James De Andrade

Sonny Sledge

Surgery and Emergency Medicine in El Salvador

About El Salvador

- Smallest country in

continental Americas

-- Capital: San

Salvador

-- 6 million inhabitants

-- Rapidly urbanizing

-- Spanish spoken

everywhere

Demographics and Culture

- Highly religious:

Catholic majority but

growing Protestant

minority

- Per capita income:

$5,600– less outside

the capital

- Less indigenous culture

than neighboring

countries

Health Care

- “Free” for all not

always the case

- Vast differences in

standard of care

- Common technology

unavailable

Typical Day

ACTIVITY TIME

Wake up 5:30 AM

Report to hospital 6:30 AM

Morning duties

•Observe surgery

•Consults/Post-ops

•Wound and Ulcer Clinic

6:30 -11:30 AM

Lunch 11:30-1:00 PM

Class

•Case presentations

1:00-2:00 PM

Afternoon rounds 2:00-4:00 PM

On call

•Every Monday and Thursday

6:00 PM – 6:00 AM

Preparations

Vaccines:

Typhoid

Hep A

Meds:

Malaria prophylaxis

Cipro!

Practice Spanish

Preparations

Leaving the comfort of

home

Hot showers?

Air conditioning

Get Lonely Planet

invaluable

Do some research, and

plan ahead

Expenses

Airfare: $650

Homestay: $375

housing

2 meals/day

laundry

Vaccinations: $200

Meds: $50

Total: $1,250 + side traveling, entertainment, etc

Granada, Nicaragua

Ometepe, Nicaragua

Las Peñitas, Nicarauga

Juayúa, El Salvador

Copán, Honduras

Antigua and Lake Atitlán, Guatemala