Training and Education Continue from a Distance
Just as it was a priority for the team leaders while in Eldoret, teaching and education remain central to the role from abroad.
Medical education for Moi Unversity medical students and registrars ended when the government closed down all schools and universities and many registrars were recalled to their county hospitals. Many Kenyan trainees are worried about how this disruption will impact their education and graduation timeline which have already been delayed by earlier strikes.
Kenyan faculty and the North American team leaders have collaborated to find innovative ways to use technology to continue teaching and Kenyan trainees have embraced the learning opportunities. Unfortunately, recent flooding has created barriers to accessing the internet and electricity for some.
Reproductive Health team leader Marie Buitendyk, MD, and her team at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital earlier this year.
At Moi University’s department of reproductive health, fellowship activities in Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) and Gynecologic Oncology continue including virtual weekly case discussions. “For many of us, our hearts and minds are still in Kenya,” said Marie Buitendyk, MD, reproductive health team leader from the University of Toronto (UofT). Two new fellows joined the MFM program on May 1. An online platform allows for sharing of all fetal ultrasound images from the antenatal ward at MTRH with the MFM division in Toronto.
The Kenyan fellows have also joined in twice weekly departmental rounds hosted virtually by the UofT and have also been invited to participate in weekly Academic Half Days. “Our lively discussions bring a smile to my face and make me feel like I’m back on the wards of Riley Mother Baby. We are still a team!” said Buitendyk.
Surgery team leader JoAnna Hunter-Squires, MD said discussions about e-learning sessions began in Kenya when in-person meetings were restricted after the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed. Typically the surgery team would have educational activities four mornings a week including morning report, surgical core/registrar education hour, journal club, tumor board and pediatric surgery lecture.
Faculty and learners from Kenya and North America join together for surgery education sessions.
When Hunter-Squires returned to the U.S., the surgery sessions began with Wednesday afternoon education hours and then added pediatric surgery lectures. Soon, IU residents who had also had their resident education sessions cancelled joined the sessions as well. “I contacted the IU Resident Education coordinator, Dr. Joshua Waters, and invited the IU residents to join. He was excited to do so and volunteered to moderate our first joint session on rectal cancer. We had about 20 U.S. residents and 20 Kenyan registrars attend that session and it was well-received,” said Hunter-Squires. Subsequent weekly joint sessions have covered paraesophageal hernia, abdominal wall reconstruction, and soft tissue infection. Moderators from both IU and MTRH, including Dr. Ivan Seno who gave the lecture on soft tissue infection, have participated.
“IU and Moi University departments of surgery are collaborating more than ever,” said Hunter-Squires. “Overall, it's left me with a profound sense of gratitude for the people who have made that possible and pride at the dedication of my residents and colleagues on both sides of the globe.”
Medicine team leader Caitrin Kelly, MD, said the department of medicine at Moi University sent a baseline e-learning assessment survey to the registrars, and most were very supportive of the prospect of continuing education through e-learning. In collaboration with IU, the UofT and MTRH, are making preparations to begin formal virtual teaching sessions for the Kenyan reproductive health registrars.
Of course, communication goes beyond lectures. “I have been in contact with many of the trainees, sharing kind words, discussing difficult cases and creating online repositories of learning materials,” said Buitendyk. She also created an online Reproductive Global Health curriculum for North American medical students and residents who were called home early or will not have the opportunity to visit Eldoret as scheduled in the upcoming academic year.
“I think it goes without saying that we are all looking forward to the day we are back in Eldoret,” Buitendyk continued. “In the meantime, let’s continue to make the most of this unprecedented challenge. Many of the skills we are creating, learning, adapting and implementing will continue to strengthen our relationships within AMPATH long after COVID-19 has become a distant memory.”