Final Reflection "Relativity vs. Reality"

      We find ourselves in the center of a society in which everyone is continuously pushing and exhausting themselves to get ahead of their peers and to get the next best thing or job promotion. Everyone else’s yard seems a bit greener and our latest purchases and achievements are instantly overshadowed the second we feel someone has it better. Even as students we are continuously comparing ourselves to others whether it be via social status or in the classroom, and we have grown to view the term “settling” in such a negative way that regardless of our current achievements, we naturally look for the next way to try and surge ahead. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with trying to be a better you than the day before, regardless of how oneself may perceive “better”, but we have come to a point where we are unable to appreciate our personal success’ and situations without comparing them to someone else’s.

            This Thailand trip has vastly broadened my perspective and highlighted my appreciation towards our lives here in the United States. Too frequently are we unable to see the reality of our situations and would rather view them in relativity to someone else. This sense of reality vs. relativity arose entirely due to this trip.

            Over our four-week internship we experienced anything from psychiatric wards in which patients were isolated from society to HIV/AIDS clinics in which patients were quite literally knocking on deaths door. All of this being surrounded by a city in which poverty rates are extremely higher than anything near Portland, Maine. The economic status of the city also limits the supporting hospitals to spend money solely on sanitation as opposed to having the luxury to buy comfort.

            What was amazing to witness was how little the socioeconomic status of these patients affected their attitudes toward their life. Having very little, they were all so extremely appreciative of everything they had and they people that surrounded them. Patients were excited to have us visit their homes and even their bedside’s and were so welcoming and radiated hospitality.  

            The biggest thing I will take away from this trip is the realization of how good each and every one of us have it. We so often complain about work or having to study when there are other people in this world that would die to have the chance or capability to do exactly what it is we complain about. We all should take moments to step back and appreciate the reality of our situations and focus less on relativity compared to others. Returning to the United States I have a much greater appreciation for the opportunities I am lucky enough to embark on, the environments that surround me, and most importantly the people.

Until Next Time,

Travis Frost

Reflecting

I am very sad to say that today was the final day of my rotation in Thailand. This APPE has quickly come to an end as I will be leaving tomorrow morning. That being said, I want to share some of my final thoughts about this experience. Not only have I learned so much about Thailand's health care system during these past 4 weeks, but I also learned a great deal about myself. This international APPE has allowed me to immerse myself into a completely different culture than I am used to. I believe this experience will allow me to apply my new found knowledge once I return to the U.S. in my future rotations and as a future pharmacist. I've realized the importance of opening up and stepping outside of the norms that I'm used to in order to better myself as a person. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to have been able to have been a part of something like this. I will remember the time I spent here learning, having fun, and growing as a person forever. :) What an amazing start to P4 year! 1 block down, 5 more to go!



Thanks for reading!
-Lindsey

Michael's Final Reflection

Hello everybody!

This is it! I'm leaving Bangkok tomorrow morning. My journey isn't done yet though, because I'm going to Vietnam for a few days as well. This past month has been a big learning experience for me. I've learned how to get outside of my comfort zone and immerse myself in Thai culture. My tolerance for spicy food has definitely gone up, and I can't wait to cook using my new Thai cookbook!

I definitely learned that we don't need as many material things to be happy in life. I saw a lot of people who didn't have much, but they were surrounded by their families and they were happy. With more money you get more problems.

One big thing I've enjoyed here is how polite everybody is. People are very patient here and don't lose their cool easily; this is something that I think Americans need to work on a little bit. Patience will definitely come in handy as a pharmacist.

The people here in Thailand are awesome and I'll always remember my time here!

-Michael

Goodbye Thailand

Hi Everyone,

It is with great sadness that I write my final post to you all, as our Thailand APPE has quickly come to an end. This rotation has taught me so much; I was thoroughly able to learn about Thailand's health care system which allowed me to reflect and compare it to ours in the United States. This APPE also allowed me to immerse myself in a third world country and learn much about a different culture-- both unique experiences that will allow me to become a better future pharmacist. While I believe a strong foundational education is important, I think it is equally as important for future health care providers to seek opportunities to implement and gather knowledge outside of the classroom, let alone internationally. I would recommend this APPE to any student interested in becoming a more understanding and empathetic health care provider because Thailand has absolutely provided all of us with an eye-opening, yet fun experience that we will never forget :)

Thanks for reading!
Tiffany

The end of the beginning

As the end is near for this rotation, I would like to take some time and reflect on how much this APPE has changed me. Not only did I learn about Thailand's healthcare system and how it differed from the USA but I also learned so much about myself. I grew as a person by learning how to interact with patients on a whole new level. They have different styles of dealing with patients here and I admire all the faculty and students that I had the pleasure of meeting. I will not only take back the knowledge I learned about dealing with difficult patients (ex. language barriers) but also this is the first rotation that I fully got to immerse myself into patients. I am so excited to be headed back home to my normal routine and also excited to further my learning however this was such a strong APPE to start off with. I am so thankful that my school enabled me to experience this and I will forever take what I learned here in the past 4 weeks and apply it for the rest of my days in practice and life.

Time to relax!

We arrived at our last stop on this amazing journey, Ko Samet. Ko Samet is an island about 15 minute boat ride off the coast of Thailand and it is absolutely beautiful. This part of the trip I have realy enjoyed because it gave us time to unwind and reflect on our trip over the past four weeks. Last night we all went out to dinner and then stopped on the beach. We reminisced about our time halfway around the world and talked about our favorite parts and maybe our not so favorite parts. It was a great way to wrap up as we near the end of this trip. Time to go enjoy the last few hours!

-Gutto

P.S. The food I am craving most is buffalo sauce.  I cannot wait to put buffalo sauce on everything I eat when I arrive home.

My Personal Legend

As Block 1 comes to a close, I wanted to compile a few of the thoughts and feelings that I have from being in Thailand. To many people looking from the outside in, an international APPE may seem like an extra block off because of all the time we have to explore a new country and its intricacies. However, what is unseen are the hours spent learning about a new healthcare system, the defined roles of healthcare providers, the thought process of clinicians as they diagnose and treat based on different guidelines and the cultural differences that apply to their health system. Yes, Thailand or any international APPE for that matter, is not mandatory to have a holistic understanding of pharmacy. However I've realized the importance of expanding my horizons, opening my mind and learning things outside of my scope to develop my character in various ways. One day we will all be able to return to our professions as our homebase but its important to pursue our other interests as well so that we never have any regrets. I chose to come to Thailand because I wanted to learn more about another part of the world, because not all the patients we treat or people we meet will be of the same background. It is important to be able to connect with others, celebrate differences and learn from each other in the process. I am so happy with the growth i've seen in my self from these past 4 weeks. As I stated in my last post - this is only one small piece of my 'Personal Legend' that I plan on continuing to mold :)

Thanks for the Memories and Lessons, Thailand! Till next time ~