I have officially completed my first week of rotations in Dehradun! It was so much fun and I felt like I learned so much in such a short time.

My rotations in EM and Pediatrics for the week were very impactful for a multitude of reasons. I got to practice more EKG reading, listen to different heart and lung sounds, and learn more about healthcare and how it works in this part of India. I was fascinated to learn that mitral stenosis is much more commonly seen here than aortic stenosis (which is quite the opposite back in the states) and also that India has the world’s highest incidence of diabetes diagnoses. I also learned that the concept of seeing a licensed medical doctor for patients is a luxury provided only to those who are educated or literate. Those who are not as educated either don’t receive healthcare or receive it from individuals who “claim to be practicing as doctors.” In addition, we learned that doctors in this area frequently open their own hospital or center and provide services to patients that way, rather than working at a hospital or institution. My exposure to pediatric healthcare in India was very insightful and I will be sure to carry that with me on to my future training in Pediatrics. He went over concepts like milestones, upper respiratory infections, vitamin deficiencies, anemia, and many other conditions that he emphasized for us to know very well. 

Every day that me and Lindsey navigated our way to rotation felt more and more natural. We became more comfortable with crossing super busy streets, knowing where to catch a Vikram, and figuring out where shops were. We even went shopping on some of our lunch breaks and bought some cool things. I bought a book called Guru English, so I will be sure to share my thoughts. We also bought tunics at a store called Fab India with clothes that were all made in India, so we are very excited to wear them!
This weekend, we went to Dehradun’s flower festival that is held once a year! Our local coordinator invited us to attend along with him and his family. It was so nice getting to spend the day with them, as well as experience all of the absolutely gorgeous flowers that were on display. I have never seen anything quite like that. Afterwards, we drove up into the hills to a local cafe that served desserts, tea, and smoothies. I had a delicious mango smoothie while watching the beautiful view of the Himalayas. It was surreal, to say the least (the views…not the smoothie 

). While we were there, our coordinator told us how 90% of Dehradun had never even heard of this cafe or would have been able to afford it, so we felt extremely fortunate to be able to experience it.

All in all, I am loving the sunshine, culture, and spicy Masala Lays potato chips that India has to offer, but I do find myself missing my family and my sweet sweet pup, Jack. They are always in my thoughts, and I know they’d love it here. Until my next post!

-Meredith