GLOBALHEALTH
Blogs from
Abroad GHANA
Making a Difference 5,365 Miles from Durham
Savion Johnson, MD
RESIDENCY CLASS OF 2022
I
f there is one word to describe my experience, it would be perspective; in just one month in Ghana, I have seen a change in my perspective. The thing about perspective though, is that it normally does not change without encountering a difference of opinion
forward. Whereas in Ghana, I am just a man, which makes me think back to the Civil Rights movement where my uncles held up “I am a Man” signs to signify their equality. Because of this dynamic, it has challenged me to think, when race is no longer at the forefront, what is it that defines you? What do you wrap your identity in? Is it faith? Your family? Your career? All questions I hope to continue to explore far beyond my time in Ghana.
CLINICAL IMPACT
or experience. As Drs. Adeyemi someone who had Olufolabi, never stepped foot Savion Johnson, outside of the United Lori Jones, and States, my trip to Cameron Taylor Ghana as part of Duke in Ghana. Anesthesiology’s global health rotation allowed me to not only practice anesthesia 5,000 miles away, but also experience a new country for the first time, and it was truly eye-opening. In the United States, the first thing people notice is my skin tone, and race seemingly impacts every conversation moving 54
| DUKE ANESTHESIOLOGY
I spent my time clinically at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, a tertiary care center in Ghana, and I also taught anesthesia at the neighboring Ridge Hospital Nurse Anesthesia School. During our first week at Greater Accra, we found ourselves in the middle of a nurse anesthetist strike across the country, so we aided the nurse anesthetist on duty with cases in the obstetrics theater. One day when we came into the hospital, he let us know he had been at the hospital for four days straight, because there was no other anesthetist. When I asked him why he continued to show up, he said because there is no one else and he wanted to ensure nothing happened to the OB anesthesia program at Ridge and to ensure women received adequate care. This scenario made me
think of our 80-hour maximum work week and taught me about true duty to your institution, your patients, and your community. It was inspiring. When not in the operating room, I and my co-resident, Lori Jones, taught the first-year nurse anesthesia students on the basics of anesthesia, in preparation for their upcoming midterm exams. Some of these topics included physics, monitoring, capnography, and airway management. The opportunity to teach the nurse anesthesia students was incredibly rewarding as they were always very eager to learn, often skipping the opportunity to leave school early if that meant we could stay and teach after their other scheduled lectures were done for the day. This experience highlighted so many things we take for granted in regards to our educational experience. One thing that stood out was access to the internet, as the school did not have WiFi. Another thing was lack of seating when all students were present, as there was one lecture we gave where two students shared a desk, which is a stark contrast to our large lecture halls here in the United States. Despite these challenges, the students were always very prepared and enthused about learning about anesthesia. When not teaching in the classroom, or assisting and teaching in the OR, we had the opportunity to interact with the CEO of the Greater Accra Hospital and the chair of the anesthesia department