Senior Elective

Arrival was smooth and transition from the airport to Cape Coast was very easy. Only thing that was a little difficult to manage was contacting Augustine when coming out of the airport. I happened to use a taxi-driver’s phone number. Other than that, although it was exhausting to journey further after traveling for long hours, I think it was worth just heading to Cape Coast and resting once and for all.

The House
The house was very comfortable and had every amenity that is needed. My only suggestion is regarding the key. I think there is a way to make sure individuals can have a key so as to not have to ask someone to let them in (and thus disrupt their day as well). Solutions could be perhaps a lock box or asking individuals to place a deposit for a key so that in case it is lost, there are funds to replace the locks. The room was comfortable and I felt that after my initial adjustment to the heat, having the fan was adequate in staying comfortable at night. In terms of cooking, the house mother was not around, and this was not a problem for us because we all cooked in turns and helped out, however, I could see it being a bigger problem if individuals who come in the future do not like cooking.

Weekends
I think weekends were well spent. I would encourage people to take initiative to go places if they want to. Maybe a written guide could be provided? As someone who feels comfortable traveling alone, I wouldn’t have minded catching tro-tro’s or taxi’s if I knew where to catch them/directions.

Hospital
Most all people at the hospital were very welcoming. I had a fantastic experience on the internal medicine team and was fortunate to have individuals on the team who helped me a lot. I would have liked an overall orientation of the hospital and how different services worked on the first day, especially for things like the surgical suite, where the canteen is, lectures, etc. Nurses were helpful and so were house officers. I do think the issue of “having a letter” should be addressed early and students should be reminded to keep it at all times. The medical director’s secretary is not always available to start introductions with the chairs and the chairs of departments are not always available readily to give students an assignment. Most of the time the recommendation I was given was to just find a consultant since they are regularly around and join the team. I had some people who never asked for the letter and some people that did – it was kind of uncertain.