MENTORING

Mentoring will generally take place on board the hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, as well as outside the ship and is offered for certain health professionals, including surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses in the following surgical specialties:

  • Maxillofacial
  • Plastic and reconstructive
  • Orthopaedic (including the Ponseti method)
  • Women’s health
  • General
  • Ophthalmic

Mentoring is tailored to the participant’s needs, knowledge and experience and is also dependent on surgical specialties and Medical Capacity Building programs. Candidates can be recommended and will be selected by Mercy Ships.

Surgeon mentoring

Mercy Ships, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and local hospitals, mentors surgeons through one on one practical training, imparting skills, knowledge, and a compassionate and professional attitude. Mentoring is offered for the following, depending on mentoring surgeon availability:

  • Orthopedics
  • Ophthalmology
  • Women’s Health
  • General Surgeries
  • Maxillofacial

Ward nurse mentoring

The aim is to deliver the project in the community as much as possible and that nurses from both Mercy Ships and local medical facilities work together in each hospital. One-on-one practical training as well as structured lectures are used in this training

OR Nurse mentoring

OR nurses will participate in a mixture of tutorials, simulations, and patient contact situations. Training in the Operating Room onboard the Mercy Ships vessel allows nurses the opportunity to work in a fully equipped hospital that is sterile and in full alignment with best medical practices.

Anaesthesia mentoring

Doctor and nurse anaesthetists are mentored in anaesthesia and recovery care using a combination of weekly tutorials, working together in their own hospital, and training onboard the Africa Mercy.

Sterile processing mentoring

The Sterile Processing Facilitator builds relationships at the local hospital and identifies key challenges in the hospital. The participants are introduced to a proper sterile field and begin to be instructed in making initial changes in their hospitals sterile processing process. The facilitator then lectures on the concepts and theory behind sterilization.

Biomedical technician

The project consist of weekly hands-on practical mentorship as well as a lecture series with the aim to train participants to troubleshoot and repair equipment, improvise using substitute components and materials, develop and maintain a medical equipment inventory, and initiate and carry out a scheduled maintenance program.

Ponseti method

The project was developed in order to address the huge deficit in clubfoot health care delivery throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Ponseti Method is a manipulative technique that corrects congenital clubfoot without invasive surgery, making it ideal for developing countries that do not have access to surgical facilities. Participants are trained in casting, brace making, and managing a Ponseti clinic.