Ratimo Aduke, Alumnus From Idaho State University, Radiographic Science

Transcription

1 Ratimo Aduke is a graduate from the Radiographic Science Program at Idaho State University in the class of After graduation he returned to his native country, and now lives in Kisumu, Kenya. While at ISU he performed his clinical rotations at Bingham Memorial Hospital, and the Blackfoot Medical Center in Blackfoot Idaho. Currently he teaches Radiographic Science in the Kenya Medical Training College. It is a public medical training institution that mostly trains allied health professionals. It is subsidized by the government. The medical imaging program is 3 years in length and has about 20 students in each class for a total of about 60 students. There are 4 faculty members. The college is found in several locations with campuses all over Kenya. The following is a quote from Ratimo, ISU prepared me uniquely for this position. I feel privileged that I was able to go to college there. The holistic education at ISU prepared me for different aspects of the job here. For example I am able to draw on my knowledge of public speaking and writing in teaching my classes. My involvement in student leadership in college has also enabled me to able to share ideas and be comfortable interacting and collaborating with the college leadership. The programs here are quite under resourced. We generally have no textbooks for lecturers so most of our material has to come from the internet. We do not have any anatomy labs so teaching A&P is a challenge, no skeletal models or other basic requirements of a medical training program. The public training hospital only has one functioning x-ray unit which breaks down from time to time. The CT machine has not worked in over a year. We are still a long way in terms of resources and training here. I feel quite lucky that I had the opportunity to go to ISU and train at the well-equipped area hospitals. I realize that a lot of things I took for granted in training are not available Page 1

2 here. Recently I reached out to my former lecturers at the ISU Radiographic Science department. Dan, Wendy and the office staff have been very generous. Right now I am expecting some textbooks that they have donated and are in the mail. I hope we can continue this collaboration. In hindsight I am glad I came back. Most medical professionals from this country who go to the west never come back so it's somewhat unusual. However, to be in this position where I can impart the skills and knowledge I acquired in Pocatello, in spite of the challenges, does give me a huge sense of humility. The Kenya Medical Training College is located on the shores of Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. As suggested by Ratimo textbooks are a rare commodity. The cost of a single textbook could be well over 20,000 Kenya shillings or $ in United States currency. Parents cannot afford to purchase textbooks for the students and the administration does not have the necessary funding to acquire them. To compound the matter the local bookstores do not import medical textbooks because of lack of demand. In his Ratimo requested the possibility of ISU donating a few used textbooks to him. He said this, Kenneth Bontrager s book would be a godsend here. We just do not have anything really like that. Even if it were the previous editions like the 7 th edition; we would really be appreciative of it. He then expressed an emotional plea, My words would not be enough to express to you what a difference that would make in our ability to teach. A few weeks ago the Radiographic Science Program at ISU shipped a few new and used textbooks to Kenya. One of them was the latest edition of Kenneth Bontrager s and John Lampignano s Textbook of Radiographic Positioning and Related Anatomy. Upon hearing that the books had been shipped Ratimo responded, Are you kidding? That is awesome. My fellow lecturers will be thrilled to know this. We can use the books without having to be constantly playing a game of catch me if you can with the students. The Radiographic Science Program in Kisumu is 3 years in length. The 4 faculties cram into a single office similar in size to 1 office in the program at ISU. Three of the faculties teach full time. They have a few adjuncts that work at the nearby public hospital, which is the major Page 2

3 clinical affiliate along with some private facilities. The 4 faculty members teach all of the courses. There are no anatomy professors on campus and a lab is unheard of. He said, If my students saw a cadaver I m not sure how they would react! Ratimo uses his personal laptop for research and all 4 faculty use the same laptop. His exact words were, It s a teaching jungle in that sense. Since the commencement of these s with Ratimo, the Radiographic Science Program at ISU has made available electronic versions of current textbooks and continues to pool resources with him. He has accepted an opportunity to work with us in a collaborative arrangement in the Introduction to Radiographic Science course next semester at ISU. The program at ISU will continue to seek for opportunities help the students and faculty in Kenya. 3 rd year students in the program Page 3

4 The School in Kisumu, Kenya Page 4 Reception desk at the hospital in Kisumu, Kenya

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6 Radiographic Science Students in the classroom in Kisumu, Kenya Page 6

7 Radiographic Science Students in the classroom; Ratimo Aduke teaching, in Kisumu, Kenya Page 7