Update

The experience I had when I worked in HIV/AIDS counseling was amazing! Because of the amazing experience, I decided to devote the rest of my time at the clinic in working in the general consultation department, the gateway for all ailments, the HIV/AIDS department, and the laboratory. I decided to do this as I thought my worm project would work well in these three areas, and it DID!!! I did receive confirmation of my IRB approval, and began to implement my project. I will outline the particular specifics during the write up of my research. In general, I continued my expected duties in all areas (such as counseling patients, administering tests, taking blood pressure), and implemented my prevention project on site with children and also the adults of children, as it was not possible to use local contact information such as an address and phone number. I was allowed to talk to patients and hold my class on site using a number of resources such as research sheets I created and models.

In the laboratory I was able to follow many of my subjects from the initial consultation to laboratory confirmation of an intestinal parasite.

In the HIV/AIDS department, the same process was used, and the prevention efforts were done during these counseling sessions, and especially emphasized if a person was found to be seropositive.

I had an added bonus to my work while working with HIV/AIDS. I instituted the use of pictoral information to help clarify to patients what exactly was an STD such as chlamydia as many patients were very unclear, and often confused another reproductive condition such as a urinary tract infection with an STI such as gonorrhea. The clinic liked this resource, and will continue to use it!!!!

This week I am preparing to return home and attempt to reassimilate myself well into American culture. I will finish up my work at the clinic, and will have debreifing session with the director this week. He has already infomed me he would like for me to write a report of my work here also since it is a government funded clinic, and they are especially interested in a foreign critique.