2023 Nigeria Conference

REPORT OF JOS UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL/AFRICA PARTNERS MEDICAL HYBRID CME 2023

Introduction
The Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Africa Partners Medical (APM) Continuing Medical Education (CME) 2023 is the 13th in a recent series of CMEs held in Jos, Plateau State Nigeria by the two organizations. The CME for 2023 focused on the next generation of medical professionals who are the future of healthcare in Nigeria.

Content
The CME held from 11th to 13th September 2023 and had the theme “Challenges in Healthcare”. It was a hybrid meeting with the physical component in the Jos University Teaching Hospital and virtual component hosted on the Zoom Conferencing platform. The conference was attended by 110 people. The conference had a mixture of lectures, focus group discussions and practice sessions. Topics included: The State of the Nigerian Health System, New Vaccines, Baby Checker/Delft Imaging Presentation, Brain Drain Symposium, Handling Finances as a Medical Practitioner and Artificial Intelligence for Africa.

Due to the focus on young physicians, there were several sessions focused on career choices such as: Why I became a Family Physician, Why I became a Pediatrician, Why I became a Surgeon, Why I became an Obstetrician & Gynecologist, Burnout, Why I became a Psychiatrist and Standing on the Shoulder of Giants: Reflection after Decades of Practice.

There were practical sessions in Basic Life Support, Helping Babies breath, Basic Surgical Skills, Basic Ultrasonography, Obstetrics and Gynecologic Emergencies Workshop, Trauma Care Workshop and Research Methodologies.

The challenges of the CME included a high turnout of unregistered participants and the need for scholarships for the many medical students that attended and could not afford the cost of the conference. Poor internet connectivity was a challenge with the virtual presentations.

Conclusion
The new focus of the JUTH/APM Jos CME on educating the next generation of healthcare providers was novel and well received. The faculty excitedly delivered their presentations, and the participants equally engaged in the contents with open hearts. Despite the challenges, the future of the CME is bright and will have a significant impact in healthcare delivery in Africa.