HANNAH MAYHEW travelled to Tanzania on a Gap Medics trip and writes here about her experience:
“With an ambition to pursue a career in medicine, I spent my first year in the Sixth Form trying to gain as much work experience, knowledge and awareness of the medical field as possible, in preparation for university applications. However, I also am an avid traveller, with a particular interest in later studying tropical medicine, so I jumped at the chance to embark upon a medical placement in Tanzania. With a company called Gap Medics, I was lucky enough to spend two weeks shadowing the doctors in St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Hospital in Kilimanjaro.
My first week was spent in internal medicine, a ward devoted to the treatment of typical diseases that are prominent in East Africa. HIV, malaria and tuberculosis were surprisingly in the minority, and I learned a lot about the threat of development and Westernisation in the rising numbers of diabetes sufferers. The most important point my teacher made was about communication with the patient; the concept of explaining the next steps and responsibilities they will have to taking pills, reducing risk factors in order to treat 
their illness before mentioning its name. Such notorious diseases as HIV evoke fear and shock in the patient that turns their life upside down, so it is ultimately the responsibility of the doctor to serve as a reassuring figure to guide them forwards, and offer hope in this time of vulnerability. Not only is this the foundation of my ambition in medicine, it is a message I will carry with me throughout the entirety of my career.
During week two I was assigned to general surgery. In this one week, I had the opportunity to observe a thyroidectomy, appendectomy, three caesarean sections, a breast tumour excision and the fitting of a nasal gastric tube. The length of surgery, after-care and commitment of the doctors was invaluable to my experience (alongside testing my stomach for the reality of operations!).
I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to the Old Burians for helping me to make the most of this incredible opportunity, without which it may not have been possible. I still look back at this opportunity in awe, and am full of stories, and friendships from my time in Tanzania, that will stay with me forever.”