ReSurge International was one of the first organizations of our kind to swiftly transition into virtual training during the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite having to cancel all in-person programming, we built a robust virtual education program that allowed us to connect with even more trainees than we ever could have reached with an in-person only approach. This robust program of virtual training and lectures for surgeons, nurses, therapists, and anesthesiologists has allowed us to expand our reach and impact all over the world.
But, like with all new systems, it quickly became apparent that there was a gap in the model. Several of our reconstructive surgical trainees in Uganda were logging into ReSurge’s virtual trainings from their personal cell phones and the data charges required to access these free lectures were cost-prohibitive. Dr. Rose Aleyno, the Mulago Hospital Program Director, shared this obstacle with ReSurge, and we quickly worked together to figure out how to arrange for the trainees to gain reliable internet access and a dedicated place to learn and study.
ReSurge was able to help sponsor an eLearning center which was completed in the spring of 2021, giving Mulago Hospital in Uganda a safe place for reliable wi-fi and learning. The impact of this eLearning center at Mulago Hospital has been huge. This training center is available not only to reconstructive surgical trainees, but also to nurses, anesthesiologists and other clinicians. By increasing access to learning resources, there is a significant impact on the number of patients who will be treated each year as well as the quality of patient care.
