The event saw over 45 medical students and they learned a lot about much-needed assessment and initial care of burn patients presented by Dr. Robert Riviello who is part of the division of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care as an Associate Surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. After that, students were also honored to have a motivational talk by Dr. Ntirenganya Faustin who is a Breast, Onco-plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon working as a lecturer at the Kigali University Teaching Hospital to get them inspired and reach for their dreams of becoming future pioneers of Rwandan surgery.
We began by introducing our guests who were Dr. Robert Riviello and Dr. Ntirenganya Faustin to students who attended the event. After on, The University of Rwanda Surgical Students Society abbreviated UR-SSS represented by its Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson: Nyembo Philippe Fernand and Uwisanze Hubert both 5th year medical students and founders of the society gave to the audience an overview of the society. The vice-chairperson started by briefly explaining that UR-SSS is a student-driven academic organization from the University of Rwanda and that it was established to promote interest in the field of surgery among medical students at the University of Rwanda. The audience was explained that through activities and events of the society, members are provided with opportunities, skills, and encouragement to facilitate their future surgical careers. He continued with explaining who is eligible to participate in the society and that the society is open to medical students enrolled at the University of Rwanda. The aim of the society is to provide members with activities and experiences that will enhance their development and interest in all aspects of surgery, medical research, and leadership.
After that, Nyembo Philippe Fernand who is the Chairperson of the society took the second portion of the presentation and presented to the audience an overview of the activities and events of the society. He began by talking about the foundation skills in surgery which will help the students to acquire the basic surgical skills. He explained that the society will offer practical surgical skill courses for its members. These courses will be offered in partnership with the department of surgery both at the teaching hospitals in Kigali and Huye. The practical surgical skills will be designed as an addition to the standard surgical skills week courses offered to all the 6th year level medical students rotating in surgery every year. The surgical skills courses will be divided into two main streams; basic (theatre etiquette, suturing skills) and advanced (lymph node dissection, vessel ligation, bowel anastomosis) and will be tutored by members of the department of surgery at CHUB and CHUK. Additions to that will include the establishment of a program to further promote research by members and this will be done in collaboration with the research center department. After that, he explained that the society will also work by hosting a series of extracurricular lectures that will be presented throughout the academic year by local as well as visiting surgical personalities. To finish, he also explained that UR-SSS will bond with other student’s societies worldwide at many different levels and he told students that the potential is tremendous and that we have much to gain such as learning about each other’s experiences, exchange, education, conferencing, and research.
After the small overview of UR-SSS by both the Chairperson and Vice-Person, Dr. Robert Riviello was invited to the stage to deliver his talk on assessment and initial care of burn patients to students. He began by explaining that a burn patient is a trauma patient. He continued his presentation with some of the most important resuscitation and monitoring issues and approaches that are unique to burn patients. He also recalled the classification of burns associated with injuries and attempts to management of a burn patient available both locally and internationally.
After a 10 minutes of biscuit break in which medical students shared with surgeons a cup of juice and biscuits a motivational talk by Dr. Ntirenganya Faustin was given to students. He started by giving a presentation about “Why choose a career in surgery?” He revealed to the audience what the literature says about the factors that influence the choice of many students into surgery. A question was addressed to the audience by Dr. Ntirenganya Faustin: “If you were to go to an inhabited island which doctor will you choose to go with? This question raised a series of discussions and exchange of ideas but the majority affirmed that they would rather go with a surgeon because according to them surgery is the most complete specialty. The event ended with a birthday song for Dr. Robert Riviello who turned 41 the same day.
The UR-SSS hopes to be able to conduct more events of this kind as medical students who attended the event were very happy with the presentations and the exceptional contact with both surgeons. They believe that if these kinds of events keep happening there will be more medical students interested in the field of surgery.
We are hugely grateful to Dr. Robert Riviello and Dr. Ntirenganya Faustin for their commitment of teaching and assisting medical students as demonstrated by their participation in the 2014 University of Rwanda Surgical Students Society Career’s Event.
Particular thanks must get to UR-SSS members themselves who generously attended the event on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
Our lovely association keep shinning all over the worldl
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