This Needs Finding Workshop was taught by Dr. Casey Howard and was designed based off of the Standford Biodesign Fellowship Program. The purpose of this workshop was to help us learn to identify “needs” in clinical settings. Each participant was sent on three clinical observations along with lecture setting seminars in order for us to practice the theory we were learning about. I was sent to Hospital Nacional de Ninos, Hospital Mexico, and San Vicente de Paul Hospital (Heredia) to observer their cardiology departments.
This was a very unique experience because I was being placed in a new setting and medical system that I am not familiar with. This provides an important opportunity to see a situation from a removed perspective. I found that before even entering a hospital I was learning about multiple lens that I could use to identify problem areas. Additionally, I learned that observations that can be shaped into need statements can be fit into a few different categories. Although I have had experiences in needs finding this was new information that helped me organize my thoughts on what might be a need. I worked with a team to use these skills to identify and sperate these need in order to form needs statement. This was great experience in identifying and formulating need statements in real environments.
This was an amazing experience. I got to learn about the positives and negatives of the Costa Rican Healthcare system. It brought an eye-opening experience that showed me how some issues that are prevalent in American are nonexistent in Costa Rica and vice versa. I gained active experience in identifying “needs” in multiple lens and formatting those into viable need statements that could be used for a project. I loved my experience but also found it very informational and insightful.