Student Research Aims to Improve Training of Nurse Anesthetists in Ghana

The Duke Global Health Institute Student Research Training Program is an experiential learning program that engages second and third year undergraduates in the development, implementation and assessment of a community-based project. Students on the team in Ghana this summer are also part of the Bass Connections project team Distance-based, Executive-style Degree Completion Program for Ghanaian Nurse Anesthetists.

Anesthesia care for Ghana’s population of 25 million people is in the hands of just 500 nurse anesthetists. The Bass Connections project team's goal is to utilize innovative technology and an executive training model to assist practicing anesthetists in completing their degree.

This summer the undergraduate students are helping to pilot measures and conduct surveys to evaluate the effectiveness and challenges of distance-based education; provide insight around how to develop technology-based learning for resource-constrained environments; learn about health care infrastructure in Ghana; and engage in collaborative service projects such as creating educational materials for clients.

Check out photos from Ghana on the Global Health Journeys Tumblr.