Medical Education

So I’ve had several people ask about the medical education in Kenya. I am by no means an expert so the following is a compilation of speaking with other staff and searching a bit on the Internet. If someone finds something that is in error, feel free to point it out and I’ll correct it.

As I mentioned before I work with Clinical Officers (COs) in casualty. Again, the training they undergo would be most like that of mid-level providers in the states. They attend primary and secondary schools and then attend college (it seems as though these are mostly 3 year degrees.) After this they complete a one year internship (at Tenwek, this occurs alongside the Medical Officers (MOs). After this training is complete they can pursue their careers. We have many that work at Tenwek in the Outpatient Department. Part of my job as a consultant is to oversee their work and be available to give advice and direction on difficult cases.

Medical Officers go a route similar to that of medical students in the U.S. They also must go through primary and secondary schools. They then move on to medical school, which is five years. After this they enter into an internship program as well. Upon completion of internship, they can either enter practice or continue with their education (such as a surgical residency).

As for nurses, it seems as though things are a bit in flux. They also go through primary and secondary schools. After this they attend college (which is a combination of class work and clinical time). From this they obtain a diploma. They can then go through a one-year internship in which they will further strengthen their skills. In the past, there was a certificate in nursing which was a two-year program. This, however, is currently being phased out. I was told that there are still masters level programs in which additional training can be acquired (for example, in nutrition).

With any type of education, there can be some degrees of variation but this is the basic layout for Kenya, as I understand it.

Now for the new responsibilities I mentioned. One of the highly successful programs at Tenwek Hospital has been the internship. This program provides an opportunity for both MOs and COs to receive a high level of training that then allows them to seek government or private jobs. They may also choose to further their training with various residencies. The current director of this program is going to be stepping down. I was offered this position and after discussing it with Steph and after prayerful consideration, I have decided to accept. I’m still learning all the responsibilities that this will entail. What I know so far is that I will be working to organize schedules, educating interns, going to meetings, helping resolve housing/social issues, working through government paperwork, and ensuring the spiritual growth of the interns. I was definitely not expecting this position and I certainly am not qualified for it. Please pray that I can be an effective and efficient leader for the upcoming class (they start in April). There are always issues that arise so I pray that I will have wisdom to know how to best handle these problems when they arise.

Another responsibility that will soon be on my plate is to assist with disaster preparedness for the hospital. The area has seen numerous mass casualty incidents (MCIs) (and there will certainly be many more in the future). There are also some internal issues, which have recently been identified. Developing an organizational plan for MCIs and, more importantly, maintaining a state of readiness, is going to be a difficult undertaking. Again, I would ask that you pray for wisdom to know how best to apply my skills/education in this setting. I am hoping that the knowledge I acquired throughout my master’s degree can be put to use to expand the goals of Tenwek.

Some other major changes are on the horizon for the hospital. In the near future, electronic medical records will be implemented at Tenwek. For those who have gone through this transition, you know how challenging this can be. We also just had a site survey in which preliminary plans for expansion were revealed. Currently the hospital has 299 beds. By the end of construction, there would be approximately 700 beds with larger department sizes and many other improvements that will enhance patient care. It is our hope that these changes will not only allow for improved patient care but that it will also provide more opportunities to share the truth and the love of Jesus Christ.

So that is a brief overview of things. I’ll try to post another update on some additional cases that I have seen soon. The Internet and power have not been as reliable lately so I’m not sure when that will happen exactly.