Nursing Electives and Internships Abroad

The only downside is the communication in the hospital, I was supposed to be rotated to different departments but the nurse in charge didn't not respond to my calls or the calls from coach in practice. Overall the experience was excellent with lots of support from coach in practice (Salome) who help me to settle and checked on me very week. She also call on me to make sure I was fine.

I was impressed with the organisation of the program before arriving, and once in Mombassa there was always someone to contact to ask anything if needed. In terms of the actual placement and time in the hospital, the experience was absolutely fantastic, something that I will never forget. I started off on pediatrics, but quickly realised that it was already saturated with student nurses and decided to move to the Emergency Department. I spend most of the time in the Minor Surgery section of this department, and loved every minute, the staff were welcoming, friendly and eager to teach me things, always encouraging hands on work. The department closed early, so myself and the other volunteer tended to have the afternoons off as our department because very quiet. We also dipped in and out of other departments, observing surgery and and maternity. At the accommodation we had the opportunity to take Swahili lessons. The Swahili teacher was very patient and tailored the lessons to what I wanted to learn. But at the same time, you got out of it what you put in because attendance was optional. The location of the accommodation was good and had easy access to shops, cafes, the sea, a swimming pool and locals to make friends with. It was very clean and well looked after. However, if I were to return, I would probably find different accommodation, simply because felt very separated and did not feel immersed in the culture and typical daily life of locals in Mombassa. I think that living with a host family I would have learn more about the cultural differences and felt more involved.

In January of 2018, I went to Mombasa, Kenya for two weeks to volunteer in Coast General hospital as a pre-nursing student. The experience I had while in Kenya was absolutely life changing. Each day we helped in our assigned wards from 8am-1pm. As a pre-nursing student from the United States, I was able to do things at Coast General that I wouldn't be able to do here. I helped in the labor ward with giving injections, delivering babies and placentas, and cutting the umbilical cords. Seeing how different the healthcare system in Kenya was compared to the US helps to make me a well-rounded nurse. Getting such hands on experience before starting nursing clinical helped me when I was being taught them this past semester. The doctors and nurses are able to communicate with you, but may have some broken english. However, twice a week we had Swahili lessons held at the apartment, which helped with identifying certain words when listening to the doctors communicate to each other. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, I never once felt unsafe while on the trip. Aside from the hospital, the other students and I visited "the slums" and an orphanage. On the weekend, the students and I decided to travel to Diani Beach, about two hours away! We also went to the movie theatre, restaurants, and the mall during our free time. The apartment was spacious and felt like home. There was a cook who prepared three hot meals for us each day. We also had transportation to the hospital, and paid a small fee to take a tuk-tuk back after the shift ended. I would recommend this trip to anybody, especially health science majors so that you can get a safe experience seeing how other countries medical systems work.

I am currently a registered nurse in Melbourne, Australia and recently returned from volunteering in Migori, Kenya with Elective Africa. I don't think anything could have prepared me for what this experience was. Being the only white person in this rural village made me extremely nervous. However, as soon as I arrived, I was warmly welcomed and could not have been looked after better and feel more safe. I arrived in Nairobi, where I was collected by Richard, from elective Africa. He took me to a very comfortable hotel for the night. The following morning Richard again collected me from Hotel and took me to the local bus stop and helped me buy a ticket and get on the right bus. About a 10hour trip I arrived in Migori, and was met by another team member, Salome and Violet. They both took there time in showing me the town and took me to my apartment. Here I had someone assist me with washing, and cooking me meals. The apartment was very safe and had a 24 hour security guard on site. I was collected each morning and taken to the hospital and chose to walk home daily (approx. 30-40mins), which was a great time to reflect on the day. I was given the option for many activities on my days off by Salome which included visiting Victoria Lake (Africa's largest lake), local women's group, church, and a local orphanage, all incredible experiences and a great way to feel apart of the town and get involved in the local culture. My time at the hospital was something so special to me and something I will hold close to my heart forever. I saw so many things and got involved in so many procedures that I wouldn't get to experience here in Australia. A real eye opener, and something I believe has made me stronger and more aware of people living in such poverty. I spent my time there experiencing many departments including the causality department, children's ward and Maternity. Though I am not a midwife, I was able to assist and deliver babies!! It was so special. And even got to spend a day in the theatre with one of the surgeons. The experience was also very challenging due to lack of resources to what I am used to back home. Seeing people and especially children suffer so much with the lack of pain relief was quite hard to see at times, and sometimes all you can show is compassion and wipe away the tears. I could not recommend Elective Africa more for volunteering in Africa. From the day I sent my first email enquiring, it was very easy to talk to them in the organising process leading up to it, and everything was made clear and simple. It was also very easy to talk to them while I was in Kenya if I had any queries or concerns. I honestly believe every nurse should experience this in their career at some point!!

This opportunity was given to me by a partnership between my university (Princeton University) and Elective Africa. I worked in Levolosi Health Center, a public clinic in Arusha, mainly in the minor theater, where I assisted and later oversaw other performing minor procedures such as cleaning/dressing wounds, sutures, and circumcisions. The doctor in charge of the theater, Dr. Jonas, was very informative and kind, and instructed us in basic skills such as changing dressings and wrapping wounds at first, and later more complicated tasks such as assisting directly in circumcisions. Since I had an 8 week internship, for the first few weeks I was mainly involved in observing the doctor, but later felt more comfortable to assist the doctor directly, such as handing tools needed during circumcisions and stopping any bleeding areas. Later the other interns and I organized a fundraiser from friends and family to raise money, which was then used to by supplies that the hospital constantly lacked, such as gloves, gauze, and surgical tools. The accommodations are quite nice, and the staff does a good job to make sure everyone is well taken care of and has all they need. For example, despite having electricity and water problems, our local coordinator would be ready to answer our phone calls and come to the residence to fix the issue.