Danielle Wilks: How Nursing in Tanzania Changed My Life 

Danielle travelled to Tanzania in 2017 as part of her nursing degree at the University of Lincoln. 

We recently caught up with Danielle to talk about how the overseas placement she undertook influenced her career… 

I decided I wanted to be a nurse after my dad had a bad accident when I was much younger. We were in and out of the hospital, and seeing the care he got from the district nurses inspired me. They played such a key part in helping me, my dad and mum through it that it left an impression on me. 

I went through schooling and eventually landed at the University of Lincoln. I went for an open day and just fell in love with the campus and everyone was so welcoming. I’d lived at home up until that point, so I was nervous about moving away, but that open day really reassured me. 

I absolutely loved it there. The course itself was brilliant. During my studies, the Nursing and Midwifery Council were changing their standards, so the University had to adapt the course to satisfy the new guidelines and we were really involved in that process, which was great. The lecturers were amazing as well. 

At the end of my second year, I decided I wanted to go overseas for my elective. I looked into it and found an organisation called Work the World who organised and facilitated the whole thing for me. I chose to go to Tanzania because I thought I’d never get the chance to go away like this again, so I picked somewhere I wouldn’t normally go for a holiday. 

I even remember hearing at my open day that later in the course I’d get the chance to go abroad, so I started saving for it back then! 

My Placement 

Stepping off that plane after more than 17 hours of travel, Tanzania felt like a totally different world! I was so thankful that a member of the Work the World team was there to meet us at the arrivals gate. It meant I could really soak up what was going on around me, which was certainly different to back home in the UK. 

On the journey to the house, I saw men and women walking at the sides of the roads and through the traffic, selling fresh fruit, water, DVDs and children’s toys. There was so much hustle and bustle, I didn’t know where to look first. 

When I arrived at the house, it finally sank in that this would be my home for the next four weeks. After a tour of the house and being shown our rooms, we were taken to have a welcome meal with our new housemates – a group of fellow students who would quickly become family during my stay. Everyone was so friendly and quick to share their advice and experiences. I felt so welcomed. 

Our day started with a trip to the hospital,  where we were shown around and introduced to the departments we would be working in. Even from this brief tour I could see that resources were lacking. 

My first day on placement in the hospital was nerve wracking. I’d packed my bag with all the essentials — gloves, aprons and alcohol hand gel — but I still felt somewhat unprepared. 

Walking into the hospital, there were people everywhere. Many of the wards were overcrowded with patients being nursed in corridors and on mattresses on the floor.  

Fortunately, the sister on the ward was excited to have me there and keen to get me involved with everything that was happening. 

The lack of resources meant that many patients didn’t get the best outcomes. But every single staff member did the best that they could with what they had. They were aware of the shortfalls and keen to ask questions. They wanted to understand how healthcare worked in the UK.  

Some of my housemates and I became friendly with some of the Tanzanian nursing students. We even attended one of their lectures! This was followed by a Q&A session where both sides were able to find out more about nursing and healthcare in the other’s country — something I found really beneficial to my understanding of nursing on the global stage. 

I spent time in internal medicine, mental health, paediatrics and the emergency department during my four week placement. I experienced many different things in each of these departments. I spent time with terminally ill children, participated (under supervision) in resuscitation and ventilation, general ward duties and assisting in HIV, TB and methadone clinics. 

Each experience challenged me both professionally and personally. Some experiences were emotionally taxing and helped me appreciate the healthcare back home. 

After I graduated 

After I graduated I ended up going straight into another degree in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing. Public health had always been my bag, so it was a natural choice. At the end you can become either a health visitor or a school nurse, and I chose the school nurse pathway. 

I graduated from that in 2019 and got a job, and then in 2020, Covid hit. We’re still out and about in the community, but not as much as we were prior to the pandemic. I do a lot of safeguarding work as well. So, that means working closely with social workers on cases where children are on Child Protection plans or Child in Need plans. I support their health needs, and that could be both their physical and emotional needs. 

And I’m now back at university to do the Health Visitor side of the course! It’s only 10 weeks practise as I’ve already got the grounding in the theory side. When I’ve finished I’ll be classed as a Family Public Health Nurse, and that will mean I can work with the whole family rather than just school-aged children. 

I can actually tie a lot of this back to my experience in Tanzania. While I was over there I really learned how to appreciate what we’ve got, and that made me want to get the most out of my profession so I could help people to the best of my ability. 

And living with students from other disciplines — midwives, physios, dentists — in the house inspired me to want to collaborate with different arms and bodies within the NHS. 

The experience really fuelled the fire for me. 

My experience in Dar was life changing. I would 100% recommend the experience to anyone who is thinking of doing their elective in Tanzania. It may seem scary, but it’s truly amazing. 

Work the World specialises in creating overseas healthcare placements in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Their destinations provide eye-opening insight into the challenges associated with delivering healthcare in the low-resource clinical settings.