Exeter Wollega Link - Blog

Exeter Wollega Link

Last day comes around too soon, by Dr. Julie Thacker

25/4/2015

Yesterday day was the last full day for Team 1. We spent it teaching at the university and at the bedside in the hospital.

Angela and Ian awarded certificates to the first group of Wollega staff to complete the Doctors as Teachers course. Dr Eba attended and it turned into a very heart warming and enjoyable celebration. Next week, Angela and Ian will run the course again; this time for the GP's that teach the medical students here in Wollega.

Angela, Ian and their first cohort of Doctors as Teachers graduates

Joe continued with his mission to teach resuscitation skills to everyone in Africa using simulation. This has been a huge success! The last session that I observed, the GP's were running the sessions for the medical students, with Joe just playing a supporting role. We hope that this will continue into the future. We have left a Resus Annie manikin with the university for their clinical skills lab.

Our students have been working hard, teaching examination skills and making close, mutually supportive links with the students here.

Our last evening with our Ethiopian colleagues

My last fetira of the trip

Nick and I have been teaching in the local hospital. It is a challenging environment. There are a lot of very ill people there, with not a lot of available treatments. It is a frustrating place for the medical staff to work - they are good clinicians, but even when they have the diagnosis, there is often little they can do for the patients except patch them up.

We had a wonderful last evening. Dr Eba and his colleagues took us all out for a last dinner together. It was very emotional for all of us, but a happy time nine the less.

We are off to Addis at 1pm today. We need to go and buy food and lots and lots of water for the trip. The next time I write - I will be home!

6.58pm - it's getting dark in Nekemte, by Dr. Julie Thacker

21/4/2015

The last 2 days have been incredibly hot - even the locals think so! When the temperature dropped to 30 degrees, it felt really comfortable!

Another busy day for us all today. Angela and Ian led another morning of Doctors as Teachers, ably assisted by Callie, Nick and Dan. Joe, Timo and Annie led more simulation training for the GP's. This afternoon, Nick and I walked down to the hospital for our pre-arranged teaching with the year 3 students, this time on the cardiovascular system. We began with groups of about 8 each and ended up with about 15 each! We saw some fascinating medicine and really enjoyed learning with the students. The others spent the afternoon teaching the year 2 students on examination of the respiratory system. They then joined us at the hospital and we walked home together through the town. We all stopped for a delicious juice at the tiny juice bar next to the hotel.

Students from both medical schools making friends with one another at the hospital

Nick and Ian loving the juice bar!

Team 2 arriving this afternoon, by Dr. Julie Thacker

19/4/2015

I am writing this sitting in the back garden of the hotel. It is just after 2pm local time (12pm in the UK. The hotel restaurant is full of local people in their best dress, enjoying a weekend dinner together. Behind me is the coffee room where a lady constantly brews hot, strong buna coffee over a little fire. She burns incense on the fire too, so the whole garden is filled with magical perfume.

It is noisy in Nekemte today! There have been several weddings and the wedding parties drive around town in decorated cars and trucks. Everyone that sees them honks their car horn and cheers. It is deafening, but a very happy sound!

Our team member, Tom, left for Addis this morning. We were all very sad to see him go, but unfortunately, he has to go back to work next week. Happily, 3 of the GP's that have befriended us are travelling to Addis today too, so he has good company for the trip.

The big excitement is that our colleagues from home, Team 2, are arriving this afternoon. They are Dr Ian Fussell (Community SubDean), Dr Nick Walker (GP), Angela Lait (Clinical Skills Tutor), Callie Simmonds (year 4) and Dan Nash (year 4). We will not be able to let the grass grow under their feet as our Doctors as Teachers course starts at 9am tomorrow morning in the University. We will have to spend this evening working out how to divide the workload between us. While Angela and Ian deliver the DaT course to the Wollega GP's, the rest of us will be teaching the Wollega students, so that they do not miss out while their teachers are busy with DaT. Dr Eba has asked if we could include the teachers who teach medical sciences and microbiology in our sessions. All welcome - the more the merrier!

Timo, Annie, Callie and Dan are hoping to work on a medical ethics programme with the Wollega students. Hours of work have gone into the preparation of the resources for this - well done guys!

Here is a picture of Team 1 before Tom's departure this morning.

Team 1 (Left to right: Annie, Joe, Timo, Tom and me)

Greetings from Ethiopia, by Dr. Julie Thacker

17/4/2015

We are in Nekemte, Western Ethiopia!

