Dr. Pertymax Andre, Haiti:

Last summer I had the privilege through the Global Pediatrics program to have an internship at the pediatric hospitals of the University of Minnesota. The experience was more than enriching and the different staff so welcoming that my month happened to me like a week.  The exchanges with the doctors - residents and nurses resulted in obtaining new tips appreciated by both sides.  I was so happy to be with you and to have been able to assess our respective ways of doing things.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Max. 

Dr. Gloria Kaudha and Dr. Sanyu Lubwama, Uganda:

Learning in a different environment is beneficial to many students and practitioners, especially from LMICs. After graduating, we embarked on our journey to get a different perspective on methods of practicing pediatrics on a global health scale and how best we could adapt or combine them with the accepted methods we were accustomed to.

It feels just like just yesterday when we were on a plane headed to Minnesota, experiencing many mixed emotions not really knowing what to expect but excited for what the next few weeks had in store for us. The long-haul flight was our first test however the excitement made it feel like a few hours. 

On our first day, we received a presidential welcome with beautiful fireworks. You guessed right, it was Independence Day, and this marked the start of different experiences.

Minnesota was not like any other place we were used to. The University was like a city; large with almost everything we needed in proximity and surprisingly, there was no traffic! (We had anticipated a possibility of a hustle and bustle of Kampala; however, we were in for a real shocker). The light traffic prompted a few too many trips to Dinky town (Target and Chick-fil-a). We enjoyed our trips on the light rail to go to the Hennepin Healthcare (which had the most amazing cafeteria; different cuisines to explore and enjoy; unbelievable for a hospital cafeteria) and the Mall of America so big that we got lost but that’s a story for another day.

We met with another exchange student from Haiti. We made friends and even got to bond right away because we were all going through similar experiences in the medical facilities in back home. It was interesting to learn how we navigate health challenges differently in different settings.

The University Hospital where we spent most of our time in Minnesota doing our observership and gaining clinical knowledge and skills was an experience of a lifetime for us. A typical day involved us getting a shuttle to the M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital and then getting involved in the day-to-day care of our patients. We are attached to the neonatology, nephrology, pediatric critical care and endocrinology units. This involved shadowing the specialists and residents as they did their ward rounds. The hospital is such a resource rich setting, with increased access to medical diagnostic capabilities, lifesaving medication, and adequate human resource; nurses, nurse practitioners, residents, fellows, respiratory therapists and attendings so as to provide the best care as possible to the child.

Watching these people in action and how they work together as a team was truly an inspiration. The relationship between the Attendings’ and the resident doctors was superb and this promotes a suitable and comfortable environment for continued learning. The concept of a nurse practitioner and respiratory therapist was one that was foreign to us since we do not have these professions back home, but we quickly saw how important they are in the field and how much they assist to reduce the physician workload and improve patient outcomes.

Our hosts were so amazing that we always felt at home; the different cuisines, ice cream dates, kayaking but to mention a few. We enjoyed every bit of our stay; Did we say we miss the Ice-cream cake? Oh, you bet we do. (We say “ Mwebale nnyo”)

The weeks run by very fast and now we are back home with a ton of memories, a wealth of knowledge and a lot of stories to share with our colleagues. We have grown in confidence and independence as we practice pediatrics, we have made connections with health care workers abroad, we are open to new ideas, are excited to apply what we have learnt, and promise to be more aggressive as we advocate for our pediatric patients back home.

As we write this article, we are back into our routines, caring for the little ones and engaging in different research projects however many things have changed and We would love to say the land of 10,000 lakes changed us.