MY ELECTIVE: TYGERBERG HOSPITAL SOUTH AFRICA

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It must be elective planning season! I've had a lot of questions about my elective at Tygerberg Hospital so I've decided to do a post about it so the information is out there and in one place. Hope its useful! 

Basic details 
When did I go there: April 2014 - July 2014 
When did I apply: Two years before I had to go there
What did I do: Trauma Surgery and Trauma Medicine plus a few Ambulance shifts
Where I stayed: International Student's Lodge 
Would I recommend it: A BILLION PERCENT YES!!

Planning 
I applied two years before I had to go. Why? I wanted to do trauma and Tygerberg Hospital is THE place for trauma electives. When I applied, I was just in time. Trauma places went really quickly. The same goes for Obs and Gynae/ General Surgery and Infectious Diseases. 

I travelled on South African Airways from Heathrow airport. I had my trusty Nanny State backpack with all my essentials! 

Travelling there 
I booked my return ticket to Cape Town from STA Travel because they do good deals for students. I got my indemnity insurance (free!) from the Medical Defence Union because I am a student member. I can't remember where I got my travel insurance but I paid about £30 for it. I decided to go by myself because I wanted to challenge myself to be more social (and I succeeded!). My mom dropped me off at Heathrow. I was sad to go, because I hate goodbyes, but once I got on the plane I was so excited! 

When I got there 
I had a taxi waiting for me at the airport. I booked it in advance because I didn't want to be a lone tourist at Cape Town airport not knowing where to go! The taxi driver was nice (I actually used the same guy a couple of times before I hired a car). I found that as well as working for a company, taxi drivers moonlighted as private drivers. I wouldn't recommend just choosing any taxi driver, I got to know my driver and trusted him first before I travelled alone with him. 
From left to right: Entrance to the International Students Lodge; my bed in my single room; my hired car (named Chico!)

Accommodation 
I stayed in the International Student's Lodge. I had to book it in advance and it was pretty cheap. The rooms had all the essentials. The flats had at least four bedrooms in them with shared bathrooms and kitchens. There was a common room which had snooker tables, TV, etc. There was a swimming pool on the grounds which some people where brave enough to use (it was coooolllldddd!). The lodge is on the same grounds as the medical students accommodation at the University of Stellenbosh so there was plenty of opportunity to make friends. There was also a students union with a gym, a shop, more TVs, an ATM and a small canteen to get food if you didn't fancy cooking. 
The bedrooms came with bedding and towels supplied. There were cleaners who cleaned your room and kitchen daily (except on the weekends). The rooms also had (slow) wifi which you had to pay a fee for. 


What I did/ What did I deal with 
The Accident and Emergency department was run by A&E registrars and nurses. 
On pretty much a daily basis, I dealt with the following cases:

  • Gunshots
  • Stabbings 
  • Burns 
  • Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) 
  • Domestic violence injuries 
  • Trauma from cracked bottles 
  • Drunk trauma 
I also helped out with lots of different surgeries (mostly consequences of gunshots) - this could be in the middle of the night or very early morning. 

Different days brought different things. On the medical side where patients with end stage AIDS, cardiac events, TB, etc A large population was HIV positive so doing trauma in such a setting was nerve wrecking to start with but I got used to it. 

Elective students where treated like doctors. We saw patients by ourselves, clerked them in, examined, did examinations, sutured, inserted chest drains, etc (after consulting with the real doctors of course!). There was no requirement to turn up everyday, you could come and go as you please because the hospital was literally 5 minutes walk from the lodge. 
I also arranged to so some shifts with the Ambulance service. I wanted to get some exposure to pre-hospital care and it was awesome and eyeopening at the same time. 

I came back from Cape Town having a deeper appreciation for the National Health Service and for all doctors in general. I also came back feeling very confident about dealing with patients (but my intercalated degree afterwards slightly dampened this!) 
Just a few of the fun things I did. When the weather was nice, we went out and saw South Africa in all its glory! 

Fun things to do 
When in Cape Town - do everything, obviously! There are three peaks to conquer (Table Mountain, Lion's Head and Signal Hill - some easier than others!), there is Robben Island to visit, there is Garden Route (need a few days to do this - but essentially if you're up for adventure (bungee jumping, riding an ostrich...) then do this), lots of shops to visit, Waterfront, Boulders Beach, lots and lots and lots of wine tasting, etc 
You can literally do one fun thing every day that you are there! 

General tips  
  • Apply VERY early 
  • Get indemnity insurance 
  • Get travel insurance 
  • Get a basic phone that can whatsapp - I took my old Blackberry and got a South African simcard which meant I could keep in touch with family
  • If you hire a car, pay that little bit extra and get it from a reputable source - God was obviously watching over me when I drove my hired car - hindsight is a marvellous thing! 
  • Be sensible - Cape Town is not as notoriously dangerous as Johannesburg but tourists/ students where still mugged if they were stupid. Don't trust anyone at first, even the security guards in some areas because things get stolen 
  • Do what the locals do - the local students know all the best bars, etc so best to mingle with them really 
  • Make lots of friends
  • If you are not happy dealing with sick patients, just say - the assumption is automatically that you can deal with something, but if you can't the doctors are more than happy to teach you - definitely a see one, do one, teach one situation - this was me with chest drains and back slabs! 
  • If you plan on doing surgery, take some protective goggles (unless you were glasses like me, then you can get away with not having some) - you don't want mucosal splashes in your eyes and the post exposure worry 
  • Take a plug socket that is compatible with SA. Our plugs are a different shape to theirs 
  • Take some warm clothes! 
  • HAVE FUN!!! I'd go back there in a heartbeat! 

Hope this was useful for you guys. If anyone has any specific questions, ask away! Hope you're having good weeks!

Sammie 

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