July 2013: Barts Student visit to Aksum

INTRODUCTION

In July 2013, we (Esther Tillson & Katy Kuhrt, 4th year Barts students)

visited Aksum University Medical School to help strengthen the Aksum-Barts

Partnership and to implement a research project. The main purpose of the trip

was to spend time with the students to find out what they think will

constitute a functional and sustainable partnership between Barts and Aksum.

A strong partnership should strengthen medical education in Aksum and provide

excellent opportunities for development and research. On previous visits

Barts’ staff delivered PBL training workshops and during this trip we attended

PBL sessions and offered feedback to students who asked us for support.

Esther carried out a research project, in collaboration with Aksum students

and with staff supervision, which looked at Aksum medical students’

motivations to study medicine and their hopes for their future careers.

To investigate the possibility of students gaining clinical experience during

elective in Aksum we spent time shadowing Dr Leamlak, a junior doctor, during

our trip. Throughout our trip we were delighted by the generosity, spirit and energy of

everybody we met and learnt a lot about Ethiopia and its rich culture and

impressive history.

THE STUDENT PARTNERSHIP

The reason for our trip was to find out what the students and teachers at

Aksum medical school want from a partnership with Barts. So we arranged a

meeting one afternoon with the first and second year medical students. We

bought flipchart sheets and pens and made a spider diagram of initial ideas

after discussion with their tutors. When we arrived the classroom was packed –

we were delighted. They had all come. We presented our ideas and then split

the students into groups with paper and pens to make their own brainstorms.

They got stuck in, crowding around their sheets to give their thoughts. No

one was shy. After that a member from each group stood up at the front and

presented their spider diagram. Their ideas were greeted with enthusiasm,

encouragement and a lot of laughter. We wrote notes and took pictures of

their mind maps. We also collected their email addresses so that we can

arrange email partnerships with Barts students’. Meanwhile in the corner of

the classroom four of the students were preparing a traditional coffee

ceremony for us. They had spread grass on the floor around the tiny stove

they used to boil the water. We were offered coffee in little china cups and

popcorn during the presentations. After the session some of the girls showed us their halls (surrounded by barbed wire to protect them from over enthusiastic male students!) and gave us

their local snack of toasted barley with salt and chilli. The afternoon was a

perfect example of the generosity we experienced throughout our trip. We were

delighted to have so many brilliant ideas for the partnership.

SUMMARY and NEXT STEPS

After our visit we feel more positive than ever about our partnership with

Aksum. We are excited about the students new ideas and look forward to

developing them.

Next steps:

• Consider students ideas when allocating funds. For example clinical

skills equipment like tendon hammers, blood pressure cuffs etc.

• Set up email partnership programme between Barts and Aksum students.

• Assess staff interest for online teaching sessions and visiting Aksum as

guest speakers.

• Organise electives with fourth year students.

• Investigate possible funding sources for Aksum students to visit Barts.

• Determine feasibility of Aksum students access to Barts electronic

resources.