by Cindy Abole, Public Relations

After a day of clean-up with their new friends, MUSC College of Medicine students find a moment to rest in front of the Pomern Secondary School. Students are: (back left to right)Elbert Tillerson, Natarsha Grant, Natashia Jeter, Pamela Binns, Anika Goodwin, Elita Wyckoff and Jennifer Harper (kneeling).

For seven MUSC College of Medicine students a summer journey amid the Kilimanjaro Moun- tains, Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Plains of Africa, majestic scenery was secondary to the medical care they were able to give people in the poor, undeveloped country of Tanzania. For them it was valuable medical experience, a chance to learn something about themselves, and a quest to become caring and effective health care professionals for the future.

The village of Pomern utilizes a pair of ox and cart to help transport sickly patients to the dispensary for medical care. Local medical support consists of a nurse midwife and medical assistant for a village of 4,000 people.

They were among dozens of MUSC students who completed summer medical missions in locations beyond Charleston.

These sophomores traveled to Tanzania as part of the Global Volunteers program, an international organization which offer volunteers weekly work experiences within developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States. The participating medical students to Tanzania were: Anika Goodwin, Natarsha Grant, Natashia Jeter, Elita Wyckoff, Pamela Binns, Elbert Tillerson and Jennifer Harper.

"The whole experience was dramatically different for us." said Jeter, originally from Union, S.C. "Most of us have never been anywhere that wasn't a developed country. Getting used to living without certain items was difficult. Yet, people were generally more hospitable. They reached out to make all of us feel welcome."

The group began its 25-day journey on July 1, landing in the recently bombed capitol of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Following a three-day rest in the capitol city, the group proceeded to Iringa, located in the south central part of the country, to catch transportation to the rural village of Pomern—the group's temporary home for two weeks.

Joining the group were 15 other internationals, educators, retirees, college students, professionals—who also served as Global Volunteers. Tanzania, an impoverished country which struggles with a high infant mortality rate, poor education and health care, has been a Global Volunteer service site for education support and human development projects since 1986.

Anika Goodwin poses after the birth of baby Matthew. The student assisted in the July delivery. MUSC students Natarsha Grant and Natarshia Jeter helped name the newborn.

The group assisted in several medical-related programs including a well-baby clinic which was hosted by the town's dispensary. Limited in government support for medicine and physicians, the town has a nurse midwife and medical assistant which supports a village of nearly 4,000 people. This doctor shortage is reflected in statistics confirming the country's 20:1 patient/doctor ratio. The group also provided medical help for AIDS patients (affecting about 20 percent of the Tanzanian population) and individuals affected by parasitic infections.

Not only was the group involved in supporting a medical mission, they also helped renovate and paint the clinic which was earlier described as an area too dark and cold area to care for babies. Students were eager to improve the area by painting lighter colors to help brighten the room's mood. It is reported that Tanzania possesses an infant mortality rate of 1:4 ratio of births vs. deaths.

College of Medicine student Elita Wyckoff fills in the dining hall foundation for the villages secondary school.

The dispensary lacks adequate medical supplies according to U.S. standards. Although patient record keeping is good, supplies such as needles and syringes are scarce forcing workers to sterilize and reuse needles for patients. In the event of additional medical care, patients must travel, usually by horse and cart, to Iringa some 150 miles away.

“I think our work with the town's well-baby clinic has led the way in representing good memories associated with this trip,” said Binns, the group also assisted in other clean-up and renovation at the town's secondary school dining hall, roof repair at the primary school, and additional daily support with the kindergarten program.

“I wish I had the right type of training in some things,” said Goodwin, referring to her limited clinical experience following completion of the first year in medical school normally geared towards academics. "Because supplies were so limited, there really wasn't much of anything else we could do.”

Asked if the trip to Africa helped to confirm their roles as future physicians, all heartily agreed. Even though the group has only completed their first year, some felt assured of their chosen specialty. Wyckoff and Binns have elected to study the obstetrics/gynecology. Jeter's eye is on emergency medicine. The others remain unconfirmed at this time.

If given the opportunity, would any of them return back to Tanzania and the same village to apply their skills and experience? All were eagerly positive. “I was impressed that even though these people were so poor, they still managed to muster up a smile for us whenever we saw them," said Grant. "I felt so honored to have been there.”

A Huntsville, Ala. native, Wychoff summed up her experience by reacting to the positiveness of others. “I learned to find joy in the little things: people's smile and giving attitude,” said Wychoff. “One lady had a small bag of beans that she was willing to give to us—the whole bag. Even if it meant that it was less food for her and her family, she really wanted to share it with us. It was truly genuine.”

“In the USA, our lives are so stressed. We complain about many things,” Jeter said. “After going through this experience, you really can't complain about anything else after living with these people and seeing what little they have to live with.”

Ethiopian returns home to gain experience

by Cindy A. Abole, Public Relations

For College of Medicine sophomore Leelie Selassie, traveling to Ethiopia wasn’t just an adventure spent working to gain valuable medical experience, it was also a chance to go home.

Selassie, who grew up in Ethiopia, spent three weeks in Ethiopia’s capitol of Addis Ababa, visiting relatives and completing an exciting two-week medical volunteer experience at the Black Lion Hospital.

Selassie is enrolled in the College of Medicine’s Parallel Curriculum program, a two-year program which pitches problem-based learning utilizing feedback from peers and small group facilitation.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” said Selassie, who spent most of her time completing volunteer work in internal medicine, neurology and cardiology. Her experience in the Parallel Curriculum program readied her to complete physical diagnoses and other clinical work within her first year of medical school.

Her knowledge of Ethiopia’s official language, Amharic, was helpful in applying her skills and knowledge as an American medical student to native medical terminology and conversation with patients.

Last fall, Selassie enrolled in an extracurricular class titled “Introduction to International Study” offered by Carol Savage, Ph.D., College of Medicine. Established as a multi-disciplined course in 1996, Savage introduces students to international medicine through volunteer experiences. Intended for MUSC students planning summer learning opportunities abroad, the course provides valuable information through speaker's shared experiences, programs and fund raising ideas. Selassie received one credit hour for completing the 11-week class.

“The experience provided me with more learning in a different environment,” said Selassie, who previously volunteered in a Swedish/Ethiopian-sponsored tuberculosis and leprosy clinic. “It was great to work with some really phenomenal physicians.” Although she’s undecided about her specialty in medicine at this time, Selassie hopes to someday return to her native Ethiopia to establish and support a health clinic.

For more information about the College of Medicine's Introduction to International Study course, contact Savage at 792-2085. This fall, the class will be held on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 15.