Hi, my name is Amanda Horine. I am from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, but I’m originally from Edmond, Oklahoma. At Gannon I’m in a 3+2 Physician Assistant program, where I get my bachelor’s in three years and then complete my Physician Assistant master’s in two years. It was actually during my undergrad that one of my friends, Harry, told me about his program in Kenya through Elective Africa, and I decided: why not?
I spent my first day in internal medicine, which I think was really interesting, but on the second day I found surgery was a bit more my speed, and for the rest of the week I stayed in surgery. My first day in surgery I saw a urology case and then an open-heart surgery, which was really interesting. The most memorable case I had that week, though, was a spina bifida case – a six-month-old baby with spina bifida. Just seeing their process from start to finish, and how they’re able to cure certain diseases almost from the get-go of this baby’s life, was absolutely incredible.
The next week I went to labor and delivery, which is a different speed but almost similar to surgery. I saw a lot of vaginal births, but also a lot of cesarean sections, and overall it was a very, very cool experience. I saw a few sad things too, which I guess comes with the placement.
One thing I would take away from my time in the hospital is definitely the compassion that the doctors and nurses had towards a lot of the patients in their circumstances, because a lot of them were there unwillingly, or for something completely out of their control. The doctors and nurses were very receptive, very understanding and very communicative about how they wanted to approach certain situations to make the patient feel better. That’s probably something I’m going to take into my clinical practice whenever I’m a physician assistant: how clearly they communicate what is going to happen and what to expect, and how to communicate it effectively while also making sure the patient is completely comfortable.
In terms of excursions, we went to an orphanage – Baby Life Rescue, I believe – where we spent the day with the kids and donated a few things. I think that was a very lovely experience. You don’t really realize how much you need certain things in the moment until later, and it makes you very grateful for the opportunities you have. On a very different note, we also went to Haller Park, an animal sanctuary with a gazelle, two hippos, a few tortoises, a lot of crocodiles and snakes, and giraffes. We were able to hand-feed the giraffes, which was a really, really cool experience.
I really do hope I get to have more international medical experiences like my time here in Kenya. I think it’s a great way to see other countries and travel, and also leave a bit of an impact – hopefully leave it a little bit better than you came. The placement highlight has been meeting the other students and becoming friends with them. The past two weeks have meant a lot to me. I’ve really gotten out of my comfort zone and experienced a lot of new things that I just wouldn’t have back in the States. With coming out of my shell, the new experiences and getting out of my comfort zone, I think this trip has done a lot for me. I would 100% recommend doing an international internship like this – but only with Elective Africa!
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