After completing an overnight shift caring for twenty critically ill patients in on her own, Nurse Barabra Nshemereinwe graciously agreed to let me interview her. She flashed a weary smile as she told us that the hospital was fortunate to have a backup generator that would start during the frequent power outages they encountered. My team then followed her to a tiny storage room, crammed with what once was tens of thousands of dollars worth of donated medical equipment. As she explained how power surges had rendered many of these medical devices inoperable, I jotted down “SURGE PROTECTION” to make sure to incorporate this crucial insight into our revised prototype.
My team decided to tackle the issue of high sepsis-related mortality in resource-limited
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This experience taught me the value of international and interdisciplinary collaboration in solving problem in healthcare, especially how much you can learn from doctors working on the ground nearly every day. I also learned that I enjoy working with patients face-to-face and discovered my passion for studying the social and cultural determinants of …show more content…
In seeing the impact that doctors could have on the spirits of their patients, I realized that healing requires much more than just the application of technology and scientific knowledge. The compassionate elements of patient care are equally, if not more, important than the technical elements. Although the field of bioengineering is also intellectually stimulating and can lead to profound impacts towards the betterment of patient care, I want to be able to care for patients first hand. The medical profession offers a unique opportunity to tackle a wide range of challenges including those that are technical and some that are distinctly human. Recognizing my desire to solve problems on a patient-by-patient basis and to go beyond addressing a patient’s directly disease-related needs led to my decision to pursue a career in medicine. Upon returning to the United States, meeting patients in hepatology and HIV clinics only solidified this