Sim Centre Opening: rich days of learning

From Kitt:
Hi all! I hope this finds you well.

Where did we leave off? So much seems to happen on a daily basis here, it can be easy to miss things.

After our beautiful walk through the hills of Kigali yesterday morning, Kyle, Amélie and I went to the Genocide Memorial in town. A total of approximately 800,000 - 1,000,000 people died in 100 days in 1994. Over 250,000 people are buried on the museum site. The grounds are a place of remembrance for many visitors who lost loved ones.

The museum displays the history of not only the Rwandan, but also multiple other genocides of modern recorded times. The resounding feeling after visiting is an understanding and acceptance of the past so as to not repeat mistakes in the future.

It was a powerful place to visit.

Our somewhat comtemplative mood was soon cut short, replaced by the fear of death by head on collision in a taxt. After a few wrong turns, we ended up at Francoise's house, where we ate a fantastic meal with 8 different dishes and fruit salad for dessert. Francoise even taught me how to tie her adorable baby on my back using a blanket. It was so kind of her to prepare such a feast for us that I thought it impolite to run away with her youngest child, so I reluctantly left him behind.

Today, we had another full academic day, with a focus on post partum hemorrhage (PPH), which is the leading cause of maternal death in Sub Saharan Africa. The residents are extraordinarily prepared for teaching sessions, and discussions are lively. Not as lively as Jeopardy, though, where not even my shrieking whistle was able to reign in the competitiveness. The resident case report today was presented by Brigitte, one of the second year residents. We were pleased to see that she incorporated many techniques she learned from the Teaching and Learning Course, including not relying on a Powerpoint presentation!

Amélie joined us in the afternoon to run an oral exam station. Patty ran a simulation where she played an obese patient with placenta previa. (She didn't eat dessert at dinner tonight). Kyle and I ran a full OR scenario simulation for PPH The residents had to both manage severe hemorrhage after cesarean section under spinal anesthetic, and then convert to general anesthetic after the patient lost consciousness. Simulation can be stressful and overwhelming, but the residents are quick learners.

At the end of the afteroon session, we were visited by the same Minister with whom Patty and Angela met last Monday. The residents, Paulin, the Dean of Medicine, and the Minister had a great discussion about some of the issues facing the residency program, including, but not limited to, lack of resources and retention of clinical teaching staff. The minister seemed very receptive to their suggestions. Overall, it was a very productive day.

Patty and I are looking forward to going to Butare tomorrow, while Kyle will spend another day here with Amélie before leaving for Butare on Wednesday. Next stop, Essential Pain Management Course!

Kitt