Annelies - Blog Week 4

 The time flies here in India. It is already the last week of my internship. The last week I spent my time on the Cosmetic Dermatology department. This department has a lot of similarity to the treatments of the Skin Therapist in the Netherlands. The Skin Therapist is in the Netherlands furnished to have a collaboration with the (para)medical disciplines in particular the Dermatologist. As I described before, Skin Therapy is very unknown around the world. In the collaboration between the skin therapist and the Dermatologist, the Dermatlogist mainly sees cases such as acne, excessive hair growth, chemical peelings, microderm abrasion, camouflage, laser treatment, micro needling to the Skin Therapist. Skin therapists can treat up to a certain depth into the skin and if the case does not belong to their knowledge, it is forwarded to the dermatologist, or another professionals. It was good to see the similarities of treatments, but also the different ways of treating the cases. I have learned a lot about different scar treatment techniques. What is known about scars is that the treatment is complex, especially the deeper scars. I can take it with me in the work field of the skin treatment in The Netherlands or  in other places where they do not use this techniques yet.

What I really like at the internship in India was to learn more of the treatment of the colored (pigmentation) skin, the different healthcare system compared to the western world, and the diversity of cases. I saw many cases I had previously only seen in pictures. But it was all above the whole experience.

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I think it's a good addition to my professional experience, but also to my professional development by seeing different cultures and lifestyles. But it is not the end of my ‘abroad experience’. The next destination is Nepal. I am going to do two weeks of volunteering for the victims of the earthquake. 

Disclaimer: Annelies is a native Dutch speaker. This article has not been edited for either content or grammar.  The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AarogyaSeva and AarogyaSeva does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

To get in touch with the author or to join our team write to us at – Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org

Annelies - Blog Week 3

The context of this week was the international conference in Mysore. The 4 days were all about the gender equity: social issues and health challenges in today’s context. The international conference was on the university of Mysore. The first day was all about transgender issues. The special was that there were 3 speakers who have to deal with the transgender issues. They shared their experiences and this made the topic more empathetic and they put some power behind it.

The next day came there 3 other speakers of Aarogyaseva. They made a movie about transgenders and showed the life here in India trough they eyes. Near the movie was a powerful speech. This was a good combination which held the attention of the public.

On this conference i saw a lot of presentations and i met people from all over the world, but i didn’t only listen, i presented my topic as well. The skin therapist is very unknown around the world. This conference was a good opportunity to make the change in this. The presentation was about the profiling of the skin therapist. I shared my experiences of the healthcare in India. I told them about the treatments we do and what we could mean for the healthcare. Even in the Netherlands is the skin therapist not very well known. It was a pleasure to do a presentation on this conference. I was a little nervous, but after the presentation i was glad i did it!

Next week i will observate the cosmetic department of the dermatology. That is already the last week in India, but fortunately, it is not the end of my volunteer experience, then I'm going to Nepal to volunteer two more weeks!

Disclaimer: Annelies is a native Dutch speaker. This article has not been edited for either content or grammar.  The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AarogyaSeva and AarogyaSeva does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

To get in touch with the author or to join our team write to us at – Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org

Annelies - Blog Week 2

The time goes very fast here in India. I finished already the second week of my internship. This week was very varied. The first three days were at the dermatology department. I saw here different cases and treatments. Among other skin cancers, hair transplantation, the injection of scars, the removal of cysts. It was very interesting. Also i followed a college about injectables and about fat transplantation. The hair transplantation treatment lasted ten hours. I was allowed to assist with the cutting of the hairs from the proper tissue that had been removed from the occiput.

The theme of the other three days was the Indian Inclusion Summit event in Bangalore and the project of Professor Luis Columna from the USA. He showed his program for physical activity for children with disabilities. He gave a presentation at the Bangalore Medical college. Also we went to organizations for children with disabilities and next year he want to come with his students to India to start the program. Hopefully i am in the possibility to help out with the program and to learn more about this field of the healthcare.

