What To Expect on Clinical Week

9/15:  We will meet in a location close to Window Rock for all members around mid-day to afternoon to discuss a required cultural in-briefing meeting with Clinical Director Sam Coffman.  All team members will depart from there and travel to our location in Window Rock.  Camp set up can begin on Saturday.

9/16: This is the first day of the clinical week and will include students who would like to work with our Navajo hosts in a harvest for the week’s meat sources. This is an amazing opportunity to be part of a tradition that they are willing to share with our team, on mindfullness of food and a harvest that leaves no waste at all.  Students who would like this experience can sign up for it to participate.

Clinic Set up:  All team members will be involved in the set up.  We will divide into smaller teams to assemble the apothecary and inventory the starting herbs, prepare the clinical intake sessions, set up a clinical kitchen for our staff and assign a rotating schedule of team members helping with food preparation, and assign details of clinical team members teaching community classes, wildcrafting and medicine making.

9/16 to 9/21: 

Each day will begin with breakfast served after 8 am and a team round-table meeting at 8:30 to go over the plan for the day, to review the previous day’s cases, go over any problems, review the supplies inventories and do a team check-in.

Clinic hours will begin roughly at 10 am and end approximately at 4 pm.  Several days will also offer evening hours to townspeople who can not make the day-time hours because of work of school schedules. If that is the case, the afternoon will be shorter to allow for team rest time.

Rotating students will help to supply the clinical team with healthy food, teas, and purified water throughout the clinic hours.  Students will also rotate in and out of the apothecary, clinical intake stations, educational classes for the community and possibly wildcrafting, medicine making and assisting with water purification and medicinal garden setups.

In addition, we have the opportunity to do mobile mini clinics, staffed by a clinical director, apothecarist and clinical student to travel to approved clients who have no transportation, may be house-bound or otherwise unable to physically attend the clinic, as well as possible introduction onto a clan-run mountain retreat/conservation area. This is an unbelievable opportunity to quite literally bring herbal medicine into the homes for those that may need it the most.

TENTATIVE CLINICAL SCHEDULE (subject to change)

At the end of each clinic day:

Apothecarist students will inventory herbs for documentation, refill supplies, start new tinctures if necessary and clean apothecary equipment for the next day.

Clinic herbalists will complete and file all paperwork and documentation, and prepare the clinical area for the following day’s clients.

Provider herbalists will keep an inventory of clinic foods, make sure the clinical kitchen is clean and ready for the next meal.  We will have a loose menu for the week posted at the start of the week.

At the start of each clinical day:

8:00 am — Breakfast will be served each day.

8:30 am — Team members will have a round table discussion to review any cases, possible follow ups and address any problems.

What can you expect?

Routine

Team members will need to be flexible in regards to where in the clinic they work. A successful clinic will often ask its team members to be willing and able to do all parts of its operation

Team members will have half day shifts that students rotate in and out of

Once you know the area you are working in for that shift, you will work with several other team members

Everyone will have an opportunity to cycle through each area during the clinical week several times

Evenings are your down time.  When there is not a clinic scheduled, this is the time to rest, recuperate & reflect.

Lodging and Facilities

Our team base will be on the reservation in Window Rock, AZ.  We will be camping as a team in a designated area.

The weather will have a range of summer temperatures, ranging from dry in the 85 – 90 degree range during the days to rainy in the high 60s. Make sure to have a variety of layered clothing for the trip.

Expect that cell phone may be fine, but there is no internet connection.  All team members should make sure to have time pieces (thats watches for you whipper-snappers), maps of the area, and to keep in contact with the rest of the team through scheduling and radio communication if called for (or available).

Things to avoid:  The region where we are staying is arid desert, and care should be taken to keep hydrated and protected from summer sun.  Maps are a required part of any trip to a mobile clinic or neighboring towns we may work in.  Radios are recommended if we are in range, for emergencies.  This is precautionary and not likely to be needed, but much better to be prepared.

Clinical Work

Unless you are helping with the rainwater catchment system, healing garden projects, wildcrafting or perhaps teaching an outdoors community outreach class for the townspeople, the team will likely have an indoor operations base to work out of

Days will be filled with assistance work in the community and students will get a rare opportunity to get abundant hands-on training with a deeply under-served community that is in need of education and assistance.

Students that want to will have an opportunity to teach short 30- 60 minute classes on pre-approved topics to the community while they wait to be seen in the clinic.  Suggested topics can include food and medicinal sustainability, herbal medicine, herbal gardening, composting, simple medicine making or medicinal foods.  Please contact Suchil to discuss if you would like to teach a class!

We will be able to send mobile clinic teams out to house-bound individuals in the community that are selected by our hosts.  A clinical director, apothecarist and clinical herbalist will be sent out with a mini mobile apothecary.  These will be done by appointment only.

Gear Considerations

All mobile teams will have first aid equipment, maps of the area and a clinical director for home visits.

Team Care

If you are not feeling well, your well-being is our top concern.  Team medics will ensure your personal needs are met, the provider team will make sure you have good healthy food and plenty to drink and rest if needed.