Rob's Blogs

Day 1: We went to briefly City Laboratory to meet Dr. Lambert who was making arrangements for our students to visit there on Weds.. We then went with Dr. Lambert this afternoon to his clinic in Puerto Plata to plan our week of activities. Next we visited a space where he wants his new laboratory. We took measuring tapes and graph paper and measured the area layout for the lab.

Day 2: Today May 14/13 we went to visit Dr Lambert's clinic in the Batey, the ho,e of displaced Haitians in Puerto Plata. The students got to see wound care on a diabetic patient. They remembered these wounds do not heal well as bacteria utilize sugar for food. They were using a cream with silver and sulfa drugs in it. The lady mentioned the use honey on her wound at home. We were able to tell her unpastuerized honey may contain spores of the the organism that causes gangrene and she would not use unpasteurized honey. i will leave the students to tell you more about the Batey. We then went to the hospital laboratory in the city and had a tour.

Day 3: The students are Lovin´it and I am amazed at their ibservational skills and how they were able to make a lab design on paper for Dr Lambert. They will work on the outlay of each discipline in the lab next. i know they will have many things to offer Dr. Lambert before we leave. We are going to be on Puerto plata TV tomorrow so stay tuned. My network and opportunities are growing here as well and I´v evenbeen ask to come and speak to the lab community in Puerto plata about Microbiolgy and Mlecular teasting. I´m lovin it.

Day 4: We were all invited to speak on Dr Lambert´s health education television program today. We were asked to explain rapid testing, how we found our experience at the City Laboratory and what we would like to say to the City Laboratory. The students fielded most of these questions while Michelle and I thanked the City lab for welcoming us and also thanked Dr Lambert for arranging it. We were then surprised to be presented with a plaque by Dr Lambert to commemorate our visit. We then judged finalists in his talent contest

Day 5: Michelle and I travelled to Santiago to visits the University there. We explored opportunities for exchange visits and it was a very productive day on their lovely Campus. On our way home we investigated accommodations for subsequent MLT visits to the area. Many opportunities have come out of this trip and i am very pleased with the professionalism of our students having designed a lab for Dr Lambert.
Rob Bethune
Medical Laboratory Technology Faculty
NSCC, Waterfront Campus