SFO

I am on the flight from SFO to MIA. There are about six other med professionals on the fligh with me. American airlines overbooked the flight so one of our MDs almost didn't get on. That was kinda stressful.

Here is what I know now about what will be happening during the trip. There are about forty of us that are going. Half doctors and half nurses. Very different backgrounds and levels of experince. Some new grads that never even been on the floor and some MDs or RN that either already retired or are preping for it. Different specialties from neonate, peds, lab, RT, ED, ICU... And others. Many like myself never done anything Iike that before.

Ones we arrive there we will be assinged to unit and shift (day or night) and will start working 12-16 hrs shift. The PT to med professional ratio determined exclusively by how many med professionals available at one time, meaning if there is one RN that shift and the unit has 50 pts, she takes are of all of them. The equipment is brought from all over the world and we need to figure out how to use it, what medication in another country is equivalent to ours, etc. It will be definitely challenging.

Also, the hospital is a tent on the ground, which means that there is mud everywhere. Also it is going to start raining on the day we arrive there and there is a huge warning foe mudslides. We'll see how that will work out.

Lots of friends contacted me warning me about the safety issue due to recent rapes that happen there. I got few things for personal protection and figured that due to my Krav maga training I'll be able to stand up for myself -)

On a personal note I'm really stressed out and kinda nervous about the trip. I didn't have enough time to finish everything I needed to do back home and am very sleep deprived. Will be landing in Florida in 4 hrs or so, crash in the hotel and back at the airport at 4-4:30 am Florida time and 1-1:30 our time.

Wish me luck -)