Latin American Health Care for Professionals

This course is primarily designed for health care professionals.  A minimum of 10 participants is required.  The courses are 2 weeks long, plan your arrival for a Sunday.  The daily itinerary will be provided upon request.  E-mail ipeecr@racsa.co.cr for more information.  If there are specific subjects you would like covered within the seminars posted below, just let us know and we’ll have them included or substituted.

The course includes:

• Home stays with pre qualified host Costa Rican families near the school.
• Home stays include two meals per day (breakfast and dinner) and laundry service.
• 10 hours of medical Spanish
• 8 hours of seminar given by a doctor
• 4 hours of seminar given by a nurse
• 2 hours of seminar given  by a homeopathic physician
• 2 hours of seminars (acupuncture and alternative medicine)
• 6 visits of clinics and  hospitals
• Transfer from and to the airport

Excursions and tours included in the program.

• City tour
• Arial tram
• Farewell party

Doctor’s Seminar

• Medical system in Costa Rica
• Social security
• Differences in the medical system between Costa Rica and  USA

Nurses Seminar

• Epidemic illnesses given in Costa Rica
• Health Center

Homeopathic Seminar

• Introduction to the acceptance of homeopathy
• Preparation for homeopaths in Costa Rica.

Alternative Medicine

• Uses of the alternative medicine in Costa Rica

Can you spot the Cultural differences here?

Openness is highly valued among most men and women. Children receive sex education at school, at college, or with their families, and discussing sex is very common.

Toiletries

Each department in the hospital has its own bathroom. Privacy for using the bathroom is important. Persons who are not able to use the bathroom are helped by a nurse or a family member.

Special clothing or amulets

Personal things such as a towel, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, slippers, etc. are brought to the hospital. Rosary beads and pictures of Saints are often brought.

Self care

When sick, most Costa Ricans prefer to practice personal hygiene or with minimal assistance from family members. Patients in poor health conditions are permitted to receive 24 hour assistance by family members (except intensive care patients).

Food Practices

Usual meal pattern.Three full meals a day: Early full breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many still continue the tradition of coffee time at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Milk is boiled and fresh coffee is added with plenty of sugar.

Usual diet. Rice, beans, vegetables, salad, meat, fish, chicken, and jelly.

Fluids. Ice in drinks, except during colds or respiratory illnesses, when cold drinks are believed to promote illness.

Food prohibitions. During the Easter week, Costa Ricans do not eat red meat and chicken.

Food prescriptions. When afflicted with colds, flu or viruses, a mixture of equal amounts of honey, lemon and rum is used as expectorant and an anti viral. More than a hundred varieties of herbal teas are used to treat illness and to promote health.

Birth Rituals / Care of the New Mother/Baby
Pregnancy care. During pregnancy a woman visits a gynecologist monthly. A special diet is advised by a gynecologist and a woman receives a list of  special foods (vitamins).

Labor practices
Hygiene and modesty are highly respected during labor. Women prefer to have their bodies covered and not be examined frequently. They prefer a bed position for labor.

Role of the laboring woman during the birth process
An active role is assumed. Loud or noisy expressions of pain are socially acceptable and encouraged to cope with the pain and discomfort.

Role of the father and other family members during the birth process
The father assumes a passive, supportive role during labor. Young fathers prefer to attend birth classes to learn birth procedures. Others prefer not to be present during labor but wish to be informed along the way.

Problems with the baby
A mother wants to be the first one to know of any problems with the baby.

Male circumcision
Male circumcision is traditionally done at birth if it is necessary.

Death Rituals
Preparation. Some prefer to notify family members, for example the oldest daughter or son. Information is kept away from the patient and public areas.

Home vs hospitals
If diagnosed with chronic or long-term illnesses, it is preferred to keep patients in a reputable facility. At home or in the hospital, families usually arrange for family visitors around the clock. If death is imminent, many family members stay in waiting areas around the clock.

Special needs
Candles, rosary beads, special saints or patron figurines can be placed near the patient.

Care of the body
On the mainland, for financial or cultural reasons, some families keep the deceased at home rather than at the funeral home. Some prefer to bury as soon as possible or within 24 hours.

Attitudes toward organ donation
This is a common practice and is seen as an act of goodwill when done for the benefit of another human being.

Attitudes toward autopsy
The body is considered sacred and treated with great respect. An autopsy is performed only when necessary.

Family Relationships
All activities, decisions, social, and cultural standards revolve around the family.

Decision making
People still consult adults and the elderly in decision making as sign of respect and a search for wisdom.

Spokesperson
The oldest person in the family is usually the spokesperson.

Caring role
Women assume an active role in caring for the ill. Men assume a more passive role but still provide financial care.

Expectations of children
Children are the center of family life. A strong emphasis is placed on respect, education, and religion.

Expectations of elders
Grandparents are figures of respect, admiration and wisdom.

Religious Orientation
Eighty percent of the population practices Catholicism. Others practice Protestantism or other religions.

Costa Ricans, or “Ticos”, are renowned for their gracious hospitality to visitors. They are working very hard to make sure you have a comfortable, safe learning-vacation. Having long ago dismantled its army, Costa Rica is a country perpetually at peace, with excellent educational and health care systems. You will be pleasantly surprised by how many of Costa Rica’s Spanish speaking people also speak English, German, Italian and French.

Blessed with a natural bounty of forests, about 25% of the country’s total land area is officially protected as a national parks and wildlife refuges. In Costa Rica, you have the chance to visit pristine rain forests, cloud forests or dry tropical forests. You will see an incredible diversity of wildlife, including monkeys, sloths, poison dart frogs, sea turtles, toucans, macaws and lots of fascinating plants.

In Costa Rica, you will find superb hotels in every price range, and a seemingly limitless variety of food, to suit every taste. Because the country is blessed with both Pacific and Caribbean coasts, seafood is fresh, plentiful and cheap.

Costa Rica has a population of 3.4 million people. Over fifty percent live in the Central Valley which comprises only 4% of the entire country.