My Pre-Medical Reflection

As a pre-med, I was in search of an international program through which to expand my scope of the world and gain unique experiences in the field of medicine. Luckily for me, I found Elective Africa.  Despite never having traveled so extensively in my life, I found Elective Africa to be a welcoming and friendly program that instantly put me at ease.

 Rotations with Dr. Nikita Raval at Mbagathi District Hospital allowed me to experience the full extent of hospital life, which was truly thrilling as before now my experiences with medicine had been purely academic instead of clinical. My first week was spent in Internal Medicine. As a future Neurologist, I was extremely interested in a few neurology-related cases that came through the door, as well as a wide variety of other cases.  There, I also got the opportunity to learn how to fix an IV line.  I spent the next week in the Maternity ward, allowing me to connect with patients during this important time in their lives while also learning about maternal and fetal care in a foreign country.  Observing a C-section was an amazing opportunity for me that I never would have experienced at this stage in my education back home.  While a C-section was the epitome of the mundane for the doctors there, for me it was an eye opening journey into the world of surgeons and OBGYN’s. It was also fascinating seeing the amount of creativity involved in how a hospital with minimal resources works to secure the best patient care possible.

Of course, participating in Elective Africa wasn’t just an exciting journey for me as a pre medical student, but also because I was able to travel and see sights entirely unique to Kenya. The Maasai market was an extremely unique experience and I’m so glad I got to go.  I was able to get traditional souvenirs for all my friends and family. As an animal lover, the Giraffe Manor and Elephant Orphanage were also highlights of the trip.  I was able to feed giraffes and pet baby elephants, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  However, my favorite part of my trip would have to be the 3-day Maasai Mara safari.  It had been a lifelong dream of mine to go on safari, and having that fulfilled is something I will never forget.

Finally, I have to give a shout out to Christabel Njeru and Richard Kariuki for taking me around Nairobi, teaching me some Swahili (asante sana), and for being genuinely awesome company and individuals.  Also thank you to Caren and everyone else at Elective Africa for allowing me such an incredible opportunity to travel across the world to learn and live .

Sari Cooper

Georgetown University