An inside look into UoG’s Skill Labs
Up until now the University of Gondar’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences has graduated countless students. The work that is being done to progress the medical field is something that UoG takes seriously. Since its inception in 1954, when the Malaria epidemic hit the Dembya area, the University of Gondar has been heads and shoulders above many institutions. By boasting state of the art facilities, which include the newly opened Referral Hospital, UoG expects to make a sizable impact in the lives of millions.
To the students who do study here in Gondar it is clear that their time at UoG is like no other. It is said that the way one learns and retains information is closely linked with the teaching methods employed by a university. With certainty the learning process has been given a huge boost at UoG. Student’s experience has been improved with the addition of top of the line skill labs. When one gets the opportunity to use such equipment it is apparent that the University of Gondar has taken a gigantic step towards technological advancements to assist in the learning process.
[widgetkit id=6911]
Scattered across the vast College of Medicine and Health Sciences campus, these skill labs host the latest technology that can substitute for real life humans. In an interview with Dr. Sisay, the Dean of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, the prospect of gaining much needed practice and training from the equipment was evident. “Treating patients and saving lives is an enormous responsibility,” he said, “therefore before we treat humans we must train in a skill lab that simulates real life situations in a hospital.”
When speaking to the dean of the medical college, he assured that before students get a chance to deliver a child, they first test their skills in a skill lab. This opportunity ensures clarity in work and guarantees success once they enter real life circumstances. Moreover, the quality of education gets a much-needed improvement that allows the students to receive an education of a lifetime.
There are two types of equipment that are found in the lab. The first is called low- fidelity equipment. Characterized by their non-reliance to electricity, low fidelity equipment is used with ease. Replicas of adult humans and toddlers are used essentially to dissect the intricate nature of individuals. The mannequin-like test dolls can be found throughout the labs and are helpful to conceptualize and recreate the child delivery process, c-section operations, to observe male and female organs and the likes.
High fidelity equipment is the 2 type of device used in a skill lab. According to Dr. Sisay high fidelity equipment are high-end apparatuses and can, “manifest what humans do for practical purposes.” The dean of the medical college expressed his beliefs about what is being done in Gondar in comparison to other institutions. “I can confidently say,” he asserted, “that the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, and more specifically UoG, is leading the race when it comes to low and high fidelity technology.”
In 2009 alone over 10(m) birr was spent by UoG and its partners to enhance and strengthen skill labs. This shows how the institution is working with partners to advance quality education and the vital teaching learning process.
One of the highly anticipated pieces of high fidelity equipment that is fully functional is called the Anatomage smart table. The first of its kind in East Africa, this smart table that assists in the process of surgical procedures is sure to accelerate and deepen student’s learning experience.
The conventional method of hands on training in surgery for students is by operating on dead corpses. Sometimes though the barriers in attaining the corpses can be an insurmountable task because of privacy concerns and religious reasons.
Therefore, presently, the University of Gondar can proudly say, via a 4(m) birr purchase, the smart table has revolutionized the way medical students are trained. The 3-meter by 1-meter movable technological platform allows students to use their index finger to navigate a massive touch screen that caters to the whole anatomy of a human being.
Anatomage focuses on the anatomy of individuals and functions as a substitute to real life people. It gathers information from its database to vividly illustrate in a 3D fashion the intrinsic nature of the human body from veins, nerves, arteries and all the organs. Many believe this is the next step in technology that will undoubtedly increase the knowledge and practices of fine institutions.
Taking a tour of all the labs in UoG and gaining insight into all of the technology will take a lifetime, but it is evident that work is being done to accomplish what no other higher institution has. A lot of concern is put into progressing the teaching learning process, research and community service and the quality education at the University of Gondar.
Moreover, other stockholders also seek the prosperity of Ethiopia’s top-flight university. Even if the funds are available and the willingness is there to acquire a lot of innovative equipment, sometimes the electronic and essential materials that a university needs can be out of reach and distant. For this very reason, believing that it cannot be done alone, Dr. Sisay reflected on partners such I- Tech and SERT which assist in all the ways they can to make UoG a better institution.
So it remains an undisputed fact that the University of Gondar is elevating its outlook in terms of the medical field. One of the more influential tools in a student’s life in a university can be associated with those things that make it easier for them to learn. The environment at UoG is serving just that. For now though, the race to become one of the leading universities in the nation is progressing in a superb pace.
Reported by Samuel Malede| Public and International Relations Directorate
