Elective options ins Africa

[ericdamiansean]

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ANyone here has done/heard of elective options in Africa? I heard from someone a long time back that it's really really good, lots of hands-on and cases, and best of all, next to no legal issues.

 

[DrMom]

http://www.info.med.yale.edu/ischolar/index.html


*edit: nevermind...looks like you have to be a resident. Still a cool program, though*

 

[mpp]

link

 

[lotanna]

What exactly are u looking for? as in there are many programs, so what type? what parts of Africa? like what country??what kind of clinical exposure? I went on a Nigerian mission trip, and some of my med schl friends were doing it as an elective option. I plan on doing likewise

 

[DoctorG]

👍 Thanks for those link guys.

 

[eripearson]

Hi...my roommate is currently in south Africa doing a surg/trauma elective...on day one he spent the entire night suturing machete wounds, stabs, scrubbing in the OR, etc, etc...lots of hands on. He's MSII and found the elective through the trauma.org website. Ciao

http://www.trauma.org/resources/electives/SAjohannesburg.html

 

[ericdamiansean]

What exactly are u looking for? as in there are many programs, so what type? what parts of Africa? like what country??what kind of clinical exposure? I went on a Nigerian mission trip, and some of my med schl friends were doing it as an elective option. I plan on doing likewise

I will be about one year from graduating when I'm applying for it, so, I would like something to do with INternal Medicine, Emergency Med, Surgery.
I'm not too sure about which part of Africa, as long as it's safe for a foreigner like me

 

[dingiswayo]

Check out Operation Crossroads Africa. This program was the progenitor of the Peace Corps. It's been in existance since the 1950s. I did a health service mission in Uganda for 8 weeks after my first year of medical school. It was an excellent experience.

 

[lotanna]

I will be about one year from graduating when I'm applying for it, so, I would like something to do with INternal Medicine, Emergency Med, Surgery.
I'm not too sure about which part of Africa, as long as it's safe for a foreigner like me

check out www.healingdrumm.org, thats the one I went on, this yr they're taking/have taken 3 mission trips to Nigeria, Eritrea and Ghana.
You'll get to do whatever u feel comfortable with, if OR is ur thing, then u can be in there all day, if its internal med, then u can do consulting, and see the patients. I had a wonderful time, there're many foreigners, docs/nurses/students who go.

 

[ericdamiansean]

Thanks for all the replies 🙂

Btw, how important are electives and how will they look like on my resume when I'm applying for a certain residency?

 

[nutmegs]

I just did a tropical medicine rotation in Cameroon. It was unreal. I'd highly recommend it, just be prepared in many ways.

 

[ericdamiansean]

I just did a tropical medicine rotation in Cameroon. It was unreal. I'd highly recommend it, just be prepared in many ways.

tell me more about it

 

[nutmegs]

tell me more about it

What would you like to know? It was at the Batibo District Hospital in Cameroon's Northwest Province. We were the 2nd group of students to do the rotation, so things were still getting worked out to some extent. The hospital had 80 beds (male ward, female ward, peds, maternity, surgical), 2 staff physicians for all inpatient and outpatient consultations, referrals from 14 small "health centers" serving 75,000 people, no oxygen, no ECG, no ultrasound, basic lab and pharmacy, electricity sometimes. 12% of the population has HIV. 80% of the cases are severe malaria. Women are treated like ****. I'd done a project in Nicarauga before so was pretty well prepared for the conditions in a developing country. IMO the biggest challange in doing a rotation there is the amount of corruption. Let me know what else you'd like to know...

 

[ericdamiansean]

What would you like to know? It was at the Batibo District Hospital in Cameroon's Northwest Province. We were the 2nd group of students to do the rotation, so things were still getting worked out to some extent. The hospital had 80 beds (male ward, female ward, peds, maternity, surgical), 2 staff physicians for all inpatient and outpatient consultations, referrals from 14 small "health centers" serving 75,000 people, no oxygen, no ECG, no ultrasound, basic lab and pharmacy, electricity sometimes. 12% of the population has HIV. 80% of the cases are severe malaria. Women are treated like ****. I'd done a project in Nicarauga before so was pretty well prepared for the conditions in a developing country. IMO the biggest challange in doing a rotation there is the amount of corruption. Let me know what else you'd like to know...

Haha, the brighter side of things?

