Travel nurse Patti Fields, sponsored on the HELPS International mission to Guatemala by AMN Healthcare, worked in a temporary acute care hospital in Huehuetenango in the country’s western highlands, providing treatment for impoverished indigenous people.
How long have you a travel nurse with AMN Healthcare?
I have been an AMN traveler since January with Saint Thomas Moore Hospital in Cañon City, Colorado.
What are your duties in Guatemala?
I am volunteering as an OR nurse.
What has been your best experience working in Guatemala?
Witnessing so many people giving, and the Guatemalan people having such a grateful spirit.
What has been your most impactful experience since being in Guatemala?
At 4 a.m. I saw people standing outside waiting to be treated. It makes you think, what do I have to complain about? There is so much need in this world, and we’ve got to do what we can while we are here.
What has been your biggest challenge?
We lost power six times during a hysterectomy surgery.