Pub. 3 2019 Issue 1

resource and requires daily transport from the local well. In addition to water, the men of the village could not afford socks and each of them suffered from severe cases of ath- lete’s foot. We distributed a lot of fungal cream this day. Later that week in our clinic at Los Robles there was a gen- tleman in his 40s who had sustained a knee injury while working in the fields. They had no way to get help and he was crippled by this injury. He most likely had a meniscal tear contributing to significant hemarthrosis. I drained 60 cc of blood from his knee and immediately his pain improved. He was fitted with a knee support brace and given crutches. He was relieved and hopeful to return to the field and con- tinue working for his wife and three daughters who were also seen in our clinic that day. The people in Guatemala have limited resources. For exam- ple, only last year did the volunteer fire fighters acquire fire hoses that would attach to their fire trucks. The volunteers lack simple suture skills and supplies and thus transport pa- tients two hours to the hospital for simple laceration repairs. The highlight of our trip was teaching roughly 20 local fire- fighters basic suture techniques, then practicing these skills on pig feet in a three-hour training course. We were also able to provide the volunteers with basic suture supplies. Hope- fully, with basic skills and supplies, the firefighters can now provide basic laceration care to the community. The trip to Guatemala reminded me that everyone wants to be healthy; however, many are either unaware of how to obtain it or live in a place where resources are limited. In either case, my training as a family physician allows me the ability to provide resources to the individual so that they can meet their basic health needs. Over the last year as a resident, I had forgotten, amid never-ending message logs and encounter notes, that the joy of being a family physician comes from providing for the basic needs of the individual. Hopefully this reminder will travel with me back to Utah and linger throughout my career. Blake Taylor, DO, grew up in Alpine, Utah. He completed undergrad stud- ies at BYU and medical school at Campbell University in North Carolina. Medical interests include procedural, rural, and urgent care. He currently lives in Springville with his wonderful wife and five beautiful kids. 25 |