Alright:
1) First and foremost, how safe is it both in and out of the hospital? I'm especially curious about your classmates who went to Bara. Also where do you live when you're at Bara?
As with anywhere in South Africa there are always safety concerns. More so with a place like Bara where it's very open to public access. My advice to you is always be vigilant. Things are generally fine during the day and in the wards but when leaving at night just be extra careful as there are always risks. There is no formal accommodation for students on the premises as far as I know. It is best to arrange your own private accommodation away from the vicinity of the hospital as it is not situated in the safest of areas.
2) How many procedures did they get to do? Did medical students in either Johannesburg General or Bara get a chance to do things like chest tubes, needle decompressions, etc, or was it more of a watch and learn kind of thing?
Teaching is very hands on, more so at Bara than at the Gen. There is the opportunity to perform simple procedures as long as you assert yourself.
3) Is there a didactic program associated with Trauma or is it pretty much work and sleep?
In theory there should be a teaching program. But as with all things practice never quite follows the theory. In short it pretty much depends on the senior staff on duty at the time. Some are very good in that regard and will give of their time to actually teach you but sadly others are not so good.
4) What's the schedule for a student on an elective? Is there a difference between an elective and a SubI or are all foreign students rotating through considered to be SubIs?
What is a SubI?
5) What are the hours like? Are there days off? Do rotating medical students have any say in their schedule?
For an elective student the hours are not too bad. You will be required to be on call for a certain number of hours per week in addition to your normal daily hours and there are days off. I'm not entirely sure about how rotating students are fitted in but I assume that you will be able to coordinate with other students to a certain extent as long as you fulfill your minimum requirements.
6) How much of a difference is there between Bara and Johaannesburg? Which would they recommend?
You will definitely get to learn more at Bara than at the Gen. The gen is way too overpopulated with consultants and residents, so students don't really get a chance to do stuff themselves. In contrast, Bara has fewer senior doctors so you get the opportunity to perform procedures and the doctors guide you instead of just doing it themselves.
7) Do students rotating through normally have some Trauma before they arrive or is this the first time for most of them?
I haven't really spent time with many of the rotating students, But from what I can gather it tends to vary. It's not a prerequisite as far as I know, but the level of previous experience differs.
