Nursing care in Tanzania is unique and I will be working alongside teams of very dedicated and professional nurses. In most regional hospitals in Tanzania, nursing staff are trained in HIV testing and counselling. Nearly all patients admitted in these regional hospitals are tested for HIV which means that this skill set is something that every nurse in Tanzania must have.
Nurses in Tanzania also face a unique set of challenges when delivering care. Firstly, Tanzania, like many poorer countries, struggles to retain doctors so the nurse to doctor patient ratio is very different to home. Secondly, very poor resources mean different approaches are taken. For example the prescribing of drugs is a major problem for Doctors when dealing with the very poor. A patient prescribed a course of antibiotics can, in many cases, only afford to purchase a small number of pills and the chances of them completing a full course are very slim. Despite the lack of resources the medical staff are able perform and provide extensive services.
Traditional medicine is also practiced in some of the hospitals and there is active research into areas where it has been found to be effective. Local healers are still regularly consulted in Tanzania and some of their methods are known to have very good effects. It has been known that when medicines are in short supply for patients to be advised by doctors to find specific local plants and trees to make teas and follow the traditional healing methods.
This opportunity would provide the chance to develop a range of skills unavailable through formal nursing training in the U.K. and would be invaluable when I begin to work within the NHS.