Post-Graduate Interns: A Major Highlight

(from Eric)

One of the perennially funny things about blogging is how you can look back and notice how you've missed something major.  Such is the case for our post-graduate internship program.

A reform in medical school curriculum back in 2011 set the roadmap for graduates from Burundi to follow medical school with a one-year post-graduating "rotating" internship (meaning that they rotate through several different specialties during this year).  This is what is done in other countries in our region, and what several of us help to supervise when we lived in Kenya.

The program hasn't yet begun on a national level, but many doctors will go somewhere in the country for something similar but less formal, called in French a "stage professionnel".  Many of our graduates have expressed interest in more training after graduation, and we have been eager for several years to take young doctors through a more formal and intensive "stage professionnel", following the model of the internships to come.

After several years in planning, we started this program on May 1, 2019.  We took eight doctors, and later expanded to twelve.  They spend 3 months each on Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, and OB-GYN.  They take lots of call, and they see patients in clinic.  They have weekly lectures and reading assignments, and they have been a big part of a weekly doctors' bible study.  Because of their dedication, they have, in many ways, been the heartbeat of the hospital these last several months, and we are so thankful both for them, and for who they are becoming.

Several of the "stage professionnels" with "Papa Banks", their fearless leader

Last night, we all had a dinner ceremony together to celebrate the end of this program for the first five doctors.  Since these five all went to medical school at HAU, we have known them since their very early clinical rotations as a student.  We got to see them progress steadily towards graduation.  Now, we have seen them grow tremendously this year into true colleagues.  It is a delight to think of them going out to truly bless the population of Burundi with their intelligence, their hard work, their practical capacity, and their love for Christ and the people of Burundi.

Congratulations to Dr. Cesarine Nishimwe, Dr. Emmy Prince Ndengeyingoma, Dr. Moïse Niyuhire, Dr. Christian Niyoyitungira, and Dr. Olivier Hakizimana.  Thank you for trusting in a new program and for blazing a trail that many can now follow.  May God bless you and guide you in the days to come.

Some pictures from last night's fête:

Five finishing doctors with their certificates

Eric and Dr. Gilbert (Kibuye's medical director) congratulating Dr. Prince

All but one of the current post-graduate interns

Video messages from those who couldn't be present

Cutting Madame Cynthia's awesome cake

Now we look forward to another year.  We have 6 doctors that are roughly halfway through the curriculum, and another six who began on May 1.