Anyone in the Medical / Hospital environment ?

I am replying just so i can find the thread again. I cant offer you any information, bt the topic intrigues me. I look forward to seeing what other folks have to say. good luck to your friend. She will need it. nurses get crapped on in DR.

"Santiago University"???????
Never heard of THAT!
Does your "Friend" have a degree in nursing????
Nurses in the DR don't get "Crapped" on.
If you mean they do hard work, for low pay, THAT is NOT being "Crapped On"!
The "So Called" nurses here have very little, to NO professional training.
They have no nursing skills.
When I first started working here at the "Plaza de la Salud", in 1995,I was amazed at the nurses pathetic skill sets.
I asked a Dominican Urologist, with 40 years working in Canadian hospitals, "What makes a GOOD Dominican nurse"????
He said, "If she can bring you a good cup of coffee, Keep Her, she's a "Good Nurse"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After working in hospitals here for 10 years, and being an inpatient several times,I Agreed!
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Criss Colon said:

"Santiago University"???????
Never heard of THAT!
Does your "Friend" have a degree in nursing????
Nurses in the DR don't get "Crapped" on.
If you mean they do hard work, for low pay, THAT is NOT being "Crapped On"!
The "So Called" nurses here have very little, to NO professional training.
They have no nursing skills.
When I first started working here at the "Plaza de la Salud", in 1995,I was amazed at the nurses pathetic skill sets.
I asked a Dominican Urologist, with 40 years working in Canadian hospitals, "What makes a GOOD Dominican nurse"????
He said, "If she can bring you a good cup of coffee, Keep Her, she's a "Good Nurse"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After working in hospitals here for 10 years, and being an inpatient several times,I Agreed!
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Universidad Tecnol?gica de Santiago ?or Santiago University of Technology (UTESA) has a nursing program as does UCE. The quality of either I don't know.

I have seen this in numerous occasions before in the DR, how people are always bad mouthing the medical profession but, once they get sick or get hurt they throw themselves at the mercy of the Dominican Doctor, nurse and staff to help them save their own life or of love ones. PATHETIC!

DOC1727 said:

I have seen this in numerous occasions before in the DR, how people are always bad mouthing the medical profession but, once they get sick or get hurt they throw themselves at the mercy of the Dominican Doctor, nurse and staff to help them save their own life or of love ones. PATHETIC!

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Well we don't have much choice living in DR! Lol.
Doesn't everyone bad mouth medical wherever they live?!

DOC1727 said:

I have seen this in numerous occasions before in the DR, how people are always bad mouthing the medical profession but, once they get sick or get hurt they throw themselves at the mercy of the Dominican Doctor, nurse and staff to help them save their own life or of love ones. PATHETIC!

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I don't think in this thread anyone is bad mouthing the medical profession. There are many excellent doctors here and there have been many posts on dr1 talking about the excellent care gotten from doctors, clinics and hospitals in the DR.

The comments about nursing are not meant to bad mouth the medical profession. They are stating the fact. Do you have much personal knowledge about nurses and nursing care in the DR? If you do, I would like to know if you think the training and skill of a tyical nurse in the DR is equal to that in the US or Canada, for example, or even close to what is required/expected of nurses in those countries.

Certainly there are exceptions. For example, I have had a nurse put me on the table and stitch me up after i fell and got a big gash over one eye. She did as fast and as well as any doctor could have, and there was no scar. But that is not typical in the DR.

Freemo said:

Hi Guys

Happy New Year for later on today / tonight

Is there anyone who has connections with the medical profession or hospitals in the Santiago de los Cabelleros region.

A friend of mine has just graduated from Santiago University and is now looking to get to work.

During her time at Uni she had done residencial care as part of her training and has done private care work as well to earn money to pay her way thru uni.

If anyone has any connections in this area it would be lovely to be able to point her in the right direction.

Either hospital / clinic or residencial care homes or even private care of individuals would be wonderful

Its worth an ask because if you dont ask you dont get.

For what its worth she is a really genuine young lady, a real sweetheart and typical of the sort of person who should be in that profession

Thanks everyone

Happy new year to you all

Paul

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Public Health is ruled by politicians. Your friend should find a politician who works in that area or has the right connections there. It doesn't really matter if she's a sweetheart or if she's really good at her job.

This is the DR not the US, comparing the two would not be fair nor does it help to say "back home we have the best health care in the world" if you live in the DR and happened to have heart attack, who cares how the health care in Boston?

Although CC did not really answer your question, I must say that h has a slight point. That being said, being in different hospitals in DR, on the front lines...I have seen some really good nurses and some really crappy ones. I have also seen some, beyond crappy, bordering on dangerous. We all know the difference between nurses in the DR and in the US so no need for me to go into that.

