Dr. Frank Baudino is a family practice physician in Merced, CA. About seven years ago he sold his private practice and for a few years after that he was only working a few hours a week. “I felt kind of lost,” said Dr. Frank (as he has been referred to down her). “I needed to find something new and rewarding.”
At about that point in his life Dr. Frank made two changes. He began teaching residents and he decided to try and combine his love for travel with his desire to serve more people.
“In 2005 I connected doctors without borders and ended up spending six months in Sudan. That was probably the hardest thing I have ever done, other than raising my kids. There was really no place to send sick patients. With rare exception you could send a patient that needed surgery to Kenya but it was a two hour flight. Mothers that had obstructed labor sometimes had to wait quite a while to be transported and I know of at least two cases where the mothers died.
“My main job on that mission was to treat malnourished children. That was a very gratifying component of the experience as mothers would come with their children and stay from four to eight weeks. I would get to know them and I would see them almost every day. If everything went well the children would go home in a much better condition.”
While Dr. Frank has done a variety of other service type journeys, this is the first medical mission he has gone on since his experience in Sudan. “The people on this mission are terrific,” said Dr. Frank. “There is not a single person here that I have not loved working with. They are all donating their time and we are all largely on the same page with regards to healthcare and reform and taking care of vulnerable populations.”
During this past week Dr. Frank worked in pediatrics and he was impressed with how cohesive the little team was right off the bat. “There were no problems with people working outside of their normal job descriptions,” said Dr. Frank. “Everyone did whatever it took to get the job done and we really bonded as a team.”
The experience brought back memories of Dr. Frank’s medical training. As a resident he was put with a team that included nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants. This created a great deal of comradely and each person supported the other through the process. He is now teaching part time for that same residency program but they no longer use the team approach. After his experience here he said he has decided to go home and recommend that they bring the team teaching approach back as it is much more like a real world situation.
Of all the children that Dr. Frank saw this week there is one that really sticks out to him. A mother brought in a 21 year-old boy with severe cerebral palsy. The mother wanted him to be treated for bronchitis and Dr. Frank did that but he also sent him over to Mia Paredez for some physical therapy.
“The next thing I know I was being called to see that Mia already had him walking,” said Dr. Frank. “I did not think he was even physically developed enough to walk but apparently he was. That experience really drove home that I should not jump to conclusions; I should have faith in the possibilities within the people I am treating. They can astonish us sometimes.”
“On a mission like this I think the medicine that we practice is real,” said Dr. Frank. “That is to say that everything we do is needed. In the US we tend to over medicate and over treat and so much of what we do does not really seem to benefit the patients. The need is so great in Guatemala that everything we do is needed.”
Following are pictures of some of the patients Dr. Frank and the pediatrics team treated this week.
I congratulate them.
You do an excellent job for people who need your help.
always remember them fondly.
thanks for everything!
God bless you all.
with love.
=0D
Esquipulas, Guatemala.
Posted by: Claudia Ramirez | August 20, 2010 at 10:03 PM