 

[mpp]

I have the e-mail addresses of most of education coordinators for the hospital electives associated with the University of Capetown, South Africa. Note that most of these electives need to be scheduled 18 or more months in advance. Send me a message and I can e-mail you the addresses.

 

[nutmegs]

Haha, the brighter side of things?

most amazing experience of my life. don't kid yourself man, if you want a resort I know some great islands in the carribbean...

 

[driedcaribou]

I have the e-mail addresses of most of education coordinators for the hospital electives associated with the University of Capetown, South Africa. Note that most of these electives need to be scheduled 18 or more months in advance. Send me a message and I can e-mail you the addresses.

Hi. I am interested in doing an elective in South Africa and woud like more information about it.

If you are a 1st or 2nd year student but have experience with IVs, injections and venepuncture, is it possible go there still to work?

Thanks.

-driedcaribou

 

[Preet]

NUTMEG -- Can you give me more info on the one in Cameroon?? Can you direct me to a website?

 

[Nutmeg]

NUTMEG -- Can you give me more info on the one in Cameroon?? Can you direct me to a website?

I'm Nutmeg, she's nutmegs.

 

[ericdamiansean]

I'm now in the midst of applying for the electives..and what I noticed alot, about the email attachments I've received so far from elective coordinators is that they state that elective students have only observor status..and this is even coming from extremely poor, third world countries. What's going on?

All the wonderful testimonials about tons of hands on experience suturing etc? 😕

 

[KatieJune]

Is it really expensive to do electives abroad, in addition to tuition to your school? Are there any allowances made for this...like extra loans to include airfare etc? Thanks

 

[ericdamiansean]

It depends where you want to do the elective, some programs can cost an arm and a leg, and all you get is a fanciful, fully equipped hospital where all you do is shadow and perhaps they let you poke the patients a bit.

My school does not have allowances for electives, but recently, the student council is making an issue about this because for this particular semester (where we leave for electives and selectives), we pay the same amount of fess as the other semesters, with the exception that we are NOT in the school most of the time and it's all minor postings, so, perhaps if they are successful, the money might be channelled towards our electives..I could do really well with a couple of thousand dollars

We do however, have some allowance for conferences, they pay part of the air flight, conference fees etc..

 

[lightnk102]

which schools do have allowances for international rotations/electives? and how much do these allowances tend to be?

 

[Geronimo]

coordinators is that they state that elective students have only observor status..and this is even coming from extremely poor, third world countries. What's going on?

All the wonderful testimonials about tons of hands on experience suturing etc? 😕

Good question. What is going on? I haven't really thought about going overseas for the opportunities like those mentioned on this post. I have thought about doing missions, in fact, it is my passion. But, I just assumed that in most third world countries, you get to do what you can/want to help people. They don't look over your shoulder very much.

Maybe they are just putting that face on their information so they don't look bad. Then, when you get there, they dump a ton of work on you. Anybody know?

 

[ericdamiansean]

Good question. What is going on? I haven't really thought about going overseas for the opportunities like those mentioned on this post. I have thought about doing missions, in fact, it is my passion. But, I just assumed that in most third world countries, you get to do what you can/want to help people. They don't look over your shoulder very much.

Maybe they are just putting that face on their information so they don't look bad. Then, when you get there, they dump a ton of work on you. Anybody know?

Yup, missions are fine for me too..any ideas?

I do hope they dump work on me..it's much better than doing nothing, honest

Imagine what a suturer you would be 🙂

No one would be able to tell you that 'you suture so slow the wound would heal by secondary intention'

 

[lotanna]

Back from a medical mission trip in Ghana, came back yesterday.
This is my 2nd with same org, went on one to Nigeria last yr during spring break.
Anyone interested do a search for an account of my trip to Nigeria, or send a message, and I'll try to get back with answers.

 

[mpp]

Mayo Medical School will give you up to $4000 for an international elective.

 

[quideam]

Cornell will fund international electives during your 4th year and during the summer between MS1 and MS2. But, you have to apply for the funding - i.e., show that you're doing something organized, not just backpacking around. They also won't pay for language immersion programs, and they require you to have at least some facility with the main language of the country you'll be going to. Additionally, in order to get funding for either of these, it's not enough that you'll be shadowing/ working - you have to have some sort of project to do. Of course, this can be as extensive (designing a clinical study) or chill (interviewing some patients, etc) as you like.

Quid