In an attempt to answer your question, when your friend was in school did she not make any contacts? Friends during clinical rotations? The majority of job getting in DR for women is who you know, and then, how good you looked when you met them.
My advice to your friend is to get her resume together, get a nice business suit (hip and backside hugging preferably), make herself up nicely (but professionally) and start walking.....
To the hospitals, that is. She should definitely go in person to all hospitals and go to the different wards and ask to speak to the Licensiada Encargada (Charge Nurse), or the Director of the specialty. This is the only chance she has if she doesn't know anyone personally.

SHALENA

P.S. Sorry about the "looking good" parts. Its not anything I like to say but it is the truth in the DR. She will make more headway with a made up face, a blow out, and form fitting clothing. If she has nothing, tell her to borrow some from a friend or family member. Yes, it is that important.

Aguaita29 said:

Public Health is ruled by politicians. Your friend should find a politician who works in that area or has the right connections there. It doesn't really matter if she's a sweetheart or if she's really good at her job.

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I know a young lady here in Paya (Bani) who is in the same situation.

From what I understand, working in a private clinic is about making the right connections with people who work there. The work environment is better but the pay is less.

Working in a public hospital is about political connections. The pay and benefits are much better and it is damn near impossible to get fired, even if you are completely incompetent or you are sick every Monday morning of every week of the year. The work environment is not as good (though that depends on the hospital), and occasionally the money for salaries gets "misplaced" until all the nurses go on strike and the press shows up.

On a side note: toured the public hospital in San Jose de Ocoa with a couple of visiting doctors last week. Nurses take pride in their work there and the work environment was impressive. Religious sisters (nuns) have worked in the hospital for years, and it is one of the few public hospitals I have seen that I would not run from if I were to come to after being in an accident.

"DOC"1727,
You would not have a "Personal Agenda" to promote doctors in the DR would you???
After working in a hospital here in SD for over 10 years, I AGREE with you, there ARE some great Dominican Doctors here.
Most have trained outside the DR, but not all.
My cardiologist, Dr. Pedro Urena, is a well trained, skilled, clinician!!!!!
I trust him with my life, and HAVE!
Biggest problem here in the DR is lack of support staff.
The nurses, techs, lab staff, are for the most part "Clueless In SD"!
And I am talking about the BEST Hospitals in the Country, NOT the public hospitals with the unqualified "EVERYONE"!!!
Now wanna get into the lack of medicines, equipment, even beds to lie in?????

I have been known to strongly CRITICIZE many aspects of "LIFE" here in the DR!
WHY??????
Because it angers, and frustrates me SOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo much to see the Public Trust of the Dominican People being VIOLATED in ever way, by the Politicians who RUN/Control and ABUSE that TRUST!!!!!
The majority of average Dominicanos have pretty much given up ever having honest leaders.
They now just vote for the political Party that promises the most, "Queso Gratis"!!!!!
And who can really blame them???????
"Salud Publica" is just yet another corrupt gov. agency.
They steal more than they spend to care for sick Dominicans.
Ask "Shelena" if there are not thousands of Dominican nurses, and women, who could become good nurses with proper training.
A few gov. sponsored nursing centers around the country and in a few short years "NURSING" becomes a Profession, not a "House Keeping"/ Receptionist job, with "pay" to aspire to.
Like THAT will Ever Happen!!!!
"Happy New Year".
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What the DR desperately needs is:,.......More "Statesmen", and fewer "Politicians"!!!!!!
Vote "PRSC", they already have their fortunes!

CC,
That's why if my ultimate dream of runningb a Midwifery school here ever happens... They will be callingb me "La Rabiosa" again lol. It will be HARD to get in my school, and even harder to make it out. I will not tolerate substandard work ethic, which is rampant in DR.

SHALENA

I, and I imagine you as well, find it so ridiculous when the "Spin Doctors" here on DR1, who have NEVER worked in a DR Hospital, or "Clinica", tell us how GREAT the treatment in hospitals here is.
And you, and I, who have spent many hours observing the "Quality Of Care" (Oxymoron!!!) here know the truth!
I hooked up the hospital conference where I worked to receive televised "Grand Rounds" from various departments at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Not a SINGLE Dominican Doctor EVER came.
We set up a "In Service Training class" for all Medical Students.
They had to attend to be promoted at their SD University.
They came, signed the attendance sheet, and LEFT!
We made the "Sign up", AFTER the classes, they came LATE!
Some would come to my office to "Sign In" after the class was over!
They couldn't believe I would not let them "Sign In"!
"In Service Training", and "Continuing Education" are not done by Doctors,Nurses, or Techs!
What Doctors know when they graduate, will be what they know when they retire!
"Nurses",...and "Techs",.........."Mucho Menos"!!!!!
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Of course, I've only observed Maternity care but with that being said I don't believe that I would want to see anything else. But I would like to say that I have come across some doctors that are very, and I mean VERY, intelligent and up to par. But like you said, these doctors mostly have been trained elsewhere or have been trained in DR but have access to other countries and actually have the drive to continue learning.

