Travel to Cape Town, known as the “mother city”, and one of South Africa’s most beautiful cities. Cape Town is the second most populous city in South Africa. Multicultural and diverse, this will be the stage for a first-hand experience of the daily challenges faced by its recently created healthcare system, where students will work alongside local healthcare personnel in public district hospitals providing care for the underserved.
Adding to the cultural language immersion, live with local families in the Cape Flats area, a racially diverse great urban expanse behind Table Mountain, populated by forced government relocations during the Apartheid era. CFHI participants may also organize weekend trips from Cape Town to the world-famous Paarl and Stellenbosch wine country, or travel on the well-known Peninsula tour circuit to visit Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, home to a colony of African penguins.
Cape Town is located on the southwestern coast of South Africa, near Cape Hope, the southernmost point in Africa. Flanked by the magnificent Table Mountain on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, the natural beauty in and around Cape Town is awe-inspiring. With first-world infrastructure, it attracts tourist the world over for its natural beauty, history and famous places as Table Mountain, Robben Island, and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. The city also boasts fascinating museums, lots of culture and art, and some of the country's best beaches.
Clinical Rotations & Public Health Placements
Participants in this program will be placed either at a Secondary Teaching Hospital or in the trauma unit of a large Children's hospital. When applying, please indicate preference between the two hospitals based on the descriptions below. CFHI will do its best to accomodate rotation preferences, though all students should be aware that they may be placed at either hospital.
Secondary Teaching Hospital- This secondary hospital falls under the Provincial Health Department and the University of Cape Town. The hospital has 158 inpatient beds and serves a population of approximately 47,000 per year. 50% of their patients are uninsured, and are served at low cost, and they also see patients with private insurance. CFHI participants will rotate in the Internal Medicine department. Pediatric Department rotations may also be available. Each of these departments has a department head physician who will act as preceptors for the CFHI program. Because students will be rotating at one facility, students have an excellent opportunity to develop a familiarity and rapport with Victoria Hospital's patients and staff. This allows participants to get a more in-depth understanding of the complexity of South Africa's healthcare system in the context of this secondary hospital.
Children’s Hospital: Trauma Unit- This Children’s Hospital’s principal task is to provide care to the children of Cape Town but also serves as a regional and national referral base for many specialties. The trauma unit has 2 operating theatres and the outpatient service 3 theatre. Childhood trauma will be the number 1 disease globally in 2020 according to the the World Health Organization (WHO), as reported in the third World Report on Child Injury Prevention in December 2008.
Trauma in children has become a major cause of mortality and morbidity, disability and a socio-economic burden. It is estimated that over 95% of all deaths due to injury in children occur in low- and middle-income regions and countries. Although the child injury death rate is much lower among children from developed countries, injuries are still a major cause of death, accounting for about 40% of all child deaths.
During their time at the trauma unit, participants will have the opportunity to witness the various medical techniques used in pediatric trauma, such as radiological imaging, total body digital imaging, emergency ultrasound and abdominal sonography for trauma , laparoscopic surgery, non-operative management of abdominal injuries and management of brain injuries, among many others. The hospital is also a leader in South Africa in promoting child safety in order to prevent injuries.
You will be staying with a South African family in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town, in a middle class suburban neighborhood. This allows for immersion in the culture and a better understanding of South Africa. You will likely be sharing a room with another student in the program. Bathrooms are shared with the family. All homestays are located in close proximity to one another.
Approximate Program Dates:
This program offers a start date once per month. Students may choose program dates that best suite their program.
Requirements:
This CFHI program is open to fourth-year medical students. The program offers a perspective on pediatric health in Bolivia largely through visits and experiences within hospitals and clinics, as well as Spanish classes with medical Spanish instruction. To confirm you may apply, please read CFHI's general eligibility requirements.
CMU Office of Study Abroad Scholarship:
Scholarships in the amount of $500 are available for faculty-led programs and students studying abroad for eight weeks or longer in the summer are eligible for up to $750. Scholarships for semester participants range from $500 - $2,500. For more information, please contact the
Office of Study Abroad.
Additional Scholarships:
For information about scholarships for which you may apply on campus and nationally, please
visit the Scholarship page.
