Packing List

Note: There is a medium-sized hotel-type safe in each room at IU House. There are several large stores in Eldoret that have household goods, toiletries, groceries, etc.

Travel 

• Passport: must not expire within six months of your return date
• Printed-out copy of Kenya Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
• Paper copies of passport, driver’s license, itineraries, contact info for program folks and friends/family (keep all copies in a different place than the originals)
• Money belt or pouch
• Debit card
• Credit card: some ATMs don’t accept debit cards, so a credit card is necessary. Make sure to notify the bank ahead of time and let them know you’ll be traveling outside the country
• Immunization records
• A yellow international vaccination book is not needed for entry into Kenya, but may be needed if traveling to neighboring countries
• Copies of prescriptions for medicines and glasses/contacts
• Travel health insurance card
  • For IU residents/fellows: Need your IU health insurance card, see more info here.
• ​Contact card: containing the street addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the following:
  • Family member or close contact remaining in home country
  • Health care provider(s) at home
  • Lodging at your destination
  • Hospitals or clinics (including emergency services) in your destination
  • Home country’s embassy or consulate in the destination country or countries

• You will wash your own clothes (or pay to have it laundered), so bring enough for about one week.
• Layer! Temperatures are often cool in the mornings then quite warm by the middle of the afternoon.  Bring a fleece, light jacket, or sweatshirt.
• In general, Kenyans dress more formally than Americans.
• En route:
  • Pack a couple of days’ worth of clothes in your carry-on bag in case your checked luggage gets lost on the way.
• Relaxing at home:
  • Your normal at-home clothes are fine. Yoga pants, sweatshirts, T-shirts, etc.
  • There is no indoor heating, so slippers/warm socks are important.
  • Shower sandals that have traction
• Social situations outside of work:
  • Though Kenyans will wear trendy clothes socially, as a visitor you should be conservative in social attire. Think “modest but cute” as one student recommended.
• Exercise:
  • For visitors, it is not appropriate to wear shorts outside of the IUH compound, even for exercise.  Bring athletic pants if you plan to work out or run outside of the IUH compound.
• Recreation:
  • If planning to hike: hiking boots, tennis shoes, or sturdy sandals; hiking pants
  • If you enjoy soccer: soccer cleats (many Kenyans wear them for pick-up games)
  • If planning to climb mountains: hats, gloves, and thick socks
  • Headbands for windy car trips
• In the hospital:
  • Internal Medicine and Pediatrics teams: Our expectation is that you wear professional clothes (business casual) as a default. Many Kenyan students wear scrubs at work, but it varies by team and faculty expectations can vary and they are not likely to be willing to tell you directly that you are underdressed.  We advise that you bring 2 pairs of scrubs (for the occasional situations like admitting days when scrubs might be acceptable) and 4-5 sets of professional clothes.
  • OBGYN and Surgery teams: Come into the hospital wearing business casual clothes. Change into scrubs if going into the OR. You may wear scrubs throughout the day if your team is on call. Go home wearing business casual.
  • WHITE COATS! All trainees and faculty need a white coat at all times.
  • Faculty: Attendings wear ties & suit coats for high-level meetings and exams.
  • Work shoes: ones that can get dusty/muddy then rinsed off (often daily)
  • Crocs (ballet slipper version for women); if going to the OR, bring crocs without holes.

Men business casual:

• Button-up dress shirt
• Dress pants
• Ties: only for faculty
• Sport coat: only for faculty

Women business casual:

Note: Kenyan women do not show their shoulders, thighs, midriff, or cleavage.

• Dress pants or skirts (either is culturally acceptable; wear whatever is comfortable)
• Skirts should be at or below the knee
• Shirts: avoid spaghetti straps and very short sleeves

General Living 

Medical Equipment 

• Home institution name tag
• White coat
• Stethoscope
•  Thermometer: forehead thermometer is useful for Peds wards (quicker and easier to use)
• Pulse oximeter with a waveform indicator to let you know if you are getting quality data (if doing Peds consider one that is sized for infants + a larger one)
• Blood pressure cuff with infant, pediatric, and adult cuffs
• Small measuring tape in cm for measuring mid upper arm circumference
• Notebook or notecards to keep notes on patients (can be bought there as well)
• Ring to hold notecards
• Pens (can be bought there as well)
• Pen light
• Reflex hammer: useful there as it is sometimes difficult to obtain imaging and lab results for patients with altered mental status and a detailed neurologic exam can be invaluable
• Otoscope and ophthalmoscope (optional, but helpful)
• Pocket hand sanitizer
• Ultrasound probe: You are welcome to bring a personal ultrasound device. You must make it clear that you are using this only for teaching and/or your personal medical practice and are not charging patients for your exams.

If doing Peds:

• Hospital Care for Children (WHO Pocketbook): available in book form, as a PDF, or as free smartphone app
• Past residents have recommended the app Pediatric OnCall for med dosing
• Optional: Pediatric Cardiology by Myung Park, MD

If doing surgery: 

• Scrubs x3
• Shoes for the operating room (for dedicated use only in the OR)–many recommend cros without holes
• Sterile gloves in your size (ORs only have size 7 and 7.5)
• OR glasses for splash protection
• Sterile gowns (optional, but encouraged to bring 3-5)
• Energy bars

If doing OBGYN: 

• Same as above for surgery
• Measuring tape (to measure fundal height)
• Optional: handheld fetal Doppler (can be found for ~$60 online)

Optional 

• Small gifts for Kenyan counterparts:

• • For medical students: penlights, pulse ox, otoscope/ophthalmoscope that you are not using, IU gear, favorite medical textbook (ideas: Maxwell’s), BP cuff

• • Bring at least four, as there are usually two Kenyan medical students on a rounding team

• • For kids in the Sally Test Center/rural clinics: stickers!, stapler w/ staples, bubbles, colored paper, colored pencils (with non-electric sharpener), crayons, markers, stickers, Sharpies, beads, feathers, balloons, yarn, song books, coloring books, learning activity books (ages 5-18 yrs.), games, books (ideally featuring black people), CDs of kids’ songs, world maps

• Binoculars: optional, but a must if you plan to safari!
• Hat
• Multifunctional tool
• ​​​Flashlight and/or headlamp
• Clorox wipes to wipe medical equipment clean

What NOT to bring 

• Valuables that cannot be replaced
• Travelers cheques
• Significant amounts of U.S. cash
• Large supply of feminine products: pads and tampons are available in Eldoret
• Used, expired, or broken medical equipment
• Things provided for you at IU House: towel, washcloth, sheets, blankets, pillow, laundry detergent, plenty of clean water