ZIMBABWE MEDICAL PROJECT

Trauma, often related to car accidents, is the second leading cause of death in Zimbabwe, accounting for thousands of deaths each year. In February 2015, a team of physicians and nurses from the United States and South Africa traveled to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe to teach courses in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN). These were the first ATCN courses to ever be taught in Africa and the first overseas ATLS courses to be sponsored by the American College of Surgeons.

 

These training courses were chosen to inaugurate the new St Philip's nursing school in Bulawayo. In total, 32 nurses obtained their ATCN certifications and 17 physicians obtained their ATLS certifications. Attendees traveled from all over Zimbabwe and are returning to their hospitals armed with state of the art knowledge in treating trauma patients.

​

The initial ATCN course was completed by 16 nurses. Nine of those nurses were chosen to complete the ATCN Instructor course. Upon completion, Sister Su Samboko was appointed as the course director. She and six other new instructors taught a monitored two-day ATCN course of a second class of 16  additional nurses to achieve full international  accreditation. In cooperation with the University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMCK), three further ATCN training courses have been held with lectures transmitted live from the Simulation Center at UTMCK to St Philips lecture theater in Bulawayo, and a total of 80 nurses have so far received internationally accredited ATCN Trauma Certification.

​

Thanks to all of our ATLS and ATCN instructors, Nic Rudnik of Liquid Telecom, the Rotary Foundation and Rotary Club of Knoxville, the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Trauma Nurses.

​

ATLS instructors:

• Dr Andrew Baker MB ChB, South Africa

• Dr Liesl Baker MB ChB, South Africa

• Dr Blaine Enderson MD, United States

• Dr George Oosthuizen MB ChB, South Africa

• Dr Lou Smith MD, United States

• Dr Ian Stead MB ChB, South Africa​                                     

Society of Trauma Nurses:

• Mike Glenn, RN

• Richard Henn, RN

• Jan Howard, RN

 

ATCN instructors:

• Theresa Day, RN, United States

• Niki Rasnake, RN, United States

• Deb Tuggle, RN, United States

​​