Majors: Science and Technology Studies
What was the name of the organization you worked for over the summer?
Hospital Central de Maputo
What was your role and what did you work on?
This summer, I worked as an abortion doula and patient care specialist at the largest referral and teaching hospital in Mozambique, Hospital Central de Maputo. My project was run and overseen by Dr. Sierra Washington, the Director of Global Health for the Stony Brook School of Medicine. I spent time in in the IVG room (interrupção voluntária da gravidez, or voluntary interruption of pregnancy) and the gynecological emergency room, speaking with nurses and residents about providing improved compassionate patient care and privacy, and about how to provide balanced counseling to patients on whether to opt for the abortion procedure or pill when seeking abortion services. When a patient opted for the abortion procedure, I offered doula care. I also spoke with interested patients about possibly becoming doulas themselves, so that doula support might continue in the hospital.
What was a highlight of your experience?
There were so many highlights! I was completely immersed in a Portuguese speaking environment, where nobody spoke any English, so I came out of this experience quite literally speaking, understanding, and communicating in a language that I did not speak nearly as well when I arrived. I built close relationships with all the nurses that worked in Urgência de Gynecologia (the gynecological emergency room), which I felt quite proud of, as I was nervous about coming into a place with a role that was a completely foreign concept to everybody there. By the end, I felt like my presence was valued and I was being asked when I would be coming back.
How did your summer experience impact you?
Overall, my summer experience has impacted me immensely. I went into it feeling unsure and nervous, and I came out feeling more sure of what I want to do post-graduation. I learned so much about what it means to work in low-resource health settings, how to go about introducing completely foreign concepts of care, and about medical careers focused on global health.
