Mid Term Exam

That’s right, we gave them a mid term exam. It was a difficult test but it was open book. The book we are basing the curriculum off of is "Where There is No Doctor." This book is the gold standard for medical professionals working in areas where there are no doctors.
There is no way most people could remember all this information but they do need to know how to find it in the book. The same is true for medical students in the USA. Most of the Barefoot Drs will not have access to email or cell phones. They are on their own until we see them next year. So they need to know how to fully utilize the book and make decisions on their own. I got some good pictures of the intensity during the test. They did very well with an average score of 75%. A few had scores below 70% and we will see why next week then take steps to address the issue. We suspect it may be a translation issue. The class is translated to Burmese but for many that is a secondary language. Even if they speak it, reading and comprehending may be another story.



Notice the guy in the middle totally looking at the other students book. We will be having a little talk on Monday. Actually it is probably not what it looks like. A few of the students don’t have their own books yet.

Take the test in English yourself and see how well you do.


Barefoot Doctors Mid term Questions

1. A 47 yr old male just started TB treatment. He comes to you very worried that his urine looks bloody and red. What is the most likely cause?
2. 12 yr old girl had a sore throat and fever 2ws ago. She now has joint pain, fever, shortness of breath, and chest pain. What are you most worried that might be damaged?
3. Children should be vaccinated against measles at what age?
4. You are seeing a child with a cold, fever, headache, and sore throat. There is a yellow-grey membrane in the back of his throat. What do you suspect?
5. A Breast-feeding woman who develops a hot, swollen and painful lump on her breast. True or False: she should stop breast-feeding?
6. When would you not use an Artemisinin?
7. If you suspect you have been bitten by a rabid dog you should kill the dog immediately? True or False?
8. If a baby has high fever, stiff neck, and convulsions and you suspect he has meningitis, What antibiotic would you use? How much? How often?
9. For treatment of snakebite you should…. Pick the correct answer below.
a. Wrap up the limb with a bandage?
b. Cut the skin around the bite to drain the venom?
c. Tie anything tight around the bite?
d. Try to suck the blood and venom out of the bite?
10. Write down a normal pulse for
a. Adults . . . .
b. Children. . . .
c. Babies . . .

Extra Credit questions:
11. How long after the bite of an infected mosquito does it take for dengue fever to begin?
12. An eight month old child weighs 6 kg. Is he on the “road to health?” as outlined in the book?

The Answers tomorrow,





After class the boys like to play Takraw. It is like volleyball except you cannot use your hands or arms. You can only hit the ball with your head, feet, knees, etc. It is pretty cool seeing someone spike a ball over a volleyball net with a overhead kick!