Sarah Barton - Ghana 2012 - Keele University

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Ghana 2012 - Sarah Barton Student Child Branch

Sarah1 I undertook my elective placement in Ghana, Africa for 5 weeks April- May 2012. I spent my first 4 weeks working at Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital (2 weeks on the paediatric ward and 2 weeks on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and my final week living in a village and working at the Community Clinic. The experience that I gained from travelling to Ghana allowed me to see a different nursing culture, how medical teams cope with lack of resources and the true African culture. Some illnesses and conditions that I saw in Ghana were tuberculosis, malaria, tetanus, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, cancer, meningitis and sickle cell anaemia.
Every Thursday after work, the students and staff from the work the world house would have a BBQ with traditional African dancing and drumming – it was so much fun and allowed us to embrace true Africa! In my free time I went travelling around Ghana. I visited an old slavery fort, a national park, a stilt village, a few beaches and a canopy walk in the jungle.
I would recommend to every nursing student to undertake an elective placement abroad and don’t be worried about going alone, the staff from the house are so friendly and the Ghanaian people are so welcoming. It will change your view on healthcare and it will make you develop both personally and professionally. I will always remember my elective placement as an experience that I will never forget.

Please click here to read more about Sarah's elective placement experience.

Sarah2

Sarah3

Quotes...

“It was one of the best experiences in my life, being a nursing student for 3 months in the UK, at Keele University. I was welcomed by warm and friendly lecturers, nurses and sisters during my placement both in the School, community and hospital. Also, this experience was very instructive for me. I saw real nursing power in UK. Nearly all nurses in Keele University and the Hospital, embrace life-long learning. They have many opportunities for doing this. I want to thank all the staff from Keele again for a great experience.”

Melike Ayca Ay [Third Year Nursing Student Ankara University Turkey 2009]

UPDATE

"I was a third year nursing student when I went to England for my Erasmus Programme in 2008. I did internship at the Keele University for three months. It was an excellent educational and development programme. I learnt nursing services in UK, British patient profiles, differences and similarities in practice, communication skills, and more through this programme. It was an enjoyable experience for me.
I graduated in 2010 after returning to my country and then, started to work as a Staff Nurse in a public hospital Intensive Care Unit. I worked there for ten months. Theoretical and practical knowledge I learnt at the School of Nursing and Midwifery Keele University helped me so much with my professional career.
Now, I’m working at Substance Abuse Unit of the Ministry of Health in Ankara. At the same time I am also studying for a Master’s Degree on Psychiatric Nursing at the Hacettepe University, Ankara.
I recommend this experience to all nurses in order to support their professional self-development and life-long learning."

Melike Ayca Ay [Clinical Nurse Ankara, Turkey June 2012]