On saturday we went to the Indian Inclusion Summit event. The combination of presentations of people with disabilities and medische disciplines was very interesting. There were very inspirating stories. I like to see the powerful stories of the strong people. They have a great perseverance to pursue the quality of life as good as possible.

This was my blog of my second week here in India. Next week i go to Mysore for an international conference. I will give here a presentation about the profession skin therapist.

Disclaimer: Annelies is a native Dutch speaker. This article has not been edited for either content or grammar.  The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AarogyaSeva and AarogyaSeva does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

To get in touch with the author or to join our team write to us at – Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org

Annelies - Blog Week 1

The first week of the internship in the burns department.

The first week of my internship is already finished. I have gained a lot of impressions and I learned a lot on the burns department, especially because of the many other cases from the Netherlands. The most common case on the burns department is of gas stove. So you can see the importance of prevention. This week i learned a lot about the diagnosis and the treatment of burns. The hospital is building a skin bank. They showed me the building and explained about it.  With this addition to the burns treatment, the healing process is improved and the scarring is reduced.

On the burns derpartment they pay much attention to the prevention of fractures. Movement restrictions and adhesion can occur in 6-8 hours. During my internship I followed a interesting college about this subject. It is a very varied combination of learning. So comes the theoretical and practical side together.

The burns has not only a influence on the body, but also on the daily life. Many patients are children or adults. They have their whole life in front of them. What will do the burns scars with the quality of life? How will react the people around them?

During my internship i will do a research about the reaction and the emotions of others about the burn scars. It is a very interesting topic for a research.

During my stay in the burns department I realised the importance of the skin. It protects you very well to the influence from the outside. If your skin is not functioning. Then there can occur a lot of damage to the inner layer structures of the body. I saw this by many cases on the burns department, some patients did not survive.

You can see that burns have a influence on the social, psychological and physical health.

Take care of yourself. Especially with fire and other health objects, because prevention is better than resolving.

Disclaimer: Annelies is a native Dutch speaker. This article has not been edited for either content or grammar.  The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AarogyaSeva and AarogyaSeva does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

To get in touch with the author or to join our team write to us at – Volunteer@aarogyaseva.org

Exercise, Sports and Physical Therapy in Hemophilia

Annelies Herikhuisen, The Netherlands - 6th November to 5th December 2015

My name is Annelies Herikhuisen from the Netherlands.

I am studying skin therapy at the Hague University of professional education. The passion for my profession wanted to make me do something good for the international health care. This is my dream. Doing an internship in Asia. Why just stay in The Netherlands? I feel blessed to do it here in Bangalore with AarogyaSeva. During a period of 4 weeks I will volunteer in the Dermatology wards, burns and plastic surgery wards. During my stay I want to experience the India healthcare system, the Indian skin types and the Indian skin diseases.

In addition to my experience in the hospital, I will go to the international conference in Mysore. I will give here a presentation about the profession of skin therapy and what it can bring to the international healthcare. I will also help with the project India Inclusion Summit in Bangalore. It is very special for me that my internship is so versatile. So I get to experience most of the Indian culture and the healthcare organization. I hope I can contribute as much as I can during my stay here. This internship is a perfect combination between the practical side of the profession, see the health care system and to let the world hear what the skin therapists are!My profession is still very unknown around the world, I hope that my profession will develop further in India and elsewhere, so that in the future I can offer the best in the international healthcare. Everyone deserves the best health, because health is the best thing you can have in life.

Soujanya B

Soujanya B is pursuing final year BE from BMS College of Engineering. As a student who  started her college career with no specific objective, she now feels a strong urge to indulge in social work, joining an organisation which works for others. She is happy to have found an opportunity to intern at ArogyaSeva and looks forward to undertake projects for a good cause.

Since early schooling days, she gravitated towards math and computers. She likes computing and frequents tech blogs. She is an avid reader and loves fiction. She fantasizes about studying at hogwarts and playing quidditch! Poetry and music are her other interests.

She is working on customization of OpenEMR for usage in India. She hopes to make the best of this internship, learning new things, interacting with different people and understanding the various arenas of social service.

Shabnam Taj

Shabnam Taj is a 4^th year Engineering student of BMS College of Engineering. She loves Biomedical Science and aspires to pursue a career in Healthcare. She feels AarogyaSeva is a perfect platform to strengthen her career credentials and to work in close association with the doctors. She is working on customization of OpenEMR for usage in India.

She is a peoples person and has hoards of friends. She loves adventure and enjoys traveling, meeting different people and doing new things, thus awakening the explorer in her. She is also fond of poetry. She is training in classical music and dance. She teaches freestyle to school children in her free time. New innovations in Medical technology excite her.

Mitchell Hooyer

My name is Mitchell Hooyer and I’m a 4^th year pre-medical student at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. I am currently undergoing a clinical-access internship at Kanti Children’s Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal that will last a total of two months. 

I have experience as an EMT in rural Iowa, a Free Health Clinic assistant, and an American Red Cross First Aid Volunteer and enjoy flying a Piper Warrior and trekking in what spare time I have. 

My current collaboration with AarogyaSeva in Nepal has me involved in a refresher training course for local ambulance stations, a pilot program with taxi drivers on First Aid and RTA, and various outreach activities in remote areas around Nepal.

Creative Therapy and Aarogya Seva

Namaskar,

        For two weeks, I get the pleasure of spending it with the medical NGO Aarogya Seva. Aarogya Seva is based in Bangalore and advocates for the medical needs of those living in the city and the surrounding area. I’ve been volunteering with Aarogya Seva for a week and it’s been a great experience to see who they help, what they’re doing, how they’re organized, and learn what experiences I can take back to the States with me to provide better patient care! 

      While this week has been amazing and the different experiences of visiting local hospitals, attending the inauguration of a rural clinic, and visiting local doctors; the moment that I want to talk about now is what we did on Sunday morning! Yesterday, Sunday, we attended a creative movement therapy workshop. It’s part of the Art for Aarogya Festival this week and one of the many workshops, plays, and dances that the organization is putting on to raise funds for their medical projects this year. 

      

     The workshop focused on free style movements to help us learn to better communicate with one another and express ourselves. We went through a ton of fun exercises, including closing our eyes and using our whole bodies to paint a canvas we were ‘enclosed in’. Have you tried to ‘paint’ with your elbows, knees, or nose? Try it, it’s quiet fun! We were also paired up into twos and had to follow the pointer finger of our partner, wherever it led. Needless to say, some of us were jumping into the air and several others found themselves wiggling on the floor, like a caterpillar. Much fun! For the final project, we had to vocally tell our partners what we were doing with our body as we were moving. We had to explain to them, “I am putting my left and right hand on my hips”, “I am placing my right hand on my head and scratching it”, “I am touching my toes with both hands” as we did those motions. 

       The workshop enlightened us that while we think we are fully self aware of our bodies, we hardly are. Throughout the session, we had to be reminded to quit ‘painting’ in front of us and to remember to use our peripheral field and paint all around us, even behind us! Likewise, when we were talking about our body movements in the final session, the instructor pointed out that most of us chose to vocalize the movement of only our hands. What about the movements of our elbows, shoulders, or nose?

       The creative therapy workshop was a great way to start off the week and reinforced the idea that I must look beyond the conventional boundaries of life. A lesson that I easily forget much of the time. The instructor uses the techniques to often work with children with ADD, ADHD, and autism. However, by all means, it certainly doesn’t need to be confined to that. Workplace difficulties, marriage difficulties, scheduled time to hang out with friends, family reunions? We’re always looking for ways to make memories with one another and have fun in the process. Next time you’re stressed, hanging out with friends, or at a family function. Gather a group around you, ask everyone to close their eyes, and paint with your nose!

         

Toby Lamp

Toby Lamp is a Registered Nurse from Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA. Having worked as an ER Trauma Tech, Medical Support Assistant and LPN, Toby has over 4 years of hands on experience. Taking time off to explore the world and different cultures Toby found us on Workaway.com to intern for 4 weeks in Bangalore.