Teaching and training
Education is a crucial element of the link, and is very much a two way process. In Hossana, UK staff can assist in the teaching and training of health officers and other clinical trainees, with a view to increasing health care capacity. In Glan Clwyd hospital, it raises awareness of Global Health matters, and inspires fresh approaches to common problems.
Staff from Glan Clwyd visiting Hossana join ward rounds and clinics, and learn from clinicians there about conditions that are common in Ethiopia, and how they are managed. Some of these conditions are seen in both North Wales and Ethiopia – such as pneumonia, diabetes, and many surgical conditions, and we can discuss different approaches to managing them.
Staff from Glan Clwyd visiting Hossana join ward rounds and clinics, and learn from clinicians there about conditions that are common in Ethiopia, and how they are managed. Some of these conditions are seen in both North Wales and Ethiopia – such as pneumonia, diabetes, and many surgical conditions, and we can discuss different approaches to managing them.
Other conditions, such as tuberculosis, malaria, tetanus and HIV/AIDS, are much less common or never seen in the UK, and it provides an opportunity for UK staff to learn about them first hand from our Ethiopian colleagues.
In recent years, each visit to Hossana has included a training course for Health Officer students, Masters students and nurses in Hossana. There are considerable numbers of these students, and the doctors and senior nurses in Hossana have to provide education for them throughout the year as well as attending to their own clinical duties. So Glan Clwyd staff can assist in the education programmes.
These are three day courses, with a very interactive flavour, and include practical sessions, as shown in the photos. Courses have covered emergency obstetrics, neonatal care, paediatric emergency topics, infection control, internal medicine, general surgery topics and trauma care. Practical sessions include scenarios, and use of equipment.
In 2015, a BASIC dhs course was run for medical staff in Hossana, with input from the doctors from Glan Clwyd, working alongside VSO volunteers and local Ethiopian specialist in Hossana.. The course is to enable medical staff to recognise and manage critically ill patients in a developing health setting. The idea of running the course was put forward by Tom Poyser, a VSO volunteer posted to Hossana to assist in the setting up of their adult high dependency unit. The course was established by Charles Gomersall and colleagues from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with input from Medecins Sans Frontieres, and is specifically designed for hospitals such as Hossana. The course ran for three days, and was a great success. Senior medical staff at Hossana are trained now to act as faculty and have already run a follow-up course themselves.
In recent years, each visit to Hossana has included a training course for Health Officer students, Masters students and nurses in Hossana. There are considerable numbers of these students, and the doctors and senior nurses in Hossana have to provide education for them throughout the year as well as attending to their own clinical duties. So Glan Clwyd staff can assist in the education programmes.
These are three day courses, with a very interactive flavour, and include practical sessions, as shown in the photos. Courses have covered emergency obstetrics, neonatal care, paediatric emergency topics, infection control, internal medicine, general surgery topics and trauma care. Practical sessions include scenarios, and use of equipment.
In 2015, a BASIC dhs course was run for medical staff in Hossana, with input from the doctors from Glan Clwyd, working alongside VSO volunteers and local Ethiopian specialist in Hossana.. The course is to enable medical staff to recognise and manage critically ill patients in a developing health setting. The idea of running the course was put forward by Tom Poyser, a VSO volunteer posted to Hossana to assist in the setting up of their adult high dependency unit. The course was established by Charles Gomersall and colleagues from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with input from Medecins Sans Frontieres, and is specifically designed for hospitals such as Hossana. The course ran for three days, and was a great success. Senior medical staff at Hossana are trained now to act as faculty and have already run a follow-up course themselves.
Staff visiting Glan Clwyd hospital from Hossana have given presentations about Hossana hospital and cases encountered there to the hospital grand round meeting, to groups of junior doctors and medical students, and to departments. When feasible, they have joined courses such as the ATLS (acute trauma life support) to boost skills.
There is no doubt that we can all learn from each other!
