Tiny Tim and Friends Volunteers

Simon; Cardiff University Medical School, UK

2006-11-16T00:32:00.000-08:00

Simon is from Cardiff University Medical School, in his first year. He spent just over a month in Zambia was stayed at the local backpacker's guest house. He focused on the day care and the hospice and was well-loved by all. As with his predecessor from Cardiff, Tim Kelly, he was a good friend to our family and an enormous help while he was here.

Magali Chris and Ellen; Ohio State University Medical School

2006-11-16T00:27:00.000-08:00

Magali Chris and Ellen all are medical students from Ohio State and spend a month in Zambia with Tiny Tim and Friends. They focused on hospice and day care work and were instrumental in getting several people on ARV's who otherwise would have not gotten access. They began a charting system in day care which has become invaluable for tracking the children's progress. Their contributions were enormous. They rented a small home for their stay in Zambia and managed their own transportation locally.

Sabrina

2006-11-16T00:07:00.000-08:00

Sabrina is completing her PhD in Nursing with emphasis on Palliative Care. She spent a month with us in Zambia and stayed at the home of Jane Lewis, our Clinical Director and good friend. She was a frequent and welcome guest at our house, along with Jane, and was sorely missed upon her departure.

A Possible List of Activities for Some Volunteers

2006-11-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

Weekly rounds with Dr. Meade at various units including a hospice, Day Care,
malnutrition unit and orphanage.

Examining patients and forming a differential diagnosis and problem list.

Discussing patient care plans with Clinical Officer and Dr. Meade, as well as
involving the entire health care team (nursing, nutrition, physical therapy,
etc.)

Performing simple procedures such as IV line placement (both children and
adults) and NG tube placement.

Developing skills as a practitioner for treating terminally ill and severely
ill adults and children.

Developing skills with children aged 2 to 12 who are from resource poor setting
and often ill because of lack of care, poor hygiene and poor nutrition.

Liaise with other volunteers and health care professionals locally to better
understand the complexities of working in a resource poor setting.

Understanding the interplay between the three biggest health problems in our
setting: malnutrition, HIV/AIDS and TB (During the rainy season malaria is also
included in this list.)

Working directly with patients (adults and children) with HIV/AIDS and TB
co-infection.

Recognizing and treating tropical diseases not seen in the Western setting in
both children and adults.

Developing appropriate attitude and emotional response to working with
critically ill patients in a resource poor setting.

Understanding the basics of palliative medicine in a resource poor setting.

Developing skills such as lumbar puncture and thorocentesis under supervision.

Participating in administration for ARV’s to children and the complications
that this involves (i.e., compliance, poor care at home.)

Developing skills in working in a foreign environment without the usual back up
support of professional colleagues and consultants, save Dr. Meade.

Developing skills in living outside of one’s country of origin, including
cultural/social assimilation and acceptance.

Documenting activities and experiences for presentations.

Excellent letter to Medical School Seeking Authorization for Rotation in Zambia

2006-11-15T23:56:00.000-08:00

Office of the Registrar and Office of Student Affairs, Room B-640 and Room C-642
New Jersey Medical School
Medical Science Building
185 South Orange Avenue
Newark, NJ 07103
Telephone: 973/972-4783
Fax: 973/972-4109

November 13, 2006

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing on behalf of _______, a fourth year medical student at New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ who has expressed interest in working with me Lusaka, Zambia from 3/25/2007 to 4/22/2007. I approve her externship here and look forward to working with her. Students will be responsible for 40+ hours/week, typically 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturdays, which will be spent at the Ambuya Day Care.

The schedule for the students will be as follows:

Week 1: Work in a private HIV treatment clinic run by an American physician. Students will shadow the physician, see patients, administer medications, and follow up lab values and patient progress.

Week 2 – 4: Students’ time will be split between two facilities: Ambuya Daycare
and Jon Hospice in Lusaka. These two facilities serve a community of 400,000 along with 3 other local outpatient district clinics. The facilities are staffed with nurses and clinical officers (equivalent to physician assistants or nurse practitioners).

Ambuya Daycare: 40-unit day care for HIV-infected children who are, for the most part, in stable condition and on anti-retroviral therapy, ages 6-12 years. The children come from 7am-3pm to get medications, treatment for opportunistic infections, and schooling. Students will be evaluating their health and treating infections.

Jon Hospice: In-patient facility treating young adults (20-30s) with a variety of diseases but mostly TB and HIV. As well as working in the facility and seeing patients there, I will be working with two home healthcare workers who are well-known to the community. They identify those who need hospice care, follow up medication compliance and make arrangements (transport, appointments, etc.) for those who need additional testing, mediations or care. The supervising attending physician is available at anytime to discuss questions I might have.

If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Timothy J. Meade, M.D. Phone: +2601222612 Medical Director Fax: +2601224833
Corpmed Medical Centre Email: dr.tim@zamnet.zm
PO Box 30209
Lusaka, Zambia