APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Thank you for your interest in Selian Lutheran Hospital. If you decide to participate, we will offer you an experience in which you will be exposed to:

1) Tanzania and the Swahili language
2) clinical tropical medicine (clinical parasitology and AIDS in particular)
3) primary health care in a third world country
4) the rewards of medical missionary work

If this sounds like the kind of program which interests you, you need to apply to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania - Diocese in Arusha Region for acceptance into our program. Your application can be mailed or emailed to Dr. Mark Jacobson, coordinator of medical student and resident rotations. Your application should address the following points:

1) why you desire to participate in our program
2) what you expect to gain from the rotation
3) what you feel you can contribute to our work
4) any experiences or studies that have helped prepare you for such a rotation
5) a statement of approval of the Selian externship or residency rotation from your medical school
6) your plan to read about Africa and study tropical medicine under the supervision a faculty member of your program prior to coming to Arusha
7) a resume or CV

The minimum externship at Selian is eight weeks and the minimum residency rotation is four weeks. We typically have four students and one or two residents doing rotations at the same time in order to maximize and individualize the experience.

Pediatric rounds with volunteer pediatrician Gene Turner, Clinical Officer
Walter Mnkwema, and fourth-year medical student Melissa Brand.

SELIAN LUTHERAN HOSPITAL INFORMATION

Externship: The externship consists of working on the wards with graduated levels of responsibility. You will work as part of a team that includes other students, Tanzanian interns and advanced medical officer students. Externs may also do outpatient medicine in one of the hospital's clinics and can have opportunities to see rural medicine at one of the remote dispensaries. Some students may have an opportunity with the Flying Medical Services of the Catholic Church to go into remote health care settings (click here to see slideshow).

Residency rotations: Residency rotations are similar to the externships except for an increased level of responsibility on the wards, especially teaching.

At the present time all externs and residency rotations are at Selian; none are at Arusha Lutheran Medical Center.

Visa requirements for entry into Tanzania: To do a rotation at Selian, you need to obtain a visitor's visa from a Tanzanian consulate or embassy. You should state that you are coming as a tourist. (Do not state you are coming to 'work' as work here is defined as gainful employment and requires a different kind of permit.) Alternatively, you can obtain your visa on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport; the cost is $100 and must be paid in dollars regardless of what country you are coming from: travellers checks and credit cards are NOT accepted. In addition, your passport expiration date must be at least six months after your arrival even if you plan to stay just one or two months.

For health clearance, check the CDC website for current recommendations; as of March 2008 the only required immunization is YELLOW FEVER and this is only if you are planning to visit Zanzibar during your stay. As health professionals however, hepatitis A and B immunizations ane recommended. The current recommendations for malaria are daily doxycycline (less expensive) or daily malarone. Weekly mefloquine is an option, but side effects can be troubling and moderate resistance to mefloquin is reported.

What to bring: You will need light clothes. For work at the hospital, casual clinic clothes are appropriate. A raincoat is needed in February-June and October-December. Otherwise, a sweater or fleece and light jacket will suffice. Students often do a lot of walking, so good walking shoes are necessary. Some students who have been here during the dry season recommend tan and khaki colored clothes because those colors do not show the dust. Plan to bring some reading material, a flashlight, batteries, camera, etc. There is a lodge with a swimming pool nearby, and there may even be time for the beach, so bring a swim suit. A laptop and/or PDA with various medical programs can be useful. There is internet access in the hospital, clinic and student houses.

The easiest way to exchange money and get the best exchange rate is to use a VISA or Mastercard cash or debit card. If you visit a National Park on your own (i.e. not with a safari company), the entrance fees ($35-100/day, most are $35) must be paid with a debit card or credit card with a PIN number. Notify your credit card company that charges will be coming from Tanzania; otherwise charges from here may be blocked.

You can take a safari in the national parks for about $150-250 per day. Bring items you might want on safari: camera, binoculars, hat, and sunscreen.

Mosquito nets are readily available. Ball-point pens are always in short supply. You should bring two white coats, your name tag, your stethoscope, pocket manuals and, if you have them, your otoscope and ophthalmoscope. Hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes are useful.

Reading: Following is a suggested reading list either in advance of or during your time in Tanzania. Some of the books are out of print but are available here.

Achebe. Things Fall Apart.
Bryant, John. Health in the Developing World.
Donovan. Christianity Rediscovered
Fadiman. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
Moorehead. The White Nile.

Student experiences:
To read from one student's experiences at Selian, click here.

To see pictures of 'match nights 2004 and 2006', click here.

And 'match night 2008', click here.

To see pictures of a medical school graduation celebration at Selian, click here.

University of Indiana fourth-year medical student Jennifer Whitaker wrote about her experiences with AIDS patients at Selian: to read, click here.

Visits to Arusha and Lake Manyara National Parks and Karatu.

Language: The Rosetta Stone Swahili language software is good, but expensive. English is spoken by all Selian staff and charting is in English.

Emergency Contacts: Diocese in Arusha, Tel. 027-250-2088
Selian Lutheran Hospital, telephone 027-250-3726
Dr. Mark Jacobson, tel. 0754-299-306
E-mail: mjacobson@habari.co.tz