Pub. 2 2018 Issue 1

T he ability to be involved in interna- tional medicine was one of the many reasons that drew me to Family Medicine. In my fourth year of med- ical school at the Mayo Clinic I had the opportunity to travel to Nicaragua with a group of medical students and Family Physi- cians to provide basic primary care and learn about the medical system there. It was a ca- reer affirming moment that instilled in me a love of primary care and a desire to always use my talents in any setting that is helpful. When I was given the opportunity this past Sep- tember to help with an LDS Charities mission to help teach the ALSO Course in Moldova I was more than excited. Part of this excitement probably stemmed from having lived in Rus- sia for 2 years where I learned the Russian language. As most Moldovans use Russian as either their primary or secondary language, I was very excited to be able to use my Russian again. However, having not learned medical Russian, which is a very different vocabulary, I spent 4 months prior to the trip studying Russian medical terminology in what little free time I had between residency rotations. I nearly translated the entire ALSO book into Russian! Despite receiving exceptional obstetrical training thus far, the prospect of even assisting in an ALSO course in a foreign country was very daunting. Fortunately, I was part of a team of physicians with a wealth of experience in not only obstetrical practice but also teaching ALSO courses all over the world. Dr. Robert Clark was our team leader who is not only a veteran Family Medicine OB provider but has taught the ALSO as well as NRP and Helping Babies Breathe courses with LDS charities for years. Dr. Tracy Frandsen, an OB and ALSO instructor veteran and Dr. Camille Allison, one of my faculty members at Utah Valley Family Medicine Residency also joined our team. Rounding out our volunteer team was Dr. Richard Bell, a man who is as humble as he is brilliant. Dr. Bell provided a unique perspective on ALSO and perinatal care as he happens to be a Neonatologist. Dr. Bell and Dr. Cark have a long friendship that goes back decades. They have traveled together, using their complementing experiences to teach various perinatal courses in countries all over the world. It was quite an opportunity to be associated with such amazing physicians and hear their stories. This happened to be the first trip to Moldova for an LDS Charities group. The concept behind these missions, that are sent to all corners of the globe is to “train the trainer”. They’ve found through years of experience that simply going to a foreign country and teaching a course does not necessarily translate into the skills and lessons learned in these courses being used even months down the road. However, if a group of physicians at the local country are trained to be champions of the course for other physicians, the institution of the skills necessary to promote perinatal well-being is more sustainable. With this goal in mind, our A L SO i n Mo l do v a By Colten Braken www.UtahAFP.org | 24