Block 1: Week 5 and Travel Home

We started off this week bright and early with a presentation at the pod meeting in Riverton at 8am on Monday. After presenting here, we headed back to the Ethete clinic for the day where we helped with the typical input of prescriptions in the pharmacy. After we left the clinic, we decided to walk a couple miles around the housing area since a storm was coming in, and we spent the evening cleaning and packing while it stormed. 

We presented at one of the Arapahoe pods Tuesday morning before heading to the Ethete clinic for the day. Throughout the day Tuesday, we got to further discuss diabetes management with providers, counsel a patient on the appropriate self-administration technique for a FreeStyle Libre sensor, and assist with medication dispensing. We decided to meet up with our TN roommates after our day at the clinic to hike at Sinks Canyon up to Popo Agie falls one last time. 

Wednesday morning we did our last presentation at the final Arapahoe pod. We stayed a bit after our presentation at the Arapahoe clinic to discuss the project we had been working on with our TN roommates so they could easily streamline into the work and continue the discussions with providers after we left. We headed back to the Ethete clinic for our final day of rotation and spent the day finishing up our project for the providers in our clinic and tasting cheeses. Katherine and others in the pharmacy and clinic had brought in different cheeses for a tasting and a few desserts as a farewell gift to us. After saying our goodbyes, we went our separate ways from the clinic. Savannah headed to Jackson Hole where she was staying to catch her flight early the next morning, and I headed back to the house to get some rest before making my drive home. 

Early the next morning I headed toward Colorado Springs. My stepsister lives at Fort Carson, and my stepdad had flown in to see her on Wednesday with a plan to ride back home with me. I drove straight from the reservation to Colorado Springs, and the drive was not bad at all. It ended up being about a 7.5 hour drive including stops. I listened to an audiobook the whole way which I had downloaded beforehand. There is not much cell service throughout the roads of Wyoming, so keep that in mind if you plan on driving. 

We spent that Thursday afternoon and all day Friday exploring the area, and we left to make the drive for Huntsville that Saturday morning. We got to hike around Garden of the Gods which was beautiful! See a couple pictures below. We also hiked the Seven Bridges Trail at North Cheyenne Canon Park which was really cool. There are a plethora of trails at this park, and there are beautiful mountain rivers and waterfalls to see there. 


The drive from Fort Carson to Huntsville was about 19 hours with stops, and we ended up driving straight home through the night to get in the next morning around 5am. While I-70 through Kansas and Missouri is pretty boring, there are plenty of places to stop for gas and food. I would not recommended driving that length of time, even with swapping out the drive - I was exhausted for a couple days after. However, it was nice to finally be home. :)


Overall, my experience in Wyoming was AMAZING!!!! I would definitely recommend doing this rotation. I got to see parts of the country that I likely would not have had the opportunity to see otherwise. You won't be getting much of anything additionally special clinically at the rotation site that you wouldn't get at a rotation site back home, but you will absolutely be getting the experience of a lifetime. You also get to experience a completely different culture and see how this can impact healthcare. The staff and patients at the clinic are very welcoming and love to talk about places to hike, fish, and explore. Make sure you ask for their recommendations on things to do. Keep an open mind and a spirit of adventure and soak up every second of the dry air!

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