SCOR winners = two very excited Tasha’s!

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

We’ve been talking to the Society of Radiographers prize winners about how they felt when they found out that they had won the opportunity of a lifetime, and what they hope to achieve during their time away…

“I am so excited about this opportunity.  I never thought I would win with all the other highly talented students out there so I am honoured.  Today I got the call from Simon to start discussing what country I would be interested in going to – very distracting when I am studying for my exams next week!  Work the World offers a variety of countries so I am looking forward to sitting down after my exams and going through each destination in detail to see which one appeals the most.  A reward after the hours of revising and sitting exams.  From first impressions I would like to travel to Peru or Ghana, but I need to do more research before I decide.  I would like to experience a more rural hospital to see how radiography is applied there compared to the UK.  While abroad I hope to spend time in the community and experience local customs and traditional meals.” Tasha Kirby

“On hearing that I was a winner of the competition I was ecstatic! It was the best Christmas present ever and for days it felt like a dream. It was so surreal – to go work in Africa has always been an aspiration and to think I was chosen makes it extremely rewarding.  I have been in touch with Work the World, so it already feels like my journey has begun. Each time I speak with the team I get more excited – if that’s possible! I’m planning my trip for June time, which won’t come soon enough, but will be so satisfying after exams! I cant wait to go and experience the vast differences in culture, religion and ultimately healthcare. Meeting new people is something I love and although their healthcare systems may not be as privileged as ours today, I know there will be so much to learn from them and it will be a life changing experience.’ Tasha Jevdett

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Pigeon Island – travelling in Sri Lanka

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

As everyone knows, Sri Lanka is an island. But there are few more other small islands around Sri Lanka that are not so well known.

“Pigeon Island” is in Trincomalee, in the the north part of Sri Lanka, a 5 hours journey by bus. It’s long journey but the trick is to travel on a Friday after placement so you save time travelling and have the following day on the beach.

The Trincomalee beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka – white sand with blue water. There are no waves, so you can walk in to the sea for about 500m and still the water will be up to your waist. In ”Nilaveli”, which is about 10KM from Trincomalee, you have the amazing “Pigeon Island” and the best parts of the beach.

In Pigeon Island you can scuba Dive and do snorkeling – it is like the Discovery Channel in front of your eyes, only this time it’s for real…..

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Want to take something with you? Kayleigh has some tips!

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

The most important thing I brought with me on my midwifery placement to Tanzania was equipment donations for the hospital. My friend and I managed to take out alcohol gel, goggles, plastic aprons, gloves, baby clothes and sterile needles and syringes. We also left the staff our scrubs and theatre clogs when we left. Giving the staff our donations on our last day really was the best part of our trip; they were so grateful and got so excited as they delved into the bags! They also insisted on dressing up every baby on the ward in a western baby grow. I have such lovely photos of that moment and the memories of it will stay with me forever, it was such a small thing for us but such a help to them, as they are very underfunded. I really would recommend bringing your own scrubs with you anyways, as the hospital did not have a lot of them. Plus it is safer for you and the patients if you are not transporting germs to and from the hospital- just as it is in England.

Joanna Sillince 2 150x150 Want to take something with you? Kayleigh has some tips!

Newborn babies

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Sigiriya – one of the wonders of the world

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

“Sigiriya” is one of the most recommended places to visit in srilanka.It used to be one of the 7 wonders in the world. It’s a fortress of a king who used to live in Sri Lanka in early days. Most of our students go to visit Sigiriya on a weekday since this can be done during a day. So they can save weekends for more beach time. It’s a 2 and a half hour drive from Kandy. And it’s a 45 minutes climb. If you go in an evening you can witness the Sunset.

Plus you can take some lovely pictures from up there. Even maybe some New Profile Pictures…..

Sigira 150x150 Sigiriya one of the wonders of the world

Sigiriya

On top of Sigiriya 150x150 Sigiriya one of the wonders of the world

On top of Sigiriya

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Elective fundraising tips – how to write a press release for newspaper and radio

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

One great way to raise funds for your placement is to increase awareness of your elective in the community in which you live or study. It can lead to huge public interest and in some cases, sponsorship from locals or businesses. The most interesting one we’ve heard so far is a student who managed to get the local amateur dramatic group to donate two nights worth of takings towards his placement!

