Healing beyond borders
UC Clermont surgical tech alum makes impactful mission to Africa
The terrified 5-year-old boy’s cries echoed down the crowded hospital hallway. His parents had brought him to Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, Uganda, to finally have a large tumor removed from his neck — but he was afraid of the strangers in scrubs who spoke a different language, the bright lights and unfamiliar instruments.
May is hot and muggy in Uganda. The hospital has no air conditioning. Open windows, even in the lone operating room that often handles two surgeries at a time, welcome the only relief — and plenty of flies — throughout the facility.
Hailey Beesten, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati Clermont’s Surgical Technology program, was waiting for the patient in the OR. She knew — as he didn’t — that the surgery would change his life for the better.
“I’m sure it was the scariest thing he ever had to do,” said Beesten, who graduated in 2022 and now works as a certified surgical technologist in head and neck procedures at UC Medical Center. The tumor was benign, and by the next day, the boy’s spirits had lifted.
“He was so happy, running around the hospital,” said Beesten. “We gave him a toy. The mother was very appreciative. He had lived with this debilitating tumor for years with no one to treat it.”
Hailey Beeston in the operating room at Uganda Cancer Institute.
The patient will stay with Beesten as one of many she had the opportunity to help during her weeklong mission trip this spring. The trip is a regular endeavor for Chad Zender, MD, in UC’s Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, whom Beesten assists in neurosurgeries and procedures addressing cancer of the head and neck. Zender is also president of the nonprofit organization Head and Neck Outreach, which aims to improve head and neck health care in the developing world.
According to the organization, Uganda has just 30 ear, nose and throat specialists in the country and only one fellowship-trained ENT oncology specialist — in a nation of more than 45 million people.
Beesten said she didn’t hesitate when Zender invited her and another UC nurse to join a team of health care workers from across the United States on this latest mission.
“I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.
Upon arriving in Africa, Beesten was shocked at the poverty and lack of health care she encountered.
“The whole experience was humbling and eye opening,” she said. “You don’t really understand what it’s like until you see it firsthand. Their health care is basically non-existent.”
For a week, Beesten’s team worked 14 hours a day with only lunch breaks, completing a total of 16 surgeries. She said patients awaiting surgery sat in the halls, with no open beds available, and families provided the bulk of post-operative care. Most of the tumors were large and advanced.
I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Hailey Beeston UC Clermont Surgical Technology alum
But the Ugandan medical staff, despite having few resources, gleaned all the knowledge they could the U.S. group, learning more about sterile practices and surgical techniques.
“The people were amazing,” Beesten said. “They want to improve the care they offer; they waste nothing, reuse everything. And the patients were so happy to be able to get the surgeries they needed. It was exhausting, hard work, but it was completely worth it to help the patients and staff.”
The trip was not Beesten’s first brush with a challenge. When she arrived at the UC hospital — a world-class, Level 1 trauma center — she felt overwhelmed and daunted.
“It’s not an easy place to work,” she said. “But a year later, I’ve already gone on this trip. I work in neurosurgery. I’m comfortable in my skills and feel like I could go into any type of surgery. I’m so thankful for the foundation I got at UC Clermont.”
Hailey Beeston in the UC Clermont Library. Photo/Danny Kidd
The work ethic developed at the college, Beesten said, prepared her for the daily challenges of the surgical suite, both at home and abroad. UC Clermont surgical technology students must complete 600 hours of clinical training before graduating with their associate degree. Students also must pass a state exam to be certified, and faculty spend a significant amount of time preparing them for the test.
Beesten knew she wanted to work in health care and was originally drawn to the program because it was close to home — she graduated from Williamsburg High School — and offered small classes sizes and affordable tuition.
“The smaller program made for a hands-on experience,” said Beesten. “If we had questions, the professors were able to help us at any time. They did whatever they could to help us succeed.”
Beesten said above all, the mission trip reaffirmed her choice of career. She plans to stay in health care for the long term, and while she eventually might consider nursing or another advanced degree, she is soaking up all the experience her current role has to offer.
“Not a lot of people can say that they get to do surgeries every day,” said Beesten. “I love the doctors I work with, and most of all, I love helping patients. It’s really rewarding.”
Learn more about UC Clermont’s Surgical Technology program.
