Claire Finlay

I knew I wanted to do my medical elective in a healthcare system that would provide contrasts to what I see at home in Australia. 

This led me to become interested in going somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, where I could expect to encounter a different range of presentations, particularly tropical diseases, as well as a different range of challenges within the healthcare system itself.  

I chose to organize my elective through Work the World, and I think they did an excellent job. 

Work the World provided me with the opportunity to spend time in the departments that I was most interested in and helped to make all arrangements for my elective as simple as possible. 

The team were always available to talk on the phone pre-departure and addressed any questions that I had.

In going solo to Tanzania, it was also reassuring to know that I would be met at the airport and taken to prearranged accommodation. 

The house itself was beautiful and provided a great space to relax in or socialize with other students in the program. 

The in-country team were all incredibly welcoming, and happy to take us out to explore the city. Evening karaoke at a local joint on the beach was particularly memorable. 

Getting to experience the local culture in Tanzania was such an incredible experience.

We had the chance to get to know our home base Dar es Salaam quite well and go out exploring further about Tanzania on our weekends. The safari organized through Work the World was a highlight. 

the local staff were very welcoming and incredibly generous with their time and teaching.

As far as the hospital placements themselves went, I had an amazing time. I felt quite nervous going in, but all the local staff were very welcoming and incredibly generous with their time and teaching. 

I had the chance to see a lot of interesting medicine in the emergency department and labour ward and learnt a lot from seeing the way the local staff handled difficulties with resource allocation and complex presentations.

The Work the World team at the house were always checking in on us, to make sure we were having a good time, and that things were going well in our hospital placements, so we always felt very well looked after.

Overall, I loved my medical elective in Dar es Salaam, and Work the World definitely made my placement feel secure and well organized, and as straightforward as possible to arrange.