Each year a group of outstanding medical students are selected to join the SWB team on a two-week Medical Education Program, which for a past few years have taken place in Malawi and Zimbabwe.
This provides an invaluable experience, where medical students are able to gain insight into the realities of health care in settings with limited resources. It also instills the lesson that good medical staff need to be resourceful in challenging situations, regardless of the setting.
Apart from the educational aspects of their participation, the medical students also have the opportunity to get to know the doctors and nurses who make up the SWB team, developing valuable relationships that last beyond the period of their active participation with SWB.
Chloe Higgins, who volunteered on the 2015 trip had this to say about her experience
This experience was an eye-opening one, which taught me about the importance of sustainable volunteering. I was able to compare with my previous experiences volunteering in Africa, and I can now see the various methods of volunteering and their benefits as well as disadvantages. SWB has the significant advantage of running a sustainable program forming very positive relationships with the local doctors, encouraging them to practice medicine in the safest and best way possible, despite the limited resources at hand. The consultants also seemed to learn a lot from this experience as the local doctors had information to share about local health problems and the ways they circumnavigate their lack of resources. This invaluable trip has inspired me and I look forward to becoming more involved with SWB throughout my future career as a doctor.
We are currently confirming dates and locations for the 2017 trip.
Application details for medical students interested in joining the team this year will be available soon.