Reflections

Ewa with practicum preceptors Javier Ponce (left) and Kim Hoffman (right).

The 10 most important things I learned:

1. Peru is an extremely diverse country with stark contrasts, and a complex healthcare system.

2. Health disparities can be seen even in neighboring areas of Lima.

3. Communicating effectively in a language requires good written and oral communication skills.

4. While conducting data analysis, it is important to be able access the original dataset as certain variables can come in handy at a later point in the analysis.

5. Despite the numerous flaws of the U.S. health care system, most Americans should consider themselves lucky to have a relatively easy access to health care.

6. The public health facilities in the U.S. are in a much better condition than most public health hospitals in Peru.

7. Networking is an important aspect of managing an NGO.

8. I truly enjoy working in international settings and find myself fitting for this type of job.

9. I really enjoy every part of doing research and could see myself working in research in the future.

10. Not all dogs are friendly. If you ever get attacked by a herd of dogs, use a rock or stick to defend yourself.

Doing my practicum experience with INCAAS has been a very rewarding experience. I had wonderful preceptors who took great care of me while I was in Lima and were able to provide me with great mentorship throughout the semester once I got back to the U.S. Although I had previous class experience utilizing statistical computer packages, such as SAS, I gained real-world experience while working with INCAAS. I analyzed data that had been collected in Lima and was able to interpret my results and draw conclusions about the population in Lima that receives social security health care (EsSalud). Additionally, although I had been exposed to many foreign cultures prior to starting my practicum, I was able to develop skills in communicating effectively in a culturally sensitive manner with INCAAS leaders and partners.

One of the high points of my experience with INCAAS was being present in Lima in January. Although working remotely with INCAAS has been a wonderful learning

experience, I appreciate the fact that I was able to fly down to Peru to meet my preceptors personally, spend time building relationships, visit the Peruvian Amazon, and see the social security health care facilities in Peru.

Although going to Peru to work with INCAAS was one of the high points of my experience, I also experienced some low points. One of those was getting attacked by a herd of dogs while hiking on my own near the Cordillera Blanca. After being wheel-barrowed down a mountain, I was taken to a local clinic in Catac, in the Huaraz Province. I had the opportunity to experience Peru's health care system not only as a public health student, but also as a patient. A few take-home points from this experience were to not hike alone, hike with a stick if you do hike alone, and always carry a first aid kit while hiking.

Competencies gained:

Identify data from existing, national, and international sources.

Use statistical computer packages (SAS) to calculate and display descriptive statistics, analyze categorical data, and perform multivariate regression and other required analyses.

Interpret research results, make appropriate inferences based on reulsts, and recognize the implications of the research results.

Work collaboratively in a culturally sensitive manner with heterogenous groups to promote the heatlh of communities.

Areas for future growth

Although I’ve learned a great deal through my practicum experience with INCAAS, there are still a few

areas for future growth. One of these areas include mastering Spanish, mainly brushing up on my writing

skills. Despite having progressed significantly with my Spanish after spending a full month in Peru, formal Spanish can still be a challenge. In terms of data analysis skills, it would be helpful to learn how to use more advanced logistic regression models outside the standard multiple logistic

regression analysis I’ve used to conduct several studies either in class or as part of my practicum

Advice for future students

One piece of advice for future students I would give is to keep updating the practicum log book on a regular basis instead of leaving it to the very end. I struggled remembering after a month had passed what exactly I did each week during my practicum. Make sure you find an organization that works on something that you are passionate about and stick to your goals!