FAME’s Partnership with Creighton University: A Reflection by Dr. Elyssa Metas
From Left: Dr. Msuya Walii, Dr. Elyssa Metas and Dr. Anne Ghati
Dr. Metas with FAME’s Director of Operations, William Mhapa
FAME has continually enhanced its volunteer program through the development of strategic partnerships. These partnerships, where both parties learn and grow together, build capacity and give the FAME team access to additional skills, resources and knowledge.
One of these important partnerships is with Creighton University, Arizona. Since 2020, Creighton University has sent OB/GYN fellows to join us at FAME for two to three months to build the capacity of our team.
Dr. Elyssa Metas, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Phoenix, Arizona, was our first-ever fellow from this partnership. Here, she reflects on her past stay at FAME and its impact on her. Read her reflection below.
My journey with FAME started in January 2020. After nearly 3 amazing months, I, unfortunately, had to cut my first time at FAME short due to the pandemic. Over the course of the last year, in the face of all the unknown, I continually asked myself when I would be able to return. When I felt safe to travel again, I jumped at the opportunity to come back to FAME.
I did not know what to expect when I returned to FAME. Although there had been communications regarding patient care and zoom lectures during that year, it was hard to know what it would be like actually being there. My anxiety was alleviated very shortly after my arrival. FAME did not diminish but rather seemed to have flourished in the face of the pandemic. The doctors, nurses and support staff, despite the adversity the year had brought, continued to grow and improve. I really saw this on the Maternity Ward.
External fetal monitoring was something very new when I first came to FAME. After a year of hard work and learning, the nurses honed their skills in interpreting fetal heart tracing. One case, in particular, stands out in my mind. One of the nurses alerted me to abnormalities in the heart tracing that did not resolve with the usual resuscitative measures. With further monitoring, it was evident the baby was in distress and needed an emergency cesarean section to help save its life. The team recognized the urgency of the situation and worked together to bring the mother to the theater. I was so impressed by how fast everyone assembled to take care of the mother and baby. The baby was delivered happy and healthy and discharged home with the mother. This was in large part to the early recognition of fetal distress and how well the team worked together.
Another area where I saw definitive improvement was the effort to safely reduce the cesarean section rate. It starts with how the nurses and doctors work together as a unit to manage labor. They utilize appropriate interventions to help facilitate vaginal delivery. There also seems to be a constant review of cases from the daily rounds to the larger quarterly meetings. I was fortunate enough to participate in one of the quarterly meetings where all the cesarean sections during that period were reviewed. It was great to see the level of participation amongst the doctors during the meeting. You could really see the desire to learn from past cases to see what could be changed for future ones. It is evident that this is an area that will continue to improve.
“The time I spent at FAME will always be incredibly special to me and really has been one of the greatest honors of my career. I know this will not be goodbye forever but only for now.”
*Part 2 of the FAME Creighton University partnership will be published in two weeks. It will feature a piece by Dr. Alicia Willey who just finished two months volunteering at FAME.