VictoriaMaryBaxter

I finished up my last week in Rugazi and have completed our two-week rotation at the Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. I worked in the Toto and Natasha wards (malnutrition) as well as Pediatric Admissions and Outpatient Department. The latter two were definitely my favourite as I enjoyed listening to the differentials and learning more about the Ugandan healthcare system. One case that stood out to me was a jaundice baby that was born with a defective liver. The doctor in the room informed me that organ transplants are not done in Uganda so the mother would have to take the baby to another country, which she likely could not afford, and thus the baby was going to die. The following week one of the nutrition students and myself gave an impromptu nutrition talk on hypertension in ... read more

After 1 week in Rugazi, we returned to Mbarara to receive the week long community training. The training was very slow and we often went over the scheduled end time, sometimes more than an hour. I found it difficult to stay engaged and focused because the teaching style was different than I’m used to as it was very slow with many rhetorical questions and too much time be allotted for students to try and come up with examples. We are now in Rugazi but unfortunately we discovered there is no water and we are not sure when it will return. I’m curious what the clinical work will be like now that all the Ugandan students are here and Dr. Amber is gone. I’m hoping it will be as fulfilling as our first week in Rugazi. ... read more

May 30th marked my birthday as well as two weeks that I’ve been living in Uganda! Celebrating my birthday in Africa was definitely a first me, but my fellow QES scholars made it special. A birthday cake lit with a match (we had no candles) made my day. Excited for what the coming weeks are going to bring!... read more