Learning

Mike in front of the hospital

As we mentioned previously, Mike and I are taking a Tropical Medicine in Practice Course (TMIP) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre this month. It is a practical extension of the 3-month Tropical Medicine course in Liverpool, England. There are about 16 students--most of them from the UK. Some of them just finished the course at Liverpool and are at the beginning of their careers with hopes to someday work abroad, and others are just finishing their careers as neurologists, surgeons, hematologists and are wanting to do something different in retirement. And then there is Mike and I who are just trying to get a grasp of medicine in Malawi.

The medical department in morning report

It's been a great course with good didactic teaching and great practical experience. The staff here are also involved in teaching the medical students, so the schedule reminds us a lot of our medical school days with morning reports, ward rounds and case presentations. And a lot of pimping of the medical students--it brings back memories.

There is some talk of starting a medical school "campus-extension" in Lilongwe. The medical school is growing from 8 students to 30 and now to 60 a year and there is a need for more places for the students to get their practical training. It's possible that Partners in Hope would be part of this extension which would be quite exciting for us. We would like to be a part of training future doctors and health care providers for Malawi.

Some of the other TMIP students seeing patients on the wards