I am very glad I made the decision to come to Kenya and thankful I had the means to come as well. There is quite a bit to say about spending 8 weeks in Kenya. There are many aspects of the trip from experiencing and learning the culture, time spent in the hospital, relationships built with Kenyans, getting to know my current friends better, weekend trips, improving pharmacy practice skills, and meeting many unique people at the IU house.
I was very surprised by how friendly most of the Kenyans were. They were really quick to make friends with us. The first Friday we were here they made sure to include us in experiencing the social life of Eldoret. My first week of rounds, the resident of my team took another American medical student and me out to lunch one afternoon. Multiple families invited large groups of us into their homes for dinner and tea. So many of the people we would meet at the hospital or the IU house were quick to welcome us to Eldoret. Others invited us to church and made sure we felt welcome there. I hope to remember how friendly the Kenyans were to us so when I go back the US I can return the warm welcome to visitors.
It is important to remember the obvious poverty and comparative wealth we have in the US and incredible opportunities we have. I feel like it is difficult to even write about this topic because the differences can be so drastic. It is essential we don’t forget this lesson when we go back to the US. It is easy to slip into our own thoughts and situation when life is busy, but it is important to remember past experiences and what we’ve seen. Not only to help us appreciate what we have, but to do something about helping others and allow them to experience at least a part of what we have been blessed.
I was able to further my pharmacy knowledge and skills during this time as well. We had many opportunities to discuss patients, ask questions, present on a variety of topics, and interact with other healthcare professionals from a variety of regions within the US and Kenya. During my time spent in the hospital wards on rounds I had the opportunity to work alongside Kenyan medical students, nurses, interns, and residents, American medical students, an American oncologist as well as regular interaction with fellow pharmacy students and our preceptor. It was a unique experience to work with such a variety of people. I was able to learn from them as well as pass on knowledge from a pharmacist prospective and hopefully advance others’ opinions of pharmacy practice through these interactions. I had two unique opportunities to participate and develop projects that would extend beyond my time Kenya. Our group was able to gather patient information that is going to be used to assess the need of and hopefully begin an anticoagulation clinic. The clinic will enhance patient care in Eldoret and will extend many patients’ lives. Another student and I were able to develop a tool to aid HIV medication adherence counselors. The tool provides information for the patient when they meet with the counselors and also guides the information the counselors will discuss with the patients. The project has potential to be utilized for over 70,000 AMPATH patients.
Two specific interactions in my time at MTRH have had a significant impact on me while I was here. There was an HIV patient who was on my ward who was admitted for oral thrush and cryptococcal meningitis. He happened to speak English so I was able to talk to him everyday and see how he was feeling over the three weeks he was in MTRH. He was finally discharged after improving with amphotericin B then switching to fluconazole due to nephrotoxicity. One week after discharge he came back on his own when our team was rounding to say thank you for helping get better. I never expected this patient to return to thank me. I was able to see him once more when he was meeting with an HIV medication adherence counselor and talk to him one last time.
For about three weeks our rounding team had an American oncologist from Brown University who visiting MTRH. During the three weeks I was able to learn much from her about the care of patients medically. At the same time I was able to observe her interactions with patients making sure she provided individual attention to each one, and despite the fact that most could not speak English, she was able to hold a patient’s hand or lay her own hand on their shoulder to communicate her care to each one. Towards the end of her time in Kenya we were having a large group discussion one evening conversing, in part, about the current and future role of pharmacists. She made a statement that as a result of her experience on rounds in Kenya, when she rounds in the US she wants a pharmacy student each time on her team. This was very encouraging and motivating to me knowing that I was on her team in Kenya and was able to have a positive influence on and receive a compliment from an established practicing oncologist that I grew to respect much.
My time in Kenya has been a unique experience that will continue to affect my life both personally and professionally. I have had many opportunities others will never have. One of the most unique aspects is that I have had the opportunity to influence and affect lives in Kenya while experiences and others in Kenya have been able to influence me. My hope is to continue to help patients in Kenya, despite being in the US, by updating and furthering our projects completed here. I don’t know where this will lead or when it will end, but I desire is for these experiences to continue with me and shape my practice of pharmacy, care of patients, and overall values and character as a person.
Tony Gentene
PharmD candidate, May 2009