The best way to get your story to lots of people quickly is to send it to radio stations and newspapers, that way all the publicity is done for you. The problem is that you are one of hundreds of elective students appealing for sponsorship in a pile of millions of potentially newsworthy stories. Why would they pick yours to publish? Well they won’t if you don’t put in a bit of effort and follow the correct procedures! The good news is that we’re here to guide you through the process of dealing with the media and give you the best possible chance of reaching the eyes and ears of your local community.

Who should I approach?

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NHS midwifery skills fade …. can we learn from Tanzania’s delivery rooms?

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

When I embarked on my midwifery elective to Dar Es Salaam, I was unsure as to how it would apply to my current practice within the NHS in England. What I was sure of was that it would be an eye-opening experience. In fact when I stepped into the hospital on the first day I realised that even this was a huge understatement – it was under resourced, struggling with funding and had huge cultural differences.

Abby 2009 4 150x150 NHS midwifery skills fade .... can we learn from Tanzanias delivery rooms?

Maternity practices are very different

Southampton, the city in which I am a studying,  has a growing population of ethnic minorities and I’ve found that we are caring for more and more  African women within the maternity service. I was keen to learn more about the cultural practices around pregnancy and childbirth so that I could feel more prepared to care for them.

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Winner of SCOR comp shares her Sri Lankan experience

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

When I applied for the World the World competition, I was thinking what a unique experience to learn a different culture’s way of working and living. When I won, I knew it would be the shaping of me as a radiographer and as a person.

Alison April 10 51 150x150 Winner of SCOR comp shares her Sri Lankan experience

Life in Sri Lanka

Work the World provided such great support, both in the UK and in the host country. Whilst in Sri Lanka Kavinda (programme manager) and Nili(assistant manager) became my friends and family – they were vital to the success of my placement. For example, Kavinda ensures that the departments are content with the individual students participating in their hospitals.

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SCOR winners are announced!

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

The Society of Radiographers has announced the winners of their 2011 competition.

Natasha Kirby and Natasha Jevdet, both diagnostic imaging students, will each receive an international elective placement of up to four weeks to be taken in 2012.

Both winners had to submit an 800-word personal statement, including what they hoped to achieve from the elective placement, what they would give to the host country and the personal qualities that would enable them to deliver this.

Natasha Kirby, currently studying at London South Bank University, wrote of her desire to experience diagnostic radiography in Ghana. She is particularly interested in understanding how poverty, poor sanitation and educational problems are overcome to deliver an effective and safe hospital environment.

As well as looking at how the patient journey from incident to diagnosis and then treatment may vary from a cultural perspective, Natasha would also be interested to explore the use of traditional healing alongside medical approaches.

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The weekly question – how are you finding the language lessons?

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

Every week we provide you with free language lessons in each of the Work the World houses which help you communicate with patients and locals (most doctors speak English), and a paid for intensive course in Argentina that aims to improve your basic skills to a level in which you can understand and work in a wholly Spanish speaking environment. This week we asked the students how they were getting on with these lessons.

In Arusha, Steph told us that “The Swahili lessons have been good so far. We started with greetings which have been helpful and we tend to practice it around the house a bit. Knowing the basics is really helpful in town and on placement” Rachel added “We’re learning lots of useful words and phrases for hospital and around town. And there are loads of chances to practice as everyone is so friendly and talks to you”

Lucy thinks that “The lessons are very well selected and really useful. We like the songs and he has a good manner with his students. There are plenty of chances to practice around town and people are impressed by our Swahili – everyone wants to talk to the Mzungus!”

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The top ten…. diseases in Nepal

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

Top 10 (Inpatients)

  1. COPD  (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  2. CVA  (Cerebral vascular accident)
  3. Birth asphyxia
  4. PLWHA (People Living With HIV/AIDS)
  5. Septicemia
  6. NIDDM  (Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus)
  7. Pneumonia
  8. MI  (Myocardial infarction)
  9. ADS (Acute Death Syndrome)
  10. IHD (Ischaemic heart disease)

Top 10 (outpatients)

  1. Pneumonia
  2. GE
  3. EF
  4. Appendicitis
  5. COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  6. RTI (Respitory tract infections)
  7. Injury / Dislocation
  8. Hepatitis
  9. Pyrexia
  10. Sepsis

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