My trip to Takoradi Ghana
Charlotte Hill (Medicine)

My preparation for my elective in Ghana started in February 2009. I was bored and it was a cold rainy Exeter day so I thought I would cheer myself up by organising my elective. Now, first things first, I am a very lazy person.  My friends were all frantically e-mailing hospitals in far away lands and getting infuriated and impatient with the lack of response and the number of hoops they had to jump through.  Being the lazy and slightly impulsive person I am, I simply made myself a cup of tea and within a few clicks chose Ghana and put my deposit down!

A few tips for preparation
Antimalarials turned out to be a bit of a headache.  I opted for malarone as being blonde, freckly and being very good at getting burnt doxycycline was out of the picture as it can make you more sensitive to the sun.  I also didn't fancy the crazy dreams that some of my friends have had on Larium.  Malarone is expensive but I would recommend it.  I found it for £60 cheaper than occupational health quoted by getting mine online (www.chemistdirect.co.uk). This is totally legitimate website and friends who travel regularly swear by it for their antimalarials.

Pack light. I didn't and regretted it.  Another thing to bear in mind is not to bring too much light coloured clothing as you get really dirty (especially if you are travelling). Ciprofloxacin is a must have.  I got really bad food poisoning and this sorted me out really quickly.

Without trying to sound too cheesy, the best thing to bring with you is an open mind.

The house is lovely and the staff are amazing.  It would not have been the same without them, especially at the Wednesday night BBQs where there is more dancing than you can shake a Fufu stick at.  If you are keen for a little bit of lash and banter (does everyone call it that or is it an Exeter thing?!) then there is the Spot bar just down the hill where you can get a round of drinks for about £1.50. There are also a couple of beautifully air conditioned bars where you can play pool in the evening.

Placement is what you make of it.  As I have said previously an open mind is essential.  You will not change the system, you may not save any lives but you can be very helpful.  My advice would be to spend at least two weeks in each placement.  For the first few days observe, get the feel of it and then jump in.  Be assertive and offer to do things for the staff and they will eventually see you as a helpful member of the team and really value your input.  There was a case that I got very involved with and managed to influence her care for the better by being persistent and going out of my way to carry out full neurological examinations before placement and then presenting my findings to the doctors.  They were certain that she was in a deep coma.  After a few days I was able to convince them that she could follow my fingers and was aware of what was going on.  She made a good progress and was discharged before I left Ghana.

In summary, Ghana was probably the best thing I have done in a long time.  I have met so many awesome people (there is talk of a reunion),  become more assertive and learnt about the power of persistence.  If you are the kind of person that thrives off being receptive and open to new things then this could definitely be perfect for you.  Plus you can laugh at your mates as they are being swabbed for MRSA and have piles of paperwork to do for their electives!