My elective as a medical student in South Africa

It took me almost a week to get back on my feet again. Still not fully at 100%, but with ibuprofen and a bit of nasal spray I’m doing quite alright. I already did two shifts in the ER – and today I had my first flight in a helicopter.

It felt really strange at first, and I even got a bit motion sickness during the flight – guess I’m not exactly built for that in the long term. But the experience is definitely something I’ll never forget. The patient was actually quite stable, just needed some pain meds after being involved in a mine accident. The flight crew was super nice, explained a lot, and I felt really welcomed.

We dropped the patient off at a large private hospital – and wow, the difference compared to where I’m working right now is massive. Everything there is clean, structured, equipment actually works, it doesn’t smell bad… it honestly felt much more like a European hospital. Once again, I was reminded how brutally money/insurance defines your fate in this country.

Back in the ER, the shifts were actually pretty relaxed for South African standards. Especially in the mornings not much was going on, so I had time to show some new people around, have a coffee break, chat with the staff and just settle back in a bit.

Oh – and I did my first chest tube! Stable patient with a hemothorax. I took all the time I needed and had really good supervision – without that, I probably would’ve messed it up. The anatomy was tricky because of multiple rib fractures right where I placed the ICD, so it wasn’t exactly textbook. But the feeling afterwards was just amazing. You honestly start to feel more like a real doctor.

Really excited to keep improving and eventually get to a point where I can do ICDs completely on my own. That’s my goal – and I think it’s realistic. The only downside: chest tubes are quite popular among interns and regs, so as a student you’re usually last in line. But with 2–3 ICDs per day (and even more on busy days), there should be enough chances.

Besides that, I also did some suturing – including facial wounds and even one on the lip. I’m really improving with that, and it’s great to see the progress.

Every day here is out of my comfort zone – but i am here to grow and i think exactly that is happening right now!