June 23rd
Hi Everyone!
Today Gayle, Dr. Johnson, Maggie, Michael, Drew, and I went to Bugando to spend time with the neurosurgery and orthopedics teams in the OR. To start the day, we met the neurosurgery team and did rounds on the patients scheduled for operations this week. After sitting in on morning report to hear updates on some of the other patients, we headed to the OR with Dr. James, Dr. Chobo, and many other residents and medical students.
Our OR day began with Maggie scrubbing in with Dr. Chobo on a pediatric VP shunt placement. Maggie said she was amazed at the amazing work Dr. Chobo was able to accomplish with limited instrumentation. To her, it was truly inspiring to see his creative skills shine as he figured out how to repair a complicated depressed skull fracture to ensure the patient wouldn’t need a repeat procedure.
Michael scrubbed in on the skull fracture procedure and was also very impressed with Dr. Chobo’s ability to explore different solutions on the fly to problems that arose during the surgery. However, he was most impressed by Dr. Johnson’s ability to push through jet lag to remain calm and collected while navigating schedule changes, difficulties with instruments, and long procedures throughout the day.
While most of us were wrapped up in neurosurgical cases, Drew scrubbed in with the orthopedics team to place a plate over a femur malunion. He said that even though multiple complications which arose during the case, the surgeon he worked with remained calm and navigated each obstacle with precision, which he fount inspiring.
I began my day scrubbing in with Dr. James and Dr. Johnson to reduce a broken neck and fuse the affected vertebra. This case was particularly fascinating, because we began with a posterior approach and scrubbed out to flip the patient over for the anterior approach. However, the most impactful part of my day was listening to Dr. Johnson discuss each patient with us and the team throughout the day. His primary focus was always patient outcomes and what would be most beneficial for each patient, even if that meant scaling back surgical interventions or trying non-invasive treatments first. Additionally, he took every opportunity to teach the residents, med students, and myself during each procedure, persevering through jet lag to provide us with a great example of a doctor who uses his skills to raise up everyone around him.
Foster
Karly and I split off from the group to visit Fonelisco, which is a children’s orphanage. We first stopped at the market to get corn flour, beans, and sardines for the kids to eat over the next couple of months, and the kiddos were so grateful. We played many games with the kids—who ranged from kindergarten to secondary school. Karly spent time with the primary students, playing soccer and singing and dancing. I was with the secondary students and we jumped rope, played soccer, and I even taught them how to play Duck Duck, Goose, renamed “Bata Bata Kuku” (which is actually “Duck Duck Chicken,” because I like the word kuku).
After that we each did our teaching project. Karly covered the topic of mental health, teaching the younger kids about feelings and emotions, and the older students about healthy coping strategies with stress. And I covered First Aid Basics, through which I taught the children and staff what to if someone is choking, how to treat a wound, how to immobilize a fracture, and more!
Katelyn