Farewell Dinner

Tonight we celebrate our final dinner together in Thailand. It has been an amazing experience with amazing people. We have all had many laughs and great times; and we learned a lot as well! I'm sure it will be an experience that none of us will ever forget. 

94 degrees and not a cloud in the sky

Paradise is quickly coming to an end but we are enjoying the humidity and the sunshine. A bunch of us enjoyed a banana boat ride this afternoon while others biked the island. The temperature is at a record high of 94 with a uv index of 7 today which is unheard of for this time of year. Below is a picture of the ocean side pool.

Weekend Getaway

As we are quickly approaching the end of our time in Thailand we are spending the weekend at Sai Kaew Beach Resort.The sand is white and water is very blue. 

Thanksgiving in Bangkok!

We all enjoyed a wonderful thanksgiving feast at the Westin Hotel in Bangkok. Great food with great company! 

Naresuan University Hospital Internal Medicine

A small group of us visited the internal medicine unit of Naresuan University Hospital. Their hospital system is much different than systems in the United States. All of the patients in this unit were placed in one large room with 28 hospital beds with the nurses station located so that all beds could be observed at all times. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between this University hospital to one in the US. Although I was not allowed to take photos of the unit I was able to photograph some of the emergency medical supplies that they keep in stock on the internal medicine floor. 

Crash cart 

Loi Krathong

After a busy day of classes we participated in Loi Krathong. We made floral and leaf arrangements in class this afternoon that we would light at a ceremony this evening as well as lanterns. The ceremony held thousands of people and had many street vendors selling the arrangements as well as traditional Thai food and treats. 

Our amazing Thai Tradtional Medicine staff with the WNEC AND UNE students 

Tonight's restaurant location. It was directly over the water and we had a great view of the full moon!

Thailand APPE group dinner 

 

Dr. Krebs and Am(the amazing APPE coordinator) participating in the light ceremony.

Bonnie and Vananh letting their lantern float into the sky

The entrance to the festival on the river. Happy Loi Krathong

A local street vendor with a variety of deep fried bugs to include crickets, bullfrogs and maggots

Emily, Gabby and myself have been contemplating eating a bug since our arrival in Thailand. In celebration of our last didactic day we said why not. The crickets were very crunchy and didn't have much flavor but we officially can now say we ate a bug!!!!!! 

Pharmacy Operations

One of the more interesting things I have learned in the various hospitals and pharmacies in Thailand is their methods for making pharmacy practice easier.

The facility we visited today, Naresuan University Hospital, on an average day fills 2,600 prescriptions. In order for a facility of this magnitude to operate smoothly, certain work arounds need to be developed.

The pharmacy staff tags all incoming medications with a color coded sticker. The color system helps pharmacy staff quickly and easily identify expired medication thereby minimizing errors and increasing inventory rotation efficiency.