Skills Day!

Today was one of the most anticipated days of the program: Skills Day! The interns have been looking forward to this all week, and they jumped right in with energy and focus. Rotating through a series of hands-on stations, they got to put their learning into practice and test out new skills that medical and public health professionals use every day.

At the venipuncture station, the interns learned how to draw blood safely and confidently. This is a crucial clinical skill for anyone entering the healthcare field. From there, they moved on to ultrasound and CPR practice. It was amazing to watch them figure out how to find organs on an ultrasound screen and watch a real heartbeat, and they brought great teamwork and determination to mastering proper CPR technique.

One of the most exciting stations was intubation. The interns learned how to secure a patient’s airway, working step-by-step through the procedure under the guidance of our experienced instructors. They also rotated through vitals checks, where they practiced checking reflexes, calculating blood pressure, and understanding what these key measurements tell us about a patient’s health. 

They even got to try their hands at a laparoscopy! Using tools and cameras, they started to understand how minimally invasive surgery works. And of course, a classic highlight: sheep heart dissections! There were a lot of “oohs” and “yucks,” but even more curiosity as they explored the structure of the heart up close and connected it to what they’ve learned about cardiovascular health, and what they saw on the ultrasound.

The interns also tested out our VR machines, which will help prepare them for Friday’s virtual patient interactions. On Friday, they’ll be diagnosing a real patient case from Bauchi State, but today, they just got to play around and get comfortable in the virtual world. It was a packed day full of new skills, big laughs, and moments that brought their future goals one step closer.