Well Thailand, you've taken my money and sense of what the word "hot" means, but you've given me an amazing cultural experience with memories that will last a lifetime. This experience has allow me to learn so much about Thai culture, the Thai healthcare system, and how my friends and I can improve our viewpoints of the healthcare system in the United States. The culture in Thai is so welcoming no matter what hospital or clinic we got to visit. Every person we got to meet was so excited to see us and show off what their place of work had to offer to the people of Thailand. This was a big shock to me because it is an idea that is going away in the United States. Most people, not all, look at their place of work as just a job that pays the bills, but in Thailand, they are proud of where they work and couldn't wait to show us every aspect of it.
When I decided to go to Thailand, I thought it was a third world country that didn't really have much to offer or didn't have the capabilities to offer great healthcare to the people of Thailand. Boy was I wrong. Some of the hospitals and clinics we got to visit were even up to the standards of the United States. Some hospitals had an ambulatory clinic, some had more than just 3 pharmacists working in the entire building, and some even did research that, at one point, was almost bought by a US company for millions of dollars. It was a complete shock to me how advanced Thailand is in their healthcare. As far as their Universal Coverage goes, Thailand is an example of it working. This is something that is debated in the United States all the time and it is a topic in which I believe Thailand is more advanced than we are. We just haven't come up with the right way to implement it into our society. Maybe, it is where Thailand can help us learn and grow.
As far as what I have learned about me from Thailand, I have learned I need to be way more patient and understanding, I'm smarter and more confident than I give myself credit for, and you always learn something new everyday. Thailand was a culture shock for me with so many new foods to try, places to see whether they were clean or not, and so many people to meet. We learned that people wait hours and hours in waiting rooms to receive healthcare and yet, people in the US can't wait 5 minutes to receive their prescriptions in a pharmacy. Thailand taught me I need to be more patient with things I do along with more patient when dealing with patients and physicians. As far as going out of my comfort zone, I had the opportunity to eat a scorpion and even teach Thai students about residency programs in the United States. Both experiences, along with others, were things I never thought I'd be able to get to do and are things I will never forget.
In conclusion, Thailand is a once in a lifetime trip. It is a place that may not be one of the cleanest places, but offers so many life experiences I will never forget. Anyone thinking about taking this experience in years to come, all the advice I have to offer is do it and give it all you got. Be open-minded, be willing to experience things even if you're scared or nervous, and be willing to learn and make memories that will last a lifetime.
No comments:
Post a Comment