Elective Africa was an amazing, eye-opening opportunity that has really helped to uncover how many people don’t always have access to quick fixes in everyday healthcare and what those issues can turn into. This has truly been both an amazing time and a humbling experience, as I cannot wait to transmute my impetus into a mind beyond the frame that brings changes to dental healthcare as a whole.
I thought I was coming to Kenya to learn dentistry. I left with so much more than that.
One thing that stood out immediately was how different healthcare looked in a resource-limited setting. Patient records were handwritten in booklets rather than stored digitally. Equipment wasn’t always readily available. During one procedure, the lights went out in the middle of treatment, and someone simply pulled out a phone and used its flashlight so the procedure could continue.
It was a reminder that good healthcare isn’t always about having the newest technology. Sometimes it’s about being creative, adapting quickly, and making the best decisions with the resources you have.
“Sunshine every day, and some of the most enjoyable people I’ve ever met.”
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