Clinic Day
The first full day at the hospital is clinic day, where prospective patients come to be seen by the medical teams and assessed for surgery, anesthesia and recovery. A patient's journey through the clinic starts with data entry, where a hard-working team gathers information and starts the patient's chart.
Alastair Hodgson (Layperson) works with Damon Rendon (translator) to sign in a patient.
Afterwards, pediatric patients are assessed by the pediatric surgeons, and a thorough history, physical exam and review of X-rays helps to decide whether an operation will be of benefit to that patient. They are seen immediately after by a team of nurses and our pediatric anesthesiologist, who ensure that the patient is medically ready for the surgery.
Dr. Ashlee Dobbe, Dr. Kyle Stampe (Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeons) and Sarah Lockhart (Pediatric Ward Nurse) assess patients.
Likewise, adult patients are seen by the adult orthopedic surgeons before they are assessed by our family doctors and adult anesthesiologists to ensure they are in good health for surgery and recovery.
Dr. Paulose Paul (Adult Orthopedic Surgeon), Marita Echaiz-Eguren (Translator) and Dr. Ivan Kamikovski (Orthopedic Surgery Resident) examine a patient's gait.
Dr. Angela Neufeld (Adult Anesthesiologist), Victor Eguren-Echaiz (Translator), and Dr. Marni Wesner (Family Physician) speak with a patient.
Finally, patients are seen by the Physio team. Here, they receive education on their post-op recovery. The patients who will not be getting surgery during this mission are given advice on how to manage their pain and exercises to improve strength and daily function.
Kristen Redhed (Physiotherapist) leads a physiotherapy education session, assisted by Jorge Anibal Chulde Zaruma – a previous CAMTA patient who now volunteers annually as a translator.
We also ensure that all patients fill out three Quality of Life questionnaires, which helps us to measure and assess changes in Quality of Life before and after they receive surgical care from CAMTA. Throughout the process, our translators and other volunteers are crucial in ensuring things run smoothly and every patient's story is heard.
Meanwhile, we also had a whole team of volunteers working hard to set up the ORs and wards for these patients' surgeries tomorrow.
Scott Buchanan (Respiratory Therapist) and Micheline Allin (Adult OR Nurse).
