Kicking off the 10 years of SAFE celebrations, Dr. Mary T. Nabukenya remembers her experiences of the first-ever SAFE course and assesses the lasting impacts it has had on her career and those of her colleagues.
My first memory of the world of SAFE is from 2011 when I attended the first SAFE course in Uganda. It was a SAFE Obstetrics course. As a year 1 anaesthesia resident, it made a great impact on me as there was a lot of learning. What struck me was that the structure of teaching was very different from what I was used to, and I liked it.
The following year, at another SAFE Obstetrics course I did the Training of the Trainers course. Again, a very new experience for me, and several years later, the principles I learnt on that course are still very relevant.
My network has grown through the SAFE courses, and expanded out to produce a lot of outcomes.
I feel like I have watched SAFE grow and I have grown with it. This is also the case for so many of my physician colleagues that did the course as residents and have gone on to teach on the course and have since become consultants themselves. Many anaesthesia providers in Uganda have been trained – both physicians and non-physicians, and recently nurses and surgeons with SAFE OR.
My network has grown through the SAFE courses, and expanded out to produce a lot of outcomes, a lot of them unexpected outcomes. It’s always heartwarming to encounter a non-physician anaesthesia provider I taught on a SAFE course or get a phone consultation from one. I have worked on various non-SAFE (still with the overarching goal of anaesthesia safety) projects with individuals I met through SAFE.
We have had some lovely times while spreading the gospel of Safer Anaesthesia From Education, and I hope it grows on and on. Happy Anniversary!
Dr. Mary T. Nabukenya, Paediatric Anaesthesiologist, Uganda.
Further resources
Safer Anaesthesia From Education (SAFE) information page
SAFE Paediatric & Obstetric Anaesthesia Pocket Handbook
