Ethiopia Elective
The enduring image of Ethiopia is of horrendous drought and starvation, exacerbated by war. The reality, however, is quite different. A beautiful land of desert in the far North, the Simien mountains and Lake Tana in the centre and African bush to the South, the first thing that strikes the visitor is the incredible richness of the vegetation and the severity of the landscape. The truth about Ethiopia is that this fascinating country cradles a unique living culture, with its roots in an ancient empire and the landscape embracing the extremes of forest and desert, highland and lowland.
Medical students who travel to Ethiopia will be visiting one of the poorest countries in the world and working in a hospital which supplies the only medical care for a huge area and enormous number of people. This is a challenging elective for those students who want to experience medicine in a developing country and students must be prepared for the emotional toil that this can bring. You should remember, though, that it is the challenging nature of this elective that makes it so rewarding. Every patient you see will benefit from your care, and the things you experience will last a lifetime.
