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Speaker 1: Where are you from and what do you do?
Katie: Hi. I'm Katie Polese and I'm from Portland, Oregon. I'm a nurse in the U.S. Air Force.
Speaker 1: Why did you choose A Broader View to volunteer?
Katie: I chose A Broader View. I found it randomly, but I'm very glad I did. I had a
timeframe where I could leave the country to volunteer. A Broader View was very flexible
and very organized and found it and knew that it would be a perfect fit.
Speaker 1: Why did you choose Cusco, Peru to volunteer?
Katie: I chose Cusco, Peru. First of all, I definitely wanted to go to a Spanish-speaking
country. I preferred it to be South America. In Cusco, they had a hospital here that I
could volunteer at. Rather than being in a clinic, I wanted to really jump into the hospital
setting there. Speaker 1: How has the experience of volunteering
in Cusco proven so far? Katie: It has been amazing, nothing I could've
expected before I came here. Definitely working in a hospital is very different here than
anything I'm use to, anything I learned in school, but it has been amazing. I've learned
so much and I've loved working with the nurses here, the doctors here and just realizing
that it's completely different and being proactive and jumping in there. So, it's been a great
experience. Speaker 1: What has been the best part of
the program? Katie: The best part of the program is definitely
working in the hospital and just being exposed to all the different patients and being proactive
in figuring out how to do things in a hospital setting without the resources that you're
used to as an American nurse. I've been in the emergency department. Sometimes it's very
busy. Usually it's very busy. The best part has just been learning how to adapt and learning
how to help the people here to the best of your abilities.
Speaker 1: How is your host family, food and accommodations?
Katie: My host family is wonderful, very welcoming. The food is delicious. I have my own room
here. It's in a great location. I happen to be close to the hospital and pretty close
to [parks in the city. 00:02:25] Everyone in the family I've met, everyone in these
last few weeks here and it has been wonderful. I'm very lucky to have stayed with them.
Speaker 1: How has your experience with the U.S. staff office in Cusco, Peru been?
Katie: The U.S. staff office was very organized and quick to respond to any questions I had.
They checked up on me while I was here. So, that was nice. Cusco staff is wonderful and
helped me with any I need, help me get accommodated. I really have no complaints about any really
great. Speaker 1: What can other volunteers bring
while volunteering in Cusco, Peru and what can they bring in donations
Katie: If you're volunteering with a health care program, honestly, anything you can think
of that would help. In the emergency department, they are very limited on gloves, gowns, masks,
everything you can think of. If you have access to any medical equipment you can bring like
syringes, SDO2 anything, blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes. Anything you could get your
hands on before, I would highly recommend bringing as much as possible, hand sanitizers,
anything. They need it all. Everything's limited. That would really be a big help.
Speaker 1: Would you recommend A Broader View to other volunteers?
Katie: Yes, absolutely I'd recommend it, especially to nurses. Whether you want to work in the
clinics or the hospitals, it's a great experience. You will learn a lot. You will learn how to
handle situations as a nurse that you ... different situations that you may have not learned in
an American hospital because it's so different. I would highly recommend it. It really pushes
your knowledge, especially being in a Spanish-speaking country and learning how to adapt to a hospital
that's Spanish-speaking. It would very good experience.
Speaker 1: Thank you for volunteering with us.