Medicine Volunteer Stories, Ghana

Medical in Ghana - Louise Darvill My third year studying medicine at Southampton University had been very hectic. With non-stop clinical placements and intense revision for massive exams, by the end of the year I was ready for a change of scenery. The two months I spent in Ghana certainly provided me with just that! When planning my elective, I aimed to observe healthcare in a developing country and hoped to be able to carry out practical medical procedures. I wanted to travel independently, to meet new people and to gain a real insight into the lives of the Ghanaian population, without the uncertainties of organising a medical elective on my own.

Medicine in Ghana - Reuben Shin I am a pre-med student who graduated from University in May 2007. I know the rest of the world has a different system, but in the U.S we have to go to University first before we go to medical school. After graduating, I decided to take a year off before going to medical school. I wanted to do something that would really solidify my motives for entering the field of medicine. My desire to become a doctor originated from a film about missionary doctors in Africa and so, naturally, I decided to take that and make it a reality.

Medicine in Ghana - Melissa Tan At my school in Canada we are given the opportunity to go abroad or stay at home to do a work placement. This is done during our grade eleven year of high school. We were given information about co-op placements, travelling to our sister schools around the world, or volunteering with Projects Abroad. I knew I wanted to do a medical placement, but deciding where was the next step. After reading about the different places you could go with Projects Abroad and finding out where I could go at home I chose to go away with Projects Abroad. I decided to go to Ghana for six weeks from the middle of May to the end of June 2007. I was placed in the Akuapem Hills, which is about an hour and a half north of Accra.

Medicine in Ghana - Sarah Lownsbrough My placement at Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital in Mampong was so fulfilling, I only wished I could have stayed on for longer. Throughout the 10 weeks I was there I got to see so many things - the work was quite flexible so there was a chance to see most of the different departments including the Surgical, Maternity, Medical and Paediatric Wards, Outpatients Department, Pharmacy, Physio and the Laboratories.

Medicine in Ghana - Shayan Shakeraneh Last summer I began thinking about volunteering internationally in a hospital, preferably in Africa. With this thought in mind I went through an extensive research online to find the appropriate, suitable organization since many international volunteer organizations do only conservation works and so forth. It was only when I found Projects Abroad (PA), an UK based organization, having a medical placement program that I really felt my goal is becoming more reachable.

Medicine in Ghana - Ruth Malthouse When I finally got on the aeroplane at London Heathrow I couldn't believe that I was actually starting the big adventure I had been planning for almost 2 years! Having chosen to pursue a career in Medicine I decided that the Medicine placement Projects Abroad were advertising in Ghana would give me the perfect opportunity to get a real insight into the field in which I would be studying.and that it did along with so much more!

Medicine in Ghana - Sarah Miller In January I arrived in Cape Coast, and was taken to meet my host family. They always made us feel really welcome and we built up good friendships with our host brother and sisters. I was taken around Cape Coast for the first time and remember feeling really excited that I was finally there but wondering whether I would ever fit in - it was completely different to anywhere I'd ever been. After a couple of weeks though I felt really settled - I knew my way around, was used to the cries of "obrunni, where are you going?" in the centre of town and was confident enough to barter and argue with taxi drivers over the cost of a journey.