This summer, WWAMI sponsored four of us to spend about six weeks in Cambodia volunteering at the Children's Surgical Centre. I thought it would be similar to the R/UOP experience, meaning a lot of physician shadowing. Fortunately it was more of a hands-on experience than I could have ever imagined. We were scrubbing in for an average of 4-5 surgeries a day and I was lucky enough to be there while specialists from around the world were there. This meant I got to help out with some major and unique cases. I also had the fortune of meeting medical students from around the world and getting to know them really well. Some of the coolest people I met in Cambodia were French medical students and nurses (as well as some from the UK and Hong Kong). We spent a lot of time together and took trips to Siem Reap (land of Angkor Wat), Mondulkiri (jungle trek), and Sihanoukville (beach town). It was an amazing experience in every way. I'm very grateful to the clinic for allowing us to help out and especially to WWAMI for assisting with the funds.
Although most of our time was spent in the clinic, we were able to get away on the weekends and explore Cambodia in many ways (e.g., by moto, tuk tuk, karaoke bus, elephant, or foot).
Our guides getting our rides ready for a two-day trek through the jungles of Mondulkiri.
The day Samuel, Hadrien (French surgical residents), and I explored the villages north of Phnom Penh by ourselves on our rented manual motor scooters. We all got in an accident in the middle of nowhere, but were very lucky that no bones were broken and our bikes still worked.
My favorite temple in Siem Reap: Bayon of Angkor Thom.
Sunset over the rubble and trash as seen from my guesthouse. Most my friends were paying ~$4/night for their rooms, but it was so hot and muggy that I decided to splurge and get a $7/night room with A/C. I miss the prices.
Monkey alongside the road.
The Clinic: Due to patient privacy, I won't post all my pictures from the O.R., but if you are interested in seeing some of the interesting cases we had and to what extent we as students were allowed to participate, let me know and I can send you a private link to that album. (Also, if you are interested in volunteering at the CSC as a medical student, click here.)
The clinic had only one O.R., but with 3 tables. Not something you'd ever see in the states. It was perfect for students because we could see 3 surgeries at once and decide which to scrub in for on the spot.
They put us to work as soon as we got there. It was a "See, then do" style of teaching.
Click here to see more pictures from Cambodia ---> CAMBODIA '11
