Electives In Tanzania

The clinical facilities in Dar es Salaam are among the best in Tanzania. This means that nurses will be able to draw from a well of knowledge that can’t be accessed anywhere else. You can focus in on specific areas like paediatric HIV, or — if you wish to get an interdepartmental understanding of nursing in Tanzania — you have the option to do so. With a broad range of clinical specialities available, the choice is entirely yours. Please note that we cater to all branches of nursing.

In Dar es Salaam, HIV and related cases are considerable issues. As such, you can attend an HIV clinic to get insight into how the condition is treated in a low-resource environment. Of course, you can also see how Tanzanian medicine is practised in areas like paediatrics, surgical wards like neurosurgery, and the infectious diseases unit. Speaking of infectious diseases, both communicable and non-communicable diseases are treated in A&E, with little attention paid to infection control. We also have fantastic opportunities on the psychiatric ward and in anaesthesiology.

We have excellent relationships with national and regional hospitals in Dar es Salaam, one of which is the largest tertiary referral hospital in the country. The maternity ward here is busy, and offers students the chance to get experience with conventional deliveries and in OBG. However the placement is not limited to these areas. There is also every opportunity to get involved in areas like neonatal intensive care.

In Dar es Salaam, the biggest causes of critical injury are road traffic accidents. The standards of road safety and traffic etiquette are somewhat different from what you’re used to. As a result, many more traffic accidents occur. That said, the range of injuries you see will be diverse. In our main partner hospital — a dedicated orthopaedic institute — you’ll see patients who have been admitted as a result of mining accidents, spinal injuries, serious strokes and more.

Tanzania is seriously lacking in financial resources, and is rarely able to develop its healthcare system. The A&E department in your placement hospital here was only established in 2010. As this is the only A&E of its kind in all of Tanzania, some emergency cases are referred from many hours’ drive away. For some patients, a few hours will be too late. The department is busy, day in, day out. What’s more, doctors and nurses work shifts here, so you’ll get face time with lots of different staff, giving you a breadth of experience.

Radiography students most quickly notice the lack of resource in Dar es Salaam, with particular reference to equipment when faced with analysing cancers. Radiotherapy is rarely offered in hospitals, meaning patients have to travel far and wide to seek care in specialist centres like our partner institutions. This placement is one of great diversity. You’ll see an extraordinary range of cancers, fractures, trauma, road traffic accidents, tuberculosis and HIV related cases, and more. You’ll also witness a stark contrast in the procedural aspects of your field. For example patients are often treated without immobilisation.

We are partnered with one of Dar es Salaam’s most highly-regarded tertiary referral hospitals. Here, we work closely with their busy dental department. You could focus in on areas like oral surgery, oral pathology and oral medicine, in addition to preventative and community dentistry, prosthodontics, periodontology and cariology. You’ll also have the chance to observe cases that are typical in Tanzania. For example, many people suffer from dental fluorosis as a result of water contamination and poor diet.

Trained professionals, hailing from a number of disciplines, staff the rehabilitative medicine department in our main partner hospital. The department receives both inpatients and outpatients, and (on average) sees around 20 patients per day. You can also head out with the team to help conduct home visits. The team also have a presence in the ICU. Typical cases that the rehabilitative medicine department receive include strokes, cerebral palsy, back pain, neuropathies, nerve injuries, contractures, arthritis, post eclampsia to name but a few.