family style meals, which helped because I got to try various dishes, which I did enjoy most of them. My favorite Thai dish is cashew chicken and mango sticky rice for dessert. I even learned how to make them when we went to the Thai cooking class, so now I can cook it for my family back home! But I cannot wait to go home and eat real American food!! Look at how delicious..

My favorite day was when we went to see the elephants! This was not a requirement for the course and we went on an off day. All of the adults elephants were rescued, mostly from riding activities. We got to learn so much about the elephants such as what they eat, how the keepers take care of them, and got to help make sticky rice with herbs inside to help keep the elephants healthy. It was nice to see that the keepers had so much love for the animals, and they were not in chains and had free range of the park.

Ever since I learned about this APPE rotation at one of the open houses, I was so eager to make this one of my rotations. I was ecstatic when I learned that I was one of the ones that got chosen. This entire trip was beyond anything I had expected and a real eye opener. I am so grateful for the new friendships I have made and all the information I have learned along the way. This will help me as a future healthcare provider because now I have experienced first hand what care is like in another country. I feel like I am more well-rounded which will help me take care of my patients and keep an open mind. Some may think may think that we have it easy in the U.S. while others may see it as hard, but not many people from America get to partake in something like this and see how hard in can be in other countries. I will never forget this amazing experience and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Until next time,
Chelsea