Introduction:

My elective was a seven week placement at the University hospital of Julius-Maximillian university of Wurzburg in the department of internal medicine, surgery and gynecology as a fourth year medical student, carrying out my clinical rotations at the areas of hematology, general surgery and gynecological surgeries.

I was hosted by the Julius-Maximillian University of Wurzburg under the co-ordination of the dean of students, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Deckert, and the university’s exchange programme coordinator, Mrs. Barbara Moll.

My rotations in the units of hematology, general surgery and gynecological surgery were areas that the teams and members I joined had a great deal of experience in, and as such I was able to fit into the gaps in their work and carry out a few tasks given to me and some few small projects that were helpful in bringing the whole together.

This programme is a result of a small agreement which has been signed by the faculty of medicine of the Julius-Maximillian University of Wurzburg, the Catholic university of health and allied sciences at Bugando, the university hospital of the Julius-Maximillian University of Wurzburg and the Bugando medical centre in October 2008 as a medicine programme student-bilateral agreement and partnership arrangement between the sister cities of Mwanza and Wurzburg.

This programme has been conducted every year in which four medical students from the Catholic university of health and allied sciences at the end of their fourth academic year (8th Semester) are selected to visit the Julius-Maximillian University of Wurzburg for their elective studies as partial fulfilment of requirements for doctor of medicine degree award of the Catholic university of health and allied sciences.

Also, it gives the same opportunity for students from the Julius-Maximillian University of Wurzburg visit the Catholic university of health and allied sciences-Bugando for the clinical rotations in various department of interest during their final year.

Aims and objectives: When I decided to apply for this exchange programme (early at the beginning of my fourth academic year) I had in mind that I would like to explore an alternate style of health care system, as well as to discover a different culture, whilst still knowledge, abilities, confidence and experience of the world, in a supported environment, should I need help to make the most of my opportunity. I also felt that trends from Germany invariably seem to make an impact on the Tanzanian way of doing things, for good or ill, and that being able to integrate a new way of doing and booking at thing that could only be of benefit to my present studies and in later practice.

As my clinical years progressed I went from a vague inclination to discovering that I had a real passion for Obstetrics/Gynecology as well as Internal Medicine and that it was work I took great pleasure in doing during my clinical rotations.

Predictably much of my attachment was aimed to be spent getting involving in patient care-histories, examinations, shadowing the team, scrubbing up in and attending the theatres and different surgical and gynecological meeting, gathering and procedures, and the rest to be spent learning theory for a fuller understanding of what I was seeing and doing. Also to see areas where the evidence-based for current practice could be improved, but the speed of everything meant I had only limited time to consider them. When I received the offer of this placement I saw it as an opportunity to visit such an area-where there is much to discover and refine-and to enhance my experience of the specialty as in the future I would have a better idea of how to add to that body of knowledge and improve things for my patients.