Week one at work - settling