¡Hola a todos! This week I will be writing about our cohort’s excursion to La Fortuna, the Clinical Needs Finding Workshop, and my first week of my internship at Establishment Labs. Here are my highlights and lowlights of the week:

Highlights:

• Baldi Springs
• Being able to finally start my internship
• Getting switched back to RDI at Establishment Labs
• Getting breakfast and lunch at Establishment Labs
• Eating the best mango I’ve ever had in my life

Lowlights:

• Getting scammed
• Our tour guide Robert’s driving
• Randomly getting switched to PDI at Establishment Labs
• Not being able to access my company laptop for the whole week
• The water pressure of my shower at Don Francisco being strong enough to cut diamond

Arenal and Hot Springs Tour

Before Asma and Kaira had to leave Costa Rica, our cohort decided to spend our last Saturday as a full group doing something big. We had booked the Arenal Volcano & Hot Springs Tour, a 15 hour tour that includes visits to the Arenal Volcano and Baldi hot springs. That morning we woke up bright and early and excitedly hopped on our shuttle van driven by our tour guide Robert. On the way to La Fortuna, we stopped by the town of Sarchí, famous for their brightly painted oxcarts, and the town of Zarcero, which had a park filled with intricately cut bushes. I was amazed by how beautiful the nature was outside of downtown San José. Some moments on the trip to La Fortuna were not as pleasant, such as when the shuttle van overheated and we started uncontrollably going downhill backwards. Once we got to La Fortuna, we stopped at La Choza de Laurel (haha) for lunch and had a delicious meal, freshly made pineapple juice, and coffee. However, things took an unfortunate turn when our tour guide revealed that we would not be going to the Arenal volcano. Our understanding was that we would be able to climb and hike on the volcano, however, the tour did not actually include this component. We had been bamboozled by the wording of the tour listing. After discussing with Robert, he drove us closer to the volcano, but ultimately we were not able to set foot on the volcano itself. Defeated, we decided to move on with the tour and go to Baldi springs. Although we were upset at first, Baldi springs ended up being a very relaxing and worthwhile place. The location was actually very large, and we had fun wading around in their wide selection of different pools. We ended the tour by eating dinner at the buffet within Baldi. The way back from the tour was a nightmare as Robert would decelerate way too late while driving which filled us passengers with anxiety. However, after a long 4 hours, we were able to make it back safely.

Clinical Needs Finding Workshop

On Sunday and Monday our cohort took part in a clinical needs finding workshop which would take place at Hospital Clínica Bíblica. Sunday started with a Zoom meeting in which we learned about the importance of clinical observation and observation etiquette. Afterwards, we moved to Clínica Bíblica San José where we made observations in the radiology unit, hematology lab, and pharmacy. I found doing observations in the radiology unit was the most interesting as quite a lot of human factors incidents occur in situations where the patient is in a separate room from the clinician. It was interesting to observe the human factors considerations in the various rooms, such as how they keep an aluminum fire extinguisher in the MRI room to prevent it from getting magnetically attracted by the MRI machine. The pharmacy there was extremely busy and the pharmacists looked very stressed. I was concerned as fatigue and time pressure are common causes for human factors incidents. The hematology lab was also concerning as it was dirty and disorganized, with random microscope slides and blood samples strewn about. Overall though, we were not able to observe a lot of activity at the hospital as it was a Sunday.

The next day we went to do our observations at Clínica Bíblica Santa Ana. This hospital was significantly smaller than the San José location since they only provide outpatient services. Here we were able to make observations in the radiology unit, hematology lab, pharmacy, and the ER. We noticed that this day was slow as well. Observations made in the radiology unit were mostly the same as the San José location, although this time I was able to see a surgical x-ray machine. The pharmacy here seemed to be much more organized than the San José location, albeit the activity level was much lower. The hematology lab was also much cleaner and organized than the San José location. Getting to observe in the ER was exciting, however, once again there wasn’t much activity; so much so that while I was observing, the doctors and nurses ordered a pizza and began to celebrate one of their birthdays. After observations, we went on Zoom to discuss about what we saw and learned about how to form an effective needs statement.

First Week at Establishment Labs

On Tuesday it was finally time for everyone to start their respective internships. In the morning Vanessa and I ubered from URBN Escalante to Establishment Labs which ended up taking an hour and a half due to traffic. Establishment labs is within Coyol Park which is home to a plethora different medical device companies. Once we got there, Vanessa and I were both impressed by how new and modern the building was. The first day of our internship was focused on onboarding, which included several introductory presentations about the company and its different departments. Both Vanessa and I really like the R&D department presentation, as they showcased the different types of implants the company develops with actual samples. Although it was a welcoming start to our internship, this day was filled with confusion for me as I was told that I was placed in process development instead R&D as originally planned. After my first day I informed Dr. Wettergreen about this, and was able to get the mix-up cleared up right away which I was grateful for. That night, Vanessa and I also moved from San José to Escazú because we will be staying at Don Francisco Aparthotel. We will be staying here instead of Selina since the commute time is shorter to Establishment Labs. Vanessa and I were able to explore the area around Don Francisco with Dr. Wettergreen and Luis, and we were both pleasantly surprised by the number of shops and dining options in the area.

As the switch to R&D would take some time, I reported to my PDI manager Marlon the next day. He took me on a tour of the clean rooms where they manufacture all of the implants. Being able to see the production process of the implant shell was honestly very cool, and I learned a lot about the different techniques they use. Afterwards, I was sent home from work early that day because they were having trouble getting me access to my laptop. On the third day Vanessa and I went to Establishment Labs’ second building, B-15, which is where the RDI team works. On this day I was able to meet many members of the RDI team and learn more about the projects we will get assigned to. Everyone there was very kind and welcoming, and it felt good to be part of a supportive team. Armando, one of the engineers we will be closely working with, even cut up some pineapples that he got from La Fortuna for everyone in the office. In terms of the projects, Vanessa and I learned about three of them. One involves doing research for a new implant chip reader that they are developing. Another involves doing some research and testing for a new implant surface. The last one involves designing, prototyping, and testing a new breast implant insertion device. All three projects sounded pretty interesting to me, and I am excited to start getting involved. I was supposed to get access to my laptop by the end of the day. However, at the end of the day I was told that I probably will not have access to it until next Monday, and that I didn’t have to come into work on Friday because of this. This was frustrating because without my laptop, I could not complete any of the training modules and I would be even further behind.  

Overall, this week was filled with many ups and downs. However, I will continue to look forward and overcome my obstacles as best I can. Tune in next week where I’ll hopefully get access to my laptop and begin working on my projects!