I’m home! What a trip. This course was indeed intense, and I learned so much in such a short amount of time. Below are pictures from the 11 days I was in North Carolina for the Missionary Medical Intensive training at Equip International.
We learned a little bit about just about everything, from childhood diseases to dentistry and eyeglasses, and everything in between. The first 5 days were focused on diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. We learned how to use our books to find symptoms and what diseases those symptoms might be a sign of. We learned about malnutrition and immunizations. The second week was more focused on injuries and emergencies. We looked at what our first aid kits should have, how to know if a bone is broken, what is an emergency, what is urgent, and what is non-urgent. I learned to suture and wrap and splint broken limbs.
My main goals for this course were to learn how to recognize and respond to a true emergency, how to suture, and what medical supplies I should keep on hand in the Solomon Islands. All of my goals were achieved and I feel so much more competent in handling an emergency and caring for my kids.
I am thankful that I learned about some things that I had no idea I would need to know, such as what vital signs to look for in a physical exam, what malaria actually is and forms of treatment, and how to recognize, treat and prevent dehydration.
Now that I’ve had a few days at home to process and debrief the 11 days of intense training, I am so thankful to God for this course, and all that I was able to learn from it. I’ve made plans to review my book and this new knowledge regularly so it will stay fresh in my mind. I also plan to do monthly physical exams (a “well check” of sorts) on my kids to more precisely familiarize myself with each child’s normal health, and be better prepared to recognize when something is off.
