MedTreks hosts a 2-4 week clinical rotation for universities, medical and nursing students. This is a hands-on global health clinical field experience, focusing on issues relevant to global health in resource limited settings of rural Kenya, working through a collaborative partnership with Village HopeCore International – a community health program located on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, serving over 700 villages. 

This global health clinical rotation is an opportunity for students to gain a deeper understanding of global healthcare delivery working with extremely remote and underserved populations. The clinical program combines seeing patients in a high-volume outpatient clinic and rural, mobile pop-up clinics in the community. 

This particular geographic region of Kenya isa combination of very rural with villages located on steep hillsides as well as flat, arid areas with communities living in extreme economic poverty.

Daily healthcare delivery is provided by our mobile Kenyan teams comprised of clinical officers, nurses, nurse practitioners, community health workers  and health educators. Students will have the unique opportunity to working with a variety of different health professionals during this rotation.

Course Learning Objectives: 

• Understand the relationship between determinants of health and major global health problems/challenges and how they relate to the specific regions of rural Kenya – including access to clean water, food, and sanitation; physical safety and human rights issues; health literacy, and insurance issues
• Identify core concepts in Global Health and cost-effective, scalable solutions for healthcare delivery in rural, resource-limited areas  
• Acquire knowledge of the epidemiology, physiology, and natural progression of prevalent infectious and chronic diseases within the region
• Comprehend the factors influencing healthcare maintenance for diverse populations, which encompasses preventing cardiovascular disease, injury, and domestic violence, promoting proper nutrition and weight management, oral care, smoking cessation, addressing substance abuse concerns, and encouraging vaccination.
• Utilize clinical expertise to evaluate patients’ risk profiles, identify health maintenance requirements, and determine health promotion needs, while considering culturally appropriate parameters
• Demonstrate clinical decision-making and critical thinking skills to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, illnesses and injuries 
• Demonstrate cultural competence and professional communication to form collaborative relationships with local members of the healthcare delivery teams and community partners 
• Understand how to effectively evaluate and manage patient health in the setting of minimal clinical resources: lab, imaging, pharmacy etc. 

Areas of clinical rotation focus: child maternal health, school health, adult health, geriatrics, infectious disease.  

Some of the most frequently seen diagnoses include malnutrition, pneumonia, diarrhea and dehydration, tuberculosis, malaria, HIV/AIDS, trauma, seizures, meningitis, snake bites, burns, chronic wounds, anemia, Visceral leishmaniasis.

Student Requirements: 

Students will be supervised by other U.S. and Kenyan physicians/providers, and work alongside Kenyan clinical officers, nurses, and providers-in-training. 

Practice-Based Learning & Improvement: 

• Access and consistently refer to current clinical practice guidelines and understand applicable evidence-based strategies for patient care in this region of Kenya 
• Operate as a component of the local Kenya healthcare team 
• Students are expected to participate in educational conferences and journal clubs during the rotation. 
• Students must understand availability and cost of health services and potential challenges to obtaining healthcare services, such as social, economic, and psychological factors. 

Professionalism, Interpersonal & Communication Skills 

• Students will be expected to demonstrate the highest level of maturity, professionalism, and cultural humility, including: 
  • Understanding of local cultural approaches to health
  • Respecting patients/families decisions on care depending on gender, cultural, religious, economic and educational differences. 
• Understand the importance of being able to accept and modify behaviors based constructive feedback from the healthcare organization in Kenya 

Our program provides on-site orientation, training, and supervision by the medical director/Kenya health team. We are seeking students with an interest in caring for underserved populations, and those with enthusiasm for learning more about global health, infectious diseases, and healthcare delivery in resource-poor settings. 

Included in program: 

• Welcome Packet with helpful Global Health resources & reading lists
• Pre-departure support & mentorship with one of MedTreks team members prior to departing on the field experience 
• Airport pick-up/drop off and roundtrip transportation from Nairobi (Kenya’s capital city) to Chogoria (our program headquarters), which is about a 3.5 hr drive. 
• Hotel lodging at a comfortable, safe hotel within Chogoria  
• 3 meals per day 
• Training and supervision by a designated local mentor from MedTreks/HopeCore program 
• Letter of Recommendation & Internship Evaluation Report 

Please refer to our general MedTreks Kenya FAQ and Testimonials for more information or contact our medical director, Ari Rasori at: ari@medtreksinternational.com