Sonography is an industry with a great impact on patients’ lives, from pregnancy ultrasounds to finding a mass in an organ. With machines conducting sound waves to help navigate an internal look into the human body, ultrasound professionals are tasked with a daily influx of patient care in an ever-evolving technological world. Caught in the flow of the evolution and advantages of Western medicine, it can be tough keep your perspective grounded to the heart of the matter: giving care to the public. When sonographers are granted the opportunity to go on an international medical mission, perspective is gained, and gratitude is expressed by not only the patients, but also by their volunteering team. Just ask Ann Marie Purdy, RDMS, RT(R), RVS.

The Start of Volunteering

Five years ago, a coworker knew someone from “Identify the Mission,” who was a donor who bought an ultrasound machine to be sent to a doctor in Guatemala City, and Ann helped illuminate the type of machine that was needed. She was then sent to Guatemala City to help local medical professionals learn how to use the machine. That sparked Ann’s interest in volunteering abroad to help the sonography communities in other countries.

A little under a year ago, the contact from “Identify the Mission” asked if she would want to volunteer abroad again. Ann said “yes” and requested to be sent with a group of medical professionals, rather than on her own, like her previous experience.

With a team of twenty-nine individuals, Ann flew into Honduras, took a bus across Honduras to the shoreline, and boarded a boat for a 45-minute ride to Livingston, Guatemala. Livingston, which is located right on the water, is a town full of fisherfolk.

Once there, the medical professional team was equipped to handle a wide array of healthcare aid, not just OB/GYN ultrasound, with the aid of six medical language interpreters. Carrying the torch alongside the tenured professionals were nursing students and high school student volunteers, also. This volunteer experience ran from June 16 - June 23, 2024, and four of those days were clinic days. Throughout the course of four days, the team saw over 500 patients.

“It was amazing. Everybody just stepped up. I can’t say enough about these high school and college students that came with us,” Ann said. “They were really involved and were open to learned so much about the field.”   

Variety in Screenings Leads to Collaboration

Contrary to her previous tenure as volunteer in Guatemala 5 years ago, where a majority of the ultrasound screenings were OBGYN, 2024 International Assistance Grant Recipient, Ann Marie Purdy, RDMS, RT(R), RVS, experienced a multitude of different specialties in her recent trip, from OBGYN to Cardiac.

“Cardiac screenings are the one thing I don’t do,” Ann admitted; however, that did not stop her from learning more about the specialty and bettering her own skills.

There was an instance where a NICU nurse was doing a cardiac screening, and asked Ann for a second opinion, as she thought she was catching an anomaly that could be life-altering.

“It was amazing seeing the overlap from things you see on the screen when you do OBGYN, and how that can overlap with Cardiac screenings,” Ann said. “You could still see this opening on a newborn.”

Collaboration was Ann’s favorite aspect of this trip. She worked long hours with her extensive team and shed light onto many diagnoses and illnesses that patients had been enduring without proper medical care, from liver masses to gallbladder issues.

There were stations organized in a church, where the students would check the patients in, and those that had taken their CNAs would take vitals. From there, patients would be directed which specialist to go to for medical aid. Each station worked closely with each other to help facilitate the best care they could, bouncing ideas and expertise off of one another.

While Ann scanned, she also helped teach students. She brought an education textbook with her for this trip, and while she scanned a patient, the student observing would find the correlating material in the textbook. This helped the students learn about ultrasound in an efficient manner, having both the educational textbook and the real-life observation.

The biggest takeaway

Perspective was Ann’s biggest takeaway. She admitted that it can be easy to lose perspective in the United States, where medical aid is so available, and how volunteering is a great avenue to extend that medical awareness to populations that have a dire need for it.

Recognizing the impact such volunteer work makes, Ann and her team brought over-the-counter medicine, as well as a donated ultrasound machine to the clinic in Livingston, Guatemala, where they would not only volunteer their time, but also give the local medical professionals resources to better their skills.

The ultrasound machine that was donated had printing capabilities. And so, the team gave printed ultrasound screens to their pregnant patients. While this may seem like a small gesture, after the first day of giving volunteer aid, Ann noticed a massive influx of expecting mothers.

“They aren’t used to getting ultrasounds. They are expensive, and many cannot afford them. So, to see their babies before delivery was quite a gift for them.”

Traveling and volunteering in a remote location where such services are a luxury, helped her view sonography in a different lens.

“We had patients travel three-to-four hours to come see us and receive medical help.”

The care provided by these volunteers was paramount to the people of Livingston and the surrounding villages. If the villagers were to go to the nearest hospital, these patients would need to board a boat and take a five-hour bus ride to be seen.

With acknowledging the ease of medical resources in the Unites States of America, in comparison to Living, Guatemala, Ann devotes time to stay in contact with medical professionals. When she receives scans from her networked peers volunteering in remote settings, she eagerly gives the scans a detailed look and provides her feedback to then be sent on. Even from her office chair, Ann makes a big, positive impact on individuals across the world.

Tools for Sonography Success

Volunteering goes above and beyond traveling to remote villages and providing aid while you’re there. It’s providing resources for individuals to utilize and build a better future with. The donated ultrasound machine that Ann brought with her is a prime example of this.

“This machine is going to make an amazing impact on thousands of people.”

With that foresight, Ann’s passion for positivity sonography brings to light an epiphany that she will carry with her for the rest of her career.

“You go into medicine for a reason, and experiences like this are why you stay in medicine,” Ann said.