Hi everyone! This week I have two fun weekends to update you on, as well as some cool opportunities coming up with our internship.
A three-toed sloth, just hanging out
Last weekend we all took a trip to Manuel Antonio National Park, about a three hours’ drive south of San José. On Saturday, we spent a relaxing day at the beach swimming in the waves and boogie boarding. On Sunday, we went on a guided nature hike in the park. It was a bit expensive and we had to wake up early, but it was so worth it! The animals are very well camouflaged so it’s hard to see anything without an experienced guide and a telescope. With those, however, we saw sloths, monkeys, crabs, birds, and even some insects. We also had some time to spend at the beach, which had beautiful, warm, turquoise water.
Doppler ultrasound to measure blood flow
During the week, Pablo and I continued observations in the ER and the microbiology lab. The lab technician we spoke to showed us the automated PCR machines, which have robotic arms that can pick up samples, stir them, perform testing, and prepare them for analysis. We also watched him do some manual procedures and talked about some of the pain points there, such as the repetitive hand motions of pipetting or the need to wash certain test cartridges by hand. In the second half of the week, we had the opportunity to visit Hospital Nacional de Niños and shadow Dr. Bogantes, a neurologist. It was so cool to watch him interact with his pediatric patients and perform tests to understand how well their nerves are behaving. We talked a lot about EEGs and EMGs, which are different types of tests that measure brain waves, and how well the brain is communicating with the muscles. There are plenty of opportunities for improvement here, since EEG tests require electrodes to be placed on the scalp, and it’s really hard to keep them fixed in the right place. I’m looking forward to continuing these patient-centered observations and seeing how we can make some of these procedures more effective.
Waterfall adventures!
Today, more fun in nature! A group of us went to La Paz Waterfall Gardens for the day. We saw lots of beautiful toucans and butterflies and hiked down the side of the mountain, stopping at the different lookout points to see the waterfalls. We were outside for a while, but luckily it wasn’t too hot so high up in the mountains. Tomorrow it’s time for some R&R. Stay tuned, until next time!