Physician Assistant Clinical Rotations in Africa

I had a fantastic time abroad with Elective Africa. They were present every step of the way, from pre-departure planning to the entire stay. They coordinated our clinical experience, accommodations, transportation, and additional excursions in the area. My classmates and I enjoyed exploring the area and learning more about African culture and lifestyle with a visit to an orphanage, primary school, and a city tour. This was a unique experience that broadened my perspective on healthcare and patient care.

I had an amazing time during my placement in Mombasa, Kenya. The hospital was extremely welcoming, the people were all very friendly. I am looking forward to being able to go back after I start my career. The other students were very helpful when it came to familiarizing myself with the city and the hospital.

I had an awesome experience with EA. I learned so much during my placement at a regional hospital there and met friends that I continue to keep in touch with even while home. I hope to return one day and would recommend this program to anyone.

I spent 4 weeks at coast general hospital In Mombasa and it was truly a unique and life changing experience. I don't think I was initially prepared for the stark difference that this public hospital had from hospitals in the United States. I rotated through medical wards, pediatrics, obs/gyn, and the ER while I was there. At each area I was able to practice skills and become proficient at them. I was able to learn about how treatments for certain diseases are different and the same here to the United States. I think that this is a great experience to really get better at your physical exam techniques as many of the testing resources that we so quickly turn to in the United States are either not available or to expensive for patients. It was also interesting because there are no physician assistants here, but the role is likened to the clinical officer. There are many medical, nursing and clinical officers rotating throughout the hospital. As far as my time outside the hospital, I was a little disappointed that there was no other students which would have made my experience more fun to have someone to go explore the city with, but I came at time where there was recent travel advisories for Americans visiting so I understand that there is nothing the program can do about that. I did meet a previous elective africa student while here and he expressed how much fun it was when there were other students. The apartment is an easy 20 minute walk to the beach which was amazing and you could easily go after a day at the hospital. Overall I had a great experience and would recommend it to anyone!

I completed the past four weeks at Mt Meru Regional Hospital as my final elective in community medicine. I came into the program with an open mind and the willingness to learn and the program itself exceeded my expectations. Phabian was a wonderful coordinator and was there every step of the way to help in whatever I needed. I went through multiple areas in the hospital and Phabian was able to coordinate everything I needed and responded promptly to my requests. I was able to get what I wanted to from the experience at the hospital as well and went through various wards. I know I would have never gotten this experience at home and can go home knowing that this will carry on with me through my career as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the Tengeru coffee plantation recommended by Phabian and seeing the children at Neema's House. Phabian showed up in the afternoon and escorted us there. It was great and I would highly recommend taking advantage of those opportunities. It is great to see so many people putting forth the time and effort to help others in need and I'm glad I could experience that while I stayed here.