Brooke Tracy, a perfusion student from the US, recently joined our team on a trip to Kharkiv, Ukraine.
She describes her experience as a student on her first medical mission trip.
“There are no words to describe how amazing and influential my first mission trip with the Novick Cardiac Alliance was, but I can say with absolute certainty I would recommend it to anyone! Not only was the team amazing and so well versed in healthcare skills, but they also were some of the most empathetic and passionate people I have had the opportunity to work alongside. Not to mention the local Ukrainian team. They all were very excited to learn from NCA in ways to improve their practice, and they were incredibly welcoming and appreciative of all that NCA has done for their hospital system.
NCA Perfusionists John and Brooke working alongside Kharkiv perfusionists Alex and Olga
As a perfusion student, I didn’t really know what to expect as our field is pretty dependent upon technology and supplies. I had done some research on the Ukrainian healthcare system, but was vastly underprepared when it came to fully understanding the difficulties in which the local team has in acquiring, what in our practice, is simple equipment. But the lack of equipment never stumped the local perfusionist. Alex and Olga were some of the most innovative perfusionists I’d ever met. In order to make the most of each piece of equipment, their circuit design and construction was innovative. Both were incredibly knowledgeable, but it was humbling to see how much they each were looking to learn more and grow in their practice.”
What she gained as a student
“In the end, the most inspiring thing about this trip for me was to see the passion and moral of the local team. The nurses were so compassionate and went out of their way to comfort their patients. They really did an amazing job, especially those that were medical students working night shift to gain experience! You could tell that this hospital served their local community in more than just physical care, as the empathy was overflowing with every patient. The parents were allowed back in the ICU with their children post-op and it made a world of difference in the recovery of our patients.
After returning from this trip, not only had I gained a ton of knowledge and skills from both the NCA team and the local team, but I also had a better appreciation for all of the resources that we have at our disposal in the US. I have developed some new practices and little tricks that make my perfusion practice more resourceful and limit my medical waste since returning from the mission.
Brooke with patient Sofia, who had 60 minutes on bypass during her operation.
I can not only recommend missions to anyone in the field, but especially to students because I feel that it gives you a advantage to being a resourceful, motivated, and passionate perfusionist, which is exactly what this world needs more of.”
– Brooke Tracy, Perfusion Student, South Carolina, USA