This time I am accompanied by Dr Joe Collinson and Dr Tom Brown (F2's) and Timo Tolppa (year 4 PCMD) and Annie Wood (year 3 PCMD). We are Team 1. Team 2 are arriving in 2 days time. They are Dr Ian Fussell (Community SubDean PCMD), Angela Lait (Clinical Skills Tutor PCMD), Dr Nick Walker (GP), Daniel Nash (year 4 PCMD) and Callie Simmonds (year 4 PCMD).

By staggering our visits, we have managed to cover nearly 3 weeks of the University of Wollega Medical School term time.

So far this week, Tom and Joe have been doing a lot of work, teaching the year 2 and 3 students how to manage an acutely ill patient, using simulation - something that the students have never done before. It has gone down an absolute storm! They have also been teaching this to the junior doctors that teach the students. By the end of this morning, the Ethiopian junior docs were putting Joe through his paces. They have really enjoyed learning this new method of teaching and we hope to support them further next week as they embark on using it with their own students!

Timo and Annie have been very busy meeting with the Wollega students and learning about the way that they learn medicine here in Ethiopia. There has been fast and furious exchanging of email addresses which will enable our students and junior doctors to stay in touch with their Ethiopian counterparts, when the visit comes to an end.

We have made many new friends already on this visit and we are looking forward to carrying this new friendship forward in the future.

Tom and Joe in action teaching the Wollega Students!

The Wollega junior doctors leading the session, with Joe as the student.

I have spent time meeting with the senior medical school and university staff here. They are only too keen to share information and ideas with us. We have spoken at length about setting up research links with the medical school here, which will be of huge benefit to both sides.

We have talked about our next visit which will be dedicated to assessment, scheduled to take place in autumn 2015. We have also started talking about our third visit which will be to run a national educational conference. Dr Eba, Vice President of Wollega University, is especially enthusiastic about this. We are hoping that there will be presentations and posters from both sides - it is a really exciting project!

End of session feedback - junior doctors from both countries working together.

Like on our last visit, we have been overwhelmed with kindness and hospitality - so much so, we are starting to avoid meals if we are to avoid bursting!

Tomorrow we are hoping to run a mini specialty half day on diabetes; with a talk on long term management, lead by Timo and Annie, some simulation scenarios, lead by Tom and Joe and I will be doing some bedside teaching in the hospital next door.

I'll keep you posted!

Breakfast in Ethiopia before another busy day - left to right, my lovely Team 1, Tom, Joe, Annie and Timo.

I've added some pictures to give you a flavour of our visit.

Yours
Julie
Hospital SubDean Truro

Ethiopia Videos from Dr. Julie Thacker

3/5/2014

Dr. Julie Thacker has shared some videos for everyone to see of her recent trip at Ethiopia last month. Please watch the videos and read the corresponding segments (written by Dr. Julie Thacker).

Driving between Addis Ababa and Nekemte, Ethiopia. April 2014

The journey from Addis to Nekemte takes about 7 hours by 4x4. The road is tarmaced all of the way now - when Rob and the students went it was a much harder trip.
Addis is on high ground, high enough to get altitude sickness, with a lower plain between the two. The mountains are very beautiful - lush and green. You pass through many villages and little towns on the way - you see some in the videos. Cattle, goats, dogs, people, hyenas and I even saw a monkey, wander across the road, taking their lives in their hands...

Palm Sunday Procession. Nekemte, Ethiopia. April 2014.

I heard the Palm Sunday Procession from my room at the hotel and ran down to watch. So many people were singing and dancing - it was a joyous occasion. If you look closely, you can see many people wearing head bands made of palm leaves.

Wedding in Nekemte, Ethiopia with bajaj taxi guard of honour! April 2014.

I also heard the sound of the wedding procession from my room, while I was preparing a lecture. One of the bajaj (little taxi) drivers was getting married. His friends provided the guard of honour for him. It was funny, sweet and uplifting to watch, all at the same time.

Early morning view from the lecture room. Nekemte Hospital Ethiopia. April 2014.

The view from the lecture room is my favourite clip, taken at 8.20 in the morning. It was so beautiful and peaceful and also not too hot, as the sun was still quite low in the sky. I taught here a few times; once with Rob in a joint session on renal disease.

Exeter Wollega Link on BBC Radio Cornwall - Listen Here!

