Blog Post 3 – Starting Real Grown-Up Life

Overview of the Week

This week was a pretty eventful week. We started by taking a trip to the Arenal Volcano all day on Saturday, continued with clinical observations, and we also started our internships (probably the main reason we are here!). Keep reading to hear all about it!

Climbing up a Volcano… or not

Once again, Saturday started bright and early. When we booked the tickets, it said that the tour would be for fifteen people, and since we are only eight, we thought there would be others along for the ride. To our surprise, the driver pulled up, and we were the only people going that day – a private tour! The drive was pretty long, but we were able to see many important symbols of the country and many smaller towns (that were very different to San Jose). We stopped at several parks, and we had a typical lunch at La Choza de Laurel. We had planned to climb the volcano, but our guide said that was not possible. We were sad about it, but did get a pretty good view of the volcano from the car.

  

Stops we took on our trip to Arenal

After this, we went to Baldi Hot Springs where there were a ton of little hot springs where people could just sit and relax. We also had another traditional dinner here before hopping back in the car for the two hour drive back home.

Volcano Arenal and Baldi Hot Springs

Taking a Trip to the Hospital

On Sunday, we took a trip to the hospital. Don’t worry – it was for clinical observations, not a personal visit! This two-day activity started off at Hospital Clínica Bíblica in San Jose. Because we visited on a Sunday, it was relatively quiet, without many patients. We visited the radiology, pharmacy, and lab departments over the course of four hours.

In the radiology department, there were no patients, but one of the technicians showed us around, and we were able to see the machines used for x-rays, CT scans, mammograms, MRIs, etc. Except for the MRI room, we were able to enter, look around, and even touch some of the equipment. Most of these rooms appeared to be very patient friendly (some of them even had color changing lights that the patient can modify to feel more at ease).

At the pharmacy, we noticed right away that all of the staff was incredibly busy, especially the pharmacist who must check every prescription before it can be sent to the patient. The two main functions of the pharmacy are (1) to prepare medication for patients, and (2) to provide individualized care for patients who may need more specialized medication.

Our final stop on this day to the laboratory was also very interesting. There were all kinds of samples being picked up, analyzed, and transported from building to building. The lab techs were also very busy, but this provided the opportunity for us to just walk around and watch whoever we encountered.

Side note: Sunday, I went to Mass at Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Fátima. I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to go to Mass, and to witness the Costa Rican culture integrated into a tradition that is so important to me.

 

On Monday, we continued observations, but this time at the Santa Ana location. We visited the same three departments, but also had the opportunity to visit the emergency department.

Starting with the laboratory, we saw the same functions, but a bit more organized at this location. We then moved to the pharmacy, where the pharmacist was much less busy this day, so she took the time to show us how the medications are arranged, what she does on a day-to-day basis, how the prescription orders come through, and what her responsibility is. One notable thing that I learned was that when I asked her how they get notified of new prescriptions, she told me that someone must be refreshing the page constantly. As our main purpose was to find clinical need during this time, this was something that I identified could benefit the staff greatly, reducing time and error in the process.

 

We then went to the emergency department where there were three patients, all surprisingly children. Overall, the department was very quiet, and the doctors were dedicated to the three patients they had there. We were also able to visit the COVID area (where there were no patients!) and see how they manage keeping the patients separated.

Lastly, we visited radiology, which was again very similar to the first location, but we also had the chance to see the machines used on the surgery floor of the hospital.

 

During these two days, we also attended a workshop about need finding where we discussed what to look for, what comes from clinical observations, and how to use these observations to write strong need statements.

Overall, it was a great experience to see how the hospitals function, the areas they excel in, and the areas that could benefit from some application of bioengineering.

Side note: for our last meal as a full Costa Rican cohort, we went to Colonia where I had my first arepa – it was so good!

♫ Working 9 to 5 ♫

Tuesday morning, I woke up optimistic for what was to come, as it was the first day of my internship at Establishment Labs. Establishment Labs is a company that focuses on designing, developing, and creating innovative products in the breast implant area. Upon arrival, I was told that I would be working in the Research, Development, and Innovation department (RDI). The entire first day was dedicated to onboarding, where we heard from all departments: HR, RDI, Quality Services, IT, etc. The day went by very quickly, and made me excited for the remainder of the time I would spend at the company.

 

This day, we also moved our things to our new location, and the area we are in has a more active and modern feel to it. We ate as Smash Burger, and I even forgot I was out of the country for a second!

The following day, I stayed home and met via Zoom with my manager who is remote at the moment. For the remainder of the day, I worked on training modules (110 of them!), and prepared for my first day in person in the RDI department.

Thursday, we headed over to work early again, and we had the opportunity to meet the team, hear about the three different projects we will have the opportunity to work on, and see/learn more about the products and devices that they are working on.

Side note: We went grocery shopping, and I made our first home-cooked meal in Costa Rica. I am trying to cook without using recipes, so I hope to improve this skill during my time here! (Also, groceries are expensive…)

Groceries and first meal

Friday, I stayed home again to continue working on the training modules, but I look forward to Monday, when our long-term assignments will be determined. I am excited to share more details in the coming weeks.

Going Forward

Next week, I will be getting more established, and hope to know more about what I will be doing for the remainder of the summer. Talk to y’all next week 🙂