MS-IV students complete international rotation in Liberia “Our mission at CUSOM is to train physicians to fill the health care gaps in our country, namely rural America. To do that, our graduates must learn how to function with limited resources and thus rely more on clinical skills. What better place to perfect their clinical skills than where there are no resources except those skills.” - Joseph Cacioppo, DO, Chair of the Department of Community and Global Health.
C
ampbell Medicine students have many incredible opportunities throughout their medical school career to train and serve in rural and underserved community settings both locally and around the world. The Campbell Medicine Department of Community and Global Health leads students on 4 to 5 international mission trips per year in addition to multiple local outreach clinics each year. They travel regularly to Guatemala, Ecuador, Jamaica, and Armenia. Third and fourth year students also have the unique opportunity to complete a 4-week rotation in several hospitals around the world. Students have traveled to Bolivia, Ecuador, Jamaica, India, Liberia, Angola, and Nicaragua to mention a few. We had the opportunity to talk with several students along with Dr. Joe and Mr. Doug Short, administrative director of the Department of Community and Global Autumn Bass, Claire Morley and Amelia Johnston (now fourth-year students) spent the first month of their third-year rotations at ELWA Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia in fall 2019. Health, about their personal experiences abroad and how it has impacted their search across the world for a site that was willing to take 3 medical school journey and future careers in medicine. third-year medical students! We went from Haiti to Angola to Malawi to India to Nepal and finally to Liberia! Autumn Bass (MS-IV) and Amelia Johnston (MS-IV) spent a month in Monrovia, Liberia in West Africa in fall Long story short, Liberia fit our desire to serve in a place that 2019 at the beginning of their third year. It was actually their was truly struggling. We all 3 wanted to be pulled from our very first rotation following Sim month. Liberia is about the comfort zones during this experience, and Liberia definitely size of Tennessee and sits on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. was the perfect match. It’s bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote d’lvoire. Personally, I (Autumn) was initially very nervous to make Liberia is ranked 181/189 on the human development index the leap across the Atlantic. Prior to Liberia, I had served on 2018 (one of the least developed nations in the world) and is medical missions throughout central and south America, one of highest nations suffering from malnutrition. Ninetybut I was unsure if I was ”ready” to make the leap across the four percent of Liberian people live on less than $2 per day. pond so to speak. In addition to that, I really loved working with the people and communities throughout central/south CAMPBELL MEDICINE: Did you select your specific America! The healthcare need is there, and I have so much location and why? respect for the work ethic, the hospitality, and the life style of the people I have treated in those nations. So, I was nervous AUTUMN: Initially, we (Autumn, Amelia, and a third about starting in a very new part of the world. Honestly, student - Claire Morley) were trying to go to Haiti for the I found solace in the fact that the Liberian language is month. Haiti then entered into a state of civil unrest the English! What I didn’t realize, was the dialect and difference summer prior to us leaving, so this sent us on a “pop-corn” 8 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2020
