Trauma Elective in South Africa?

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People probably get tired of seeing me post this, but the Yale/J&J program offers an emergency medicine rotation in Cape Town, South Africa. http://info.med.yale.edu/ischolar/sites/southafrica.html

There was a rotation set up with Witswatersrand in Jo'burg, but I'm not sure what happened to it.
 
I'm signed up for the Trauma rotation in Jo'berg for 4 weeks staring in Feb 07. I found the info on Trauma.org. I did email with a student from a NY med school (can't remember which one) and they said it was a great time. I don't know much more than what's posted on the website. I can tell you more after I go, but you need to apply one year in advance.
And it isn't cheap after you buy plane/board/travel fun. Thank God for loans and my sugar momma!
 
I've gotten accepted to do a Trauma Elective in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Jo'Burh (The Bara). Sounds daunting (and exciting) - one of the biggest hospitals in the world, lots of trauma rolling in, etc. Anyone done a Jo'burg trauma elective, or know/heard from anyone who's done one?
 
I'm taking a year off after I finish up this year (MS3), and i'm spending part of it in S. Africa; i'm going to be doing a month of trauma surgery at U of Johannesburg and then 2 months of emergency medicine/ "surgical pit" at Chris Hani Baragwanath.... we'll have to keep each other posted on our experiences!
 
PaddyofNine said:
I've gotten accepted to do a Trauma Elective in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Jo'Burh (The Bara). Sounds daunting (and exciting) - one of the biggest hospitals in the world, lots of trauma rolling in, etc. Anyone done a Jo'burg trauma elective, or know/heard from anyone who's done one?
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Several students from my school (in Australia) have done trauma there. Many reports of putting in chest tubes within the first 10 mins. Also many recommendations to go with another student if you are a female.

Have fun! I bet it will be an awesome experience.
 
J'burg is a dangerous town.
And by dangerous I mean that people install 50,000 volt systems to electify their cars so they aren't jacked. Also, flamethrowers. It's pretty bad.
Think Detroit, but with little police presence, and a serious thug problem.
 
I'm heading to J'berg soon. I'm at the University of Witswatersrand. Not sure what their hospital is like, but I've heard it's a big trauma center. Is this the same one you are talking about?
 
IbnSina said:
J'burg is a dangerous town.
And by dangerous I mean that people install 50,000 volt systems to electify their cars so they aren't jacked. Also, flamethrowers. It's pretty bad.
Think Detroit, but with little police presence, and a serious thug problem.
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So it's just like Detroit, only with sweeter rides? :laugh: Oh, and the thugs are packing machetes and AK's instead of knives and Glocks.
 
tkim said:
Awesome:

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa/9812/11/flame.thrower.car/
Click to expand...
Brilliant.jpg


It has yet to be deemed illegal.
Click to expand...
orly_forum_pics_03.jpg

Apparently the South African version of the ACLU was too busy being carjacked to notice.

Both sides flame at the same time, regardless of.....whether passersby are on the other side.
Click to expand...
:laugh:
monk.jpg



But the breadth and depth of blast can be modified according to individual preference
Click to expand...
"Make mine look like a stage prop from an AC/DC concert during 'Highway to Hell'" :meanie:

"My personal feeling is that it would definitely blind a person. He will never see again,"
Click to expand...
It's nice to see that the auto customizers of South Africa are true humanitarians...... :laugh:
BurgerKingGod.jpg
 
Sorry to resurrect an old thread (again), but I was also considering doing this during my fourth year. My medical school is pretty supportive of international electives.

I was looking here in particular: http://baragwanathtrauma.com/ - I think the fact that their website shows an ED thoracotomy without blurring anything (including the patient's face) shows something about just how hardcore the training is... can anybody speak to this? And obviously to safety, HIV concerns, etc... from what I understand Johannesburg can be pretty dangerous.

Thanks!
 
I haven't been but one of our residents recently did. It sounded like where she was there wasn't a whole lot of supervision. So I think it's worth finding out what kind of oversight you will have at a specific site. Clearly the higher up in training you are the less supervision you need. But while showing up and doing a chest tube without anyone there may be find for a third year resident, it's not what you should be looking for as a intern or medical student. You risk learning to do the procedure wrong, getting hurt or both.

I think the other question is what's the goal of your rotation. If it's to see cool pathology, that's one thing. If it's to learn how to run trauma in the US as an attending it might not be so useful. Ie I think one of the hardest part of trauma is the negotiation with surgery about "does this guy really need a head CT if no LOC? Why aren't you scanning his chest? That's where all his injuries are." That goes out the window if you are somewhere international that doesn't have CT, or doesn't have enough vents to just intubate people with GCS 5 after trauma.
 
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