Chincha - Day 2, CPR Class

June 19, 2012
(PHOP has arrived in Chincha this week and we will be posting updates from both Chincha and the Sacred Valley. For more information on the addition of the Chincha site to PHOP, click here.)
After a late night of reviewing CPR skills (RCP en español) with a couple of students, we entered day 2 in Chincha with a vague plan for teaching CPR courses to some native Peruvians. However, we were uncertain of how large classes would be, how many classes we would teach, or where classes would be held. Also, our manikins never made it to the Peru, so we were not sure what to use for demonstration. However, everything has a way of working out in Peru. Once we arrived in clinic, the time for the first class arrived quickly and we scavenged for supplies. The result was the manikin in the photo below: the body was a 50 kg bag of zinc sulfate, and the head was a fleece jacket stuffed into a trash bag. Importantly, the head also served a second purpose as our infant manikin. This was an exercise in maximizing resources, and they worked just fine.

The first class started at 10:30 am, and we trained 36 Peruvian children from a local school in Adult/Child/Infant CPR and choking response. With three of us students leading the class, we explained and displayed these skills and had a few participants volunteer to practice in front of the group. The participants were a bit anxious at first, but after some coaxing and applause, we found a few volunteers. At the end of the course, we received a round of applause, and all of the school girls gave us kisses on the cheek as they left. Needless to say, this class went much smoother than we had expected.

The second class was similar to the first, but a smaller group of 10 nursing students. This class was quite a bit more reserved, but we persistently nudged them into participation. The third class, however, was the largest and most interesting of the day. We started the class after a group of 20+ people showed up, but then 10 minutes into the class, another two groups arrived. In total, we ended up teaching around 50 people, including high school students, nursing assistants from the clinic, and a few patients. As we were teaching the class, I looked up and noticed a large group of people watching us from the second floor. Not only were we helping to teach CPR, but we also served as entertainment for patients! All in all, the CPR training was a success today. We trained nearly 100 people and garnered a great deal of interest for the next classes on Thursday. With flexibility and adaptability, we were able to teach some life-saving skills! Not a bad day at all…

Lessons for the day

1)      Expect anything in Peru

2)      Creativity helps to maximize utilization of resources

3)      Choking response garners the greatest interest and interactions from groups

4)      Combining a bag of pesticides and a stuffed trash bag really does make a fine manikin!

Bryan Sisk

Medical Student, CCLCM