Engaging, Challenging, Educational and Enjoyable

This has been the standout moment of my entire nursing program and I feel no other part of my training has been as engaging, as challenging, as educational or as enjoyable. This did not feel like a tourist experience and nor did it feel like any nursing placement I have had before. It was immersive and immediately I was learning new things. Culturally, both the hospital environment and the local area are very different. The unique thing about Elective Africa is the step it takes to allow you to embrace and learn from this cultural shift in a way you never could on a holiday.

Trips to local schools, orphanage take on more meaning alongside your role at the hospital and you feel for a short time part of this vibrant, colorful human and beautiful country. The value of life and simple things in life take on new beauty. At the hospital, I was rarely a bystander; I developed practical skills, which at home in England, I did not have the chance to learn and the momentum of the hospital experience carried me towards trying something I had not previously considered in Midwifery. I was honored and delighted to have the chance to help deliver babies and gain hands-on experience in this area.

Jake Prested

University of York