All Campuses

Medicine In West Africa

Mbingo Baptist Hospital, Cameroon, West Africa

OBGY 9001

Participating Faculty:
Jerry M. Obritsch, M.D., (USA)  (OBGYN)
Rodney Zimmerman, M.D. (Cameroon)  (Family Medicine)

Offered: All  (Prefer 6-8 week duration of elective)
Positions: 2 per period maximum

Objectives of the Elective:

  1. Experience health care in a different medical, cultural, and geographical area of the world while working with American and Cameroonian physicians. This elective will emphasize general adult and pediatric healthcare in any third world country.
  2. Learn about and care for patients with tropical disease. The emphasis will be on tropical disease as it relates to adult and pediatric healthcare and obstetrics and gynecology.
  3. Learn about and care for patients with Hansen's disease and related disability. The elective will especially focus on  prevention of disability and physical and vocational rehabilitation.
  4. The student will gain an appreciation of the impact of socio-economic, cultural and demographic issues that relate to adult maternal and child care in a developing country.
  5. The impact of AIDS and HIV on men’s/women's/children’s healthcare and reproductive health will be discussed in the context of third world countries.

Instructional Activities:

  1. The student will gain instruction in inpatient, ambulatory care, and surgical patient care in a Cameroonian mission hospital setting.
  2. Patient care as directed by the attending physicians of Mbingo Baptist Hospital.
  3. A wide range of advanced pathological states will be encountered to challenge the student’s physical diagnostic skills in an environment of only basic technological diagnostic capabilities; i.e., limited laboratory facilities.
  4. The student will participate in caring for obstetrical, pediatric, and adult medical/surgical patients.
  5. Optional one-week rural primary health care trek to participate in vaccination, consults, evaluation and/or survey of a community with limited or nonexistent access to health care.
  6. Presentation at a medical/nursing conference of a selected topic relevant to primary care in the local setting.

Standards of Performance (Outcome) Indicating Attainment of Objectives:

  1. Patient care performance as determined by Dr. Zimmerman and other attending physicians of Mbingo Baptist Hospital.
  2. A written evaluation of student performance will be completed by Dr. Zimmerman and/or other attending physicians at the Mbingo Baptist Hospital in conjunction with Dr. Obritsch in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Criteria for Grading:

  1. An ongoing dialogue with attending physicians regarding patient care management while at Mbingo Baptist Hospital.
  2. Exit interview with Dr. Zimmerman.
  3. Exit interview with Dr. Obritsch upon return to USA.
  4. The student taking this elective will write a short report (approximately five pages) outlining the elective experience so that it can be utilized for future student rotations at this site, with a copy to be submitted to Dr. Zimmerman for Mbingo Baptist Hospital records..