“Dr. Lavenburg noted he had never seen cataracts like the ones in Grenada,” she said. “The average cataract surgery takes 15-20 minutes, but these took double that amount of time due to limited eye care resources in the country.” 

But what stood out even more to Fink was the patients’ gratitude.                                                                                        

“They were so appreciative,” she said. “They would get up from the table and hug us.” 

Patients ranged in age from mid-20s to 90 years old. Some had gone 40 years without proper eyesight, which limited their ability to drive and even work. 

“‘I can finally see the sea again,’” exclaimed one woman as she removed her eye patch post-cataract surgery and looked out the window of the oceanside clinic.

“She had the biggest smile. She was beaming,” Fink recalled. “It was such a special moment.” 

New dreams realized

Fink had never thought about going into ophthalmology, but this experience has her strongly considering it. Helping patients in Grenada had a profound impact on Fink.

“This trip changed my life,” she said. “I feel I had an impact on these patients while honing my skills. The satisfaction, accomplishment and confidence I felt when I returned to work was amazing.” 

She added the experience encouraged her to push through some of her more challenging classes.

“The medical diagnostics pre-PA curriculum is tough,” she said. “But these patients gave me the drive to want to succeed and go on to PA school to help patients and improve their quality of life.”

She noted that classes like anatomy and physiology, healthcare communication, immunology, immunohematology, hematology and body fluid analysis prepared her for this experience.

“The combined knowledge really helped me, and the skills I learned at UD helped me communicate with physicians and patients in Grenada,” she said. 

While becoming an ophthalmologist would require a medical degree, Fink remains committed to PA school and may work as a PA in an ophthalmologist’s office. She still plans to take a gap year post-graduation to work and gain more experience before attending PA school on the East Coast.

“PA school is very competitive, and I now have one of the most unique experiences anyone would have at my age, which I’m truly thankful for; it was so rewarding,” she said. 

She also plans to go on another medical mission trip, this time with her mother, a career nurse, so she, too, can experience the joy of helping others. 

“For the first time in a long time, these patients can see — and that’s something we all take for granted,” Fink said.