16/4/2014

Hope you all were able to tune in to BBC Radio Cornwall on Saturday morning, 12th of April! Exeter Wollega Link was featured in the news segments on the Donna Birrell morning show - this includes the Skype interview with Dr. Julie Thacker! In case you missed it, we were able to access the full recording and capture ALL of the segments. Please feel free to download and listen to the mp3 provided below! (NOTE: If you are using Google Chrome or Firefox, clicking on the download link will open the mp3 with the browser’s audio player; thereby allowing you to listen to the audio file without downloading it. If you would like to download the audio file using Chrome or Firefox, please right click on “Download File” and click “Save link as...”)

Related Blog Posts: Travelling to Ethiopia with a Pathology Lab Microtome, by Dr Rob Marshall

2014.04.12 BBC Radio Cornwall (all segments).mp3
File Size:	6800 kb
File Type:	mp3

It's Hot, Hot, Hot in Nekemte Today....., by Dr Julie Thacker

12/4/2014

There was a huge thunderstorm overnight - crashing, banging and lashing with rain. Still managed to sleep well - the heat seems to leave me shattered at the end ofthe day. Anyway, woke to beautiful blue skies and a very busy Nekemte. The call to prayer started early - most Ethiopians are orthodox Christians and many attend church on both Saturday and Sunday. I tucked away a delicious fetira (pancake with honey) and chai and set off for the hospital lecture room, ready to start at 8.30. When I got to the hospital, there was a large crowd of people surrounding the hospital gates. The gates had been barred and no one was allowed in - when the hospital is full, it is full and that is that..

I sat in the doorway of the lecture room for a few minutes while the students were getting their books out, looking out over the view of Nekemte. The birds were singing and we were surrounded by lush greenery, coloured with bougainvillea and hibiscus. Not a bad place to spend some time learning with a great bunch of young people!

The students had asked to do a session on diabetes, following on from a young patient we saw together on the ward yesterday. 28 years old, diabetes for 10 years, under treated for most of that time due to all the difficulties of managing this condition here, now presenting blind in one eye, with what looks like end stage renal failure and congestive cardiac failure. This appears to be all too common here and getting worse as the Ethiopians westernise their culture.

We had a great session - lots of hard work, but lots of laughing too. After we were done, we all walked back to the town centre where I am staying. They think my big floppy hat is hilarious - they may have a point! By the time we had started to walk back, the sun was high in the sky. - it was baking.

I spent the rest of the afternoon hiding in the shade of the Internet cafe, working on our report of the visit.

Looks like another thunderstorm may be on the cards for tonight...

Yours

Julie

Exeter Wollega Link On BBC Radio Cornwall Again!

12/4/2014

Good news! Exeter Wollega Link will be featured on BBC Radio Cornwall again! Dr. Julie Thacker from Exeter Wollega Link will be interviewed in the Donna Birrell morning show, today Saturday 12 April. Tune in to BBC Radio Cornwall 95.2 FM DAB at 6:20am to listen to the featured interview!

You can also listen to the show live on the internet by visiting: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_cornwall

We hope you enjoy the show!

Busy Day! by Dr. Julie Thacker

11/4/2014

Another busy day. Went to teach on ward to find I had been allocated 16 students for bedside teaching in one group. It takes a long time and a very patient patient to endure that many goes at listening to the heart, including me!
Great bunch though - lots of laughs.
This lady enjoyed being part of the teaching!
Rob off early tomorrow - he has donated his left over bananas as a parting gift.
See you all soon,
Love,
Julie

Note: Some faces in this photo have been blurred for privacy reasons.

Ethiopia… & Photos of Wollega University, by Dr. Julie Thacker

9/4/2014

Actually, as Ethiopia works on a different calendar to us (including 13 months per year), today's date is 30th July 2006 or 2007 (not sure of the year...). Also, their clock day starts at 06.00am, so what looks like 7am to us is 1am to the Ethiopians. Added to that, Ethiopia is 2 hours ahead of GMT. This makes arranging a time to meet up, for teaching or something, a serious challenge.

Rob and I taught this morning on renal failure. I did the clinical bits and Marshall raised the academic bar by talking about the histology of glomerulonephritis. Once again, the students threw themselves into it completely and worked very hard. We could all learn a lot from their work ethic.

I've spent this pm trying to clear up the mass of emails that have just about crashed my home email account and beginning to write a report that Rob can combine with his to send to all the important bods to keep raising the profile of the link.

Hopefully, tonight will be quiet - we have had a lot of evening meetings to make the most of our time here......cos I'm whacked today!

Yours

Julie

Photos of Wollega University

Click on the photos below to view actual size.