It still pains me to see the bias that some of the doctors in DR have against Midwives and how the Ministerio de Salud Publica and a ton of organizations are STILL crying about getting the maternal death rate lower KNOWING that the only reason that it isn't lowered is because of the lack of Midwives.
The majority of countries who have high maternal death rates is because the majority of births are not attended by a skilled professional (be it Midwife or OB). The women live in rural towns with no access to the hospital, they have hardly any prenatal care, Emergency obstetrical care is lacking....

But in the DR 98% of the births are done in a clinica or a hospital. 99% of women (including the haitians for those who want to blame these rates on the haitians) get prenatal care. So then why does the DR have a maternal death rate 10 TIMES that of the US? Gonna blame it on the haitians? Who is to blame? Because NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT of these women are delivering in hospitals with doctors.....
Hmmmmm....I have met some doctors who have been to conferences regarding maternal death and come back with a renewed attitude, only to be shot down by their own colleagues or hospital administrators

Example:
I got a call from a fellow colleague of "Doulas Dominicanas" who had gone to the hospital in La Vega on La Leche League business and fortunately got to speak to the Director. The Director had just come back from a conference (not sure where) on Maternal/Infant healthcare and was eager to find out more on Doulas and Midwives. He told her he wanted Midwives in La Vega.

She called me all excited and jumping up and down. We made an appointment (4 of us) to go talk to the Director of OB to help them start a Doula project and I was going to go and pitch the Midwives deal.
Got to the office, they were interested in the Doulas....shot the Midwifery down. When asked why, the OB Director states "Well, here in La Vega, the women only give birth with specialized, trained people". Hmmmmm.....I got a little hot under the collar but I always try to remember that I am here to win the WAR, it is not necessary to win every battle. So I tried to calmly talk to him about statistics but he didn't want to ear it, neither did the head of nursing, so we left it alone.

Once out, I told my friend Rosa "Bueno....parece que el Director del Hospital no ha hablado todavia con el Director de Obstetricia porque ese hombre necesita mucha educacion". My point is, they didn't even want to hear it...
At least we got the Doulas in. Some went that next day (I couldn't go), and said that they made an amazing change. By the time they left for the day, the ladies in the labor ward, instead of screaming "SACAMELO!!!", they were helping each other. They were giving each other massages during contractions, words of encouragement, they felt like they were a team LOL. The nurses said it was a whole lot quieter

Well, I guess I've hijacked this thread enough. Wish I could help this girl though but I have a strict rule of not using my influence for people that I don't know or haven't worked with personally. It bit me in the a$$ once.

SHALENA

Doctor shortage: Foreign doctors are just as good as the homegrown variety. So why don’t we let them practice here?


Doctor and Patient - How Good Are Foreign-Trained Doctors? - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/12/health/12chen.html

Foreign-Trained Doctors As Good As U.S.-Trained Counterparts

Foreign-Trained Doctors As Good As U.S.-Trained Counterparts

Study: Foreign-trained doctors as good as those trained in USA

Study: Foreign-trained doctors as good as those trained in USA - USATODAY.com

Foreign-trained docs as good as U.S. physicians: report

Foreign-trained docs as good as U.S. physicians: report | Reuters

Foreign-trained doctors as good as those in the US, study finds

Picture of Health: Foreign-trained doctors as good as those in the US, study finds - Health care, wellness, food nutrition, exercise, medical research news from reporters who know the halls of the world's top hospital - baltimoresun.com

BTW: If you did not Know? There are tons of Doctors from the DR, working in the US and graduated and were trained in the DR.

DOC1727 said:

BTW: If you did not Know? There are tons of Doctors from the DR, working in the US and graduated and were trained in the DR.

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Hmmmmm, here is a quote from my last post

" But I would like to say that I have come across some doctors that are very, and I mean VERY, intelligent and up to par"

Sooooooo....not sure if you are a doctor or not but although reading is fundamental, comprehension is even more so.

SHALENA

P.S.
If you are a foreign trained physician (which something seems to tell me that you are), no one has been genralizing here. CC and I are only comenting on what we have seen and witnessed first had.
For some reason, I seem to believe that you have a complex for some reason. Have you been denied the right to practice in the States? Failed the exam? Or have to repeat your residency? What is it that makes you angry at people who are simply stating their own personal experiences?

You can show me 80 studies and I am still going to go by what I have to deal with on a daily basis. But good luck to you and in case no one has suggested this to you, self affirmation books can make a world of difference with your self-esteem.