As if partaking in a 4 day jungle clinic, searching the jungle for a girl with cleft palate, and showering in the river weren’t exciting enough, I had the privilege to partake in canine facial surgery. We stumbled upon an older black dog with a huge mass around it’s eye on our way back from […]
A life changing 10 days spent with the Floating Doctors
I distinctly remember the morning of my first mobile clinic with the Floating Doctors. Only knowing the small group of UCLA nursing and nurse practitioner students in my group, we were anxious and excited to get started on our first full day of volunteering. We quickly began shaking hands and making introductions unaware of the incredible […]
Ngobe Patients By Lauren Sims
This week we have a blog post from UCI med student Lauren Sims. A group of UCI students came to us to work with the parteras (midwives) in some of our communities. In today’s post she talks about some of the patients she saw and what she learned in her time with us. -Kim Olpin […]
Late Night Emergency Evacuation from Rio Cana
At the end of August we held our first multi-day clinic in the community of Rio Cana. It is one of the most remote communities we have ever been to. While we were there a new mother became gravely ill and had to be evacuated. This is the story as told by Dr. Kim Wilson. […]
USC’s Global Medicine Students Share a Day in the Life with Floating Doctors: Part 2
This week I’d like to share with you our second guest blogger from the Master of Science in Global Medicine program at USC, Lily Sheshebor. -Kim Olpin Operational Manager The Power of Passion I have always thought that I wanted to be a doctor. I volunteered at clinics, studied rigorously for my MCATS, and […]
USC’s Global Medicine Students Share a Day in the Life with Floating Doctors: Part 1
This past summer we had a number of amazing student groups join us in Panama. One of those was from the Master of Science in Global Medicine program at USC. A couple of the students from that group were willing to share their experience with us. Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to […]
What is Leishmaniasis??
Leishmaniasis (often called “leish” or ‘peeko de vay-hoo-co’ by the Ngabe) is a tropical skin infection found in Panama. In Panama, Leshmaniasis exists in a natural reservoir of sloths and anteaters and is then passed to humans by female sandflies (chitras). Once infected, a small red bump will appear on the skin, turn into […]
Floating Doctors Welcomes Dr. Dan Evers Aboard!
At last, a veterinarian has come to stay! Dr. Dan is a wonderful addition to the Floating Doctors team here in Panama–it is very hard to work in remote rural communities and see animals riddled with parasites or with horrible injuries that go untreated. Dan and his wife Cindy moved in right next door to […]
Bulldogs In Bocas: Tuesday, March 12th: Second working day!
Today our group split up between the Asilo, a nursing home for the elderly in Bocas, and La Solucion. At the Asilo, we took the patients for a walk in the park, talked to them, and just interacted with them in general. Without volunteers from Floating Doctors, the people in the Asilo rarely get to […]
“The Long Run” by Tessa & Dennis Linderman
Early September mornings found us running through the streets of Bocas, trying to get a workout in before the heat of the day was upon us. Volunteering with Floating Doctors for a month, we got to see a different side of Bocas in those early mornings. We watched the firemen cleaning off their truck and […]