Featured image at top: Hailey Beeston on the UC Clermont campus. Photo/Danny Kidd
About UC Clermont
UC Clermont College is located in the center of Clermont County on 91 beautiful, wooded acres in Batavia Township. The college is an accredited, open-access institution offering more than 60 programs and degrees. UC Clermont is part of the nationally recognized University of Cincinnati. For more information, call 513-556-5400 or visit www.ucclermont.edu.
Related Stories
New Carnegie classification focuses on leadership
July 15, 2024
Inside Higher Ed features the new Carnegie Elective Classification for Leadership for Public Purpose. The University of Cincinnati is among 25 schools with the designation. .Institutions in this classification are trying to take deliberate steps to foster leadership across campus that transcends parties and political positions and aligns with the well-being of society.
Laboratory safety symposium coming to UC
July 12, 2024
The University of Cincinnati’s College of Arts and Sciences is partnering with the Lab Safety Institute to offer the Safer Science Summit July 22-26. The three-day STEAM Safer Science Summit will of educators and administrators K-12 an opportunity to keep up with the latest on chemical management, laboratory safety, regulatory compliance, hazard identification, legal aspects of safety and much more. Chemistry professor and A&S dean James Mack says the partnership and summit are designed to offer STEAM educators instruction and education about keeping students safe while they perform experiments. “Safety is always first,” Mack says. “We want to make sure our K-12 teachers have the equipment they need to be safe. People can get cut, or lose their sight, and spills can happen, especially when you’re dealing with chemicals.” The Laboratory Safety Institute, a non-profit educational institute, has been providing safety courses and consulting for chemical labs worldwide for the last 40 years. Its courses have been taught to more than 100,000 people in 30 countries, across industries from high-tech to government, and academia to medicine. The event is free, and educators who enroll can receive continuing education credits. Sign up here.
Giving back to female Bearcats athletes provides purpose for Edward and Nina Paul
July 11, 2024
As a Cincinnati native and University of Cincinnati alumni, Edward Paul, BA ’72, has always been a Bearcats fan. His family’s love of UC runs deep and Edward’s earliest memories include going to basketball and football games with his dad.
UC grad makes difference working with homeless youth
July 10, 2024
Azia Carnes, a 2019 University of Cincinnati graduate, always wanted to serve her community. She works with homeless youth.
UC Clermont students return to Mexico to provide medical care
July 9, 2024
This spring, five students from the University of Cincinnati Clermont College landed in Mexico — ready to make a difference.
Free Wi-Fi, work area coming to Greater Cincinnati
June 27, 2024
St. Lawrence Park in Price Hill now has free Wi-Fi and a furnished outdoor space for community members to access digital needs. The space is part of The Nodes Project, which stands for “Neighborhoods of Design Engagement": a collaboration between UC DAAP communication designers and community entities.
NEXT Innovation Scholar mixes global outreach with new ideas
June 10, 2024
As a first-generation student from Dubai, Jonathan Raj’s international background has been instrumental in shaping his expertise in intercultural communication and cross-disciplinary collaboration through the University of Cincinnati's NEXT Innovation Scholars program.
NEXT Innovation Scholars shape UC grad’s global aspirations
June 7, 2024
After hailing from the African country of Ghana and later growing up in the Columbus, suburbs, Lance Entsuah ultimately landed in the bustling halls of the University of Cincinnati. Since then, he's charted an extraordinary path marked by academic excellence and ambitious innovation — an achievement he attributes significantly to his involvement in the university’s NEXT Innovation Scholars program.
History comes alive: UC Holocaust class experiments with VR technology
June 4, 2024
Students in UC’s Judaic studies class, Teaching and Remembering Trauma: Designing Holocaust and Genocide Education, took a first-hand look at the story of Holocaust survivor Fritzie Fritzshall and her experiences at Auschwitz-Birkenau, thanks to virtual reality (VR) technology provided by the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. UC is one of the first colleges granted exclusive access to the museum’s traveling set of VR headsets. Alexis Morrisroe, adjunct instructor in the Judaic Studies program, secured access to the VR headsets through her prior role as a youth educator at the museum from June 2008 to April 2020. Seizing the opportunity, the department became one of the first schools participating in the soft launch.
A century-old love affair with the Bearcat
May 31, 2024
The Bearcat mascot is probably the most recognizable ambassador for goodwill and school spirit at the University of Cincinnati. The term “UC Bearcat” dates back to 1914 and seems to have first appeared in the campus newspaper following a football game between UC and the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The Cincinnati Enquirer recounts the tradition.