Where to buy fabric: Lambat, ask for Yunas. Then have Lawrence the tailor make you clothes.
Daytime things to do around Blantyre:
Nighttime things to do:
Yvette Gross, Dana Mande, Jeff Magnatta, Anna Gladstone, Angela Andrews, Elizabeth Schut
Great Ways to Spend an Afternoon in Blantyre:
Rotations
Katie Mowers, Ashley Brant, Brian Holowecky … and Ian
Mt. Michiru is a great way to get acclimated to the altitude early on + a technical climb. Watch out for grass rash!
Ashley Brant
OB/Gynae
This is probably one of the most disorganized departments in the hospital — which can either work to your benefit or drive you crazy. … This rotation is what you make it. Spend one day at family planning clinic and visit all 3 rooms. There are lots of medical and clinical officer students so you have to be assertive if you want to be hands-on.
Surgery
It was amazing to see the variety of cases and pathology here. Prof. Borgstein is great to work with so is Bip (Dr. Nandi). Bip loves to teach and is a great go-to person. Expect Tuesdays and Wednesdays to be full days, but if you stick around you will definitely get to scrub cases. Don’t be shy to demonstrate your surgical skills — they were happy to let me get very involved once they knew what I was comfortable doing.
Brian Holowecky
A&E
QECH has the first ER in all of Malawi. It was an amazing rotation. You will really feel like a doctor as you are the main/only provider for many people you will see. You can do as many procedures are you’re interested in. Don’t do them until you watch how they do them here though.
I was the first student of MSU to do this rotation. Your physical dx skills will get much better. Patients go to the resuscitation bay and feel free to check there too. Often there’s deathly sick people being tended by only a couple junior nursing students. Feel free to take your own patient to radiology. You can learn so much from seeing films immediately.
Your skills are needed and appreciated!