So this week Sarah and I continued our observations on the Surgery department of Clínica Bíblica, switching to the ER department on Thursday. I decided to do something interesting since parking was so hard to find and expensive in San José, I started commuting by train between Heredia and San José! It’s way faster than going by car since there is no traffic and it lets me catch up on sleep or read a little bit while commuting. Not only that but the ticket is only ₡500! (~$1).
Another thing that the train saves me from is driving with the crazy weather we’ve had this week. There’s been rainstorms every single afternoon, which reminds me I need to buy and umbrella. I recall the news talking about how we’re entering yet another tropical wave and it has certainly established itself. I love being inside in this weather but having to drive through it is dangerous and stressful. This is a pic from my neighborhood I took while walking when the rain cleared up:
In our internship, Sarah and I are making some progress but not a lot; while Surgery proved interesting and gave us ideas with potential, the ER is very a different story. Since the goal of ER is treating either well known acute illnesses or stabilizing patient in risk of death, they usually try to use very simple and established procedures. This compounded by the fact that the ER at a private hospital in Costa Rica sees very little flow of people, usually only well-off people coming in for something minor like the flu or diarrhea or for some painkillers. I hope we get to see more opportunities for projects in the lab and radiology departments!