In September 2023, Dr. Ashley Serrette spent two weeks at the Kabale University School of Medicine as the first volunteer at HVO’s pediatric project. The project was initially launched in 2019, but, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteer travel was delayed. The school, located in a rural area of southwest Uganda, was built with the hope that providers would come for training and then stay to practice at the referral hospital. The hospital’s pediatric department currently has only three trained pediatricians, but the school has medical students finishing their classroom years and a newly established residency program.
Dr. Serrette arrived in September 2023 to begin working with these new residents. She was excited to share her expertise in pediatric emergency medicine and acute care and was gratified by how welcoming and participatory everyone was during her stay. She spent two weeks teaching a curriculum specifically developed for her visit. Part of that time was spent reviewing PALS and NRP (Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation Program), an important topic in emergency medicine, and Dr. Serrette found the residents very interested in reviewing these skills. The review included a day of hands-on activities where they simulated cases with the supplies available. They practiced using bag-mask ventilation and compressions on infants, which involves different techniques than would be used on older children and adults. “It was a great session because we were able to troubleshoot and talk through different scenarios,” said Dr. Serrette. “I think this skillset is important because it helps the residents feel more confident in managing critical situations by giving them the tools and knowledge to make challenging decisions with assurance.”
Dr. Serrette hopes that these students will one day have an opportunity to travel abroad to see medicine practiced in higher income countries. “It would be great to have them participate in similar learning opportunities with other medical students, residents, or trainees to share and discuss different thought processes and critical thinking skills with respect to clinical presentations,” she said. “I am always in awe of how excellent the physical exam skills are of those who practice in low- and middle-income countries and how their diagnoses do not rest on labs and imaging because of a lack of access.” Dr. Serrette formed several positive relationships and has kept in touch with three of the residents. She hopes to return to Uganda before they graduate from the program.
Dr. Meera Siddharth, the project director, is excited that the project is finally receiving much needed volunteers. She feels that currently what is needed most is help strengthening general pediatrics knowledge, but her goal is to see a progression to more specialist training. She would like enough local pediatricians to get training from HVO to then begin training others on their own.
The project is currently recruiting, and Dr. Siddharth stressed that in addition to the invaluable help volunteers can provide residents, students, and staff, Kabale is also just a beautiful place to visit. If you are a pediatrician interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities with this project, visit https://hvousa.org/specialty-areas/pediatrics/ or contact Emily Dalton at e.dalton@hvousa.org.