courses

Yesterday Michelle, Jill and Keith spend the day intensely preparing for the Basic Surgical Skills Course to be taught today and tomorrow.  This is a hands on course at the simulation centre where junior surgical residents practice many of the techniques they will need in the operating room.  Having the simulation centre is great because without being able to run courses like this the residents are often observing in the OR.  They learn so much more from doing than watching.

I met with my Australian pain colleagues and Drs. Willy and Jeanne yesterday to prepare for the Essential Pain Management Course today and to brainstorm future directions for improving pain management in Rwanda.  The needs are immense so it can be hard to know where to begin.  Nevertheless, we have a great discussion and devised plans to run future EPM Courses, arrange a Pain Education Day and work towards establishing a multidisciplinary pain management unit.  This will take a while but with keen local partners, there is hope.

I spent the afternoon teaching the anesthesia residents.  No power points! We had a great discussion about pre-operative assessment in general and the role of investigations.  Everyone participated actively.     I truly love teaching when people are so hungry to learn.

The street in front of our apartment is finally paved and there is house number!  Prior to this we were on a dirt road and the only directions we had were to take the first street to the left after the Merez gas station.

We are in the front apartment second floor

A street number at last

I have had a GI bug and am resting today but plan to go into the pain course if I feel a bit better.  Thank goodness I am only observing this one.

Michelle and Angelique, the sim coordinator, prepare pig intestine