Claire Cardillo
Nursing Student
University of Florida
Health Fair-Grenville
Through hosting health fairs, I learned that the Grenadian people are very into their health. They love to come to the health fairs and learn things, which is unlike American practice. Usually in America, people just go to their local doctor and have things treated or checked out, but the Grenadians sometimes do not have that luxury. Therefore, they take advantage of health fairs to learn about themselves. It would be interesting to see if implementing more health fairs locally in places in the United States could make a difference in people's access to healthcare. I was shocked at the amount of people that asked about getting breast exams because they had never had one before, or asked if they had diabetes because they had never had blood sugar taken before. Another thing that I was struck by was the way that news spreads here. At the beginning, we had an influx of people. Then we had a break, and then another influx when people went home for lunch and told their neighbors and family about the health fair going on. They all wanted everyone they knew to have the opportunity to learn about their health. This shows an aspect of a community oriented culture, which is something I sometimes feel we lack in America, where people tend to be more individualistic.
Health Fair-St. George's
To the right is a photo of me performing vision checks on patients of all ages. We were also lucky enough to work with Grenadian nursing students. Everyone enjoyed comparing our experiences and giving constructive criticism on the different techniques used to take vitals and blood glucose levels. It is a vital part of nursing to be able to communicate with peers who may have different backgrounds than you. Working together as a team with other health care providers is key in providing the best patient care.
The patients we saw in St. George's tended to be a bit more healthy than the patients in Grenville. Although many of them did have hypertension and diabetes, their diseases were well controlled. After taking well over 50 blood pressures in rapid succession, as well as assisting with around the same number of blood glucose tests, I feel confident in my basic vital taking skills. Often in our clinical settings, we rely solely on things such as the automatic blood pressure cuff, however this experience taught me that it is extremely valuable to remember how to perform the basics of medical care without technology.
