Listen to the mustn'ts...

Listen to the mustn'ts child listen to the donts listen to the cants the wouldnts and the cants. Listen to it all my child then listen close to me. Anything can happen child anything can be. Shel Silverstein

We spent the morning at the Justinian hospital. Patients were presented to us by the chief of orthopedics Dr. Pierre-Louis. He selected 6 that were ready for therapy but many others in the orthopedic ward also looked in need. The nurses are good students and are catching on to how to take a history, assess movement. There are so mnay complexities that are so hard to explain though our translator George is great! The hospital is overwhelming in it's need. Many patients still in traction using wood for weight. Lots of children mixed in as well. There seems to be an inconsistent system for how patients are mobilized and unneccessary contractures develop. We spent a productive afternoon in the clinic saw one patient and spent a lot of time teaching - basics of assessment, rom and muscular assessment as well as bony structures and movements. The students are eager to learn and practiced on one another for the returning patients tomorrow. We met ip with some photo journalists from food for the poor this evening to compare notes about our adventures. Bonswa, Lauren