“We Tell Them What Is Medically-Proven, Then We Prove It To Them.”

I’ve been on a lot of Remedy Missions, but today was unique.

The team taught for several hours at the heart hospital about post-operative care to a group of young physicians and nurses. Dr. Kirk began the lectures by saying something exciting:

“We aren’t here to teach you American or German medicine, or medicine from the U.K. We are here to teach what is proven to work.

The team then lectured on pain assessment and management, communication in the ICU, and when/how to administer medication. I was a little uncertain about how the locals would respond, but that didn’t last—they interrupted with questions and feedback at almost every slide!

After the lectures, Dr. Kirk shared this insight into the training process:

“Changing a country’s medical culture is a long process, and as a doctor you have to know the difference between your personal style and what is medically-proven. Then you will often have to prove it to your students in the hospital—show them why you do it the way you do.”

It’s exciting to be a part of the pediatric cardiac development here in Sulaymaniyah. They have come so far, and there is even more left for them to learn.

The best part of the morning, though, was Dr. Kirk’s final challenge:

“Whenever you care for children, ask yourself this: how would I care for them if they were my own child? How would I attend to them if they were my own family? If I were in this bed, how would I want the nurse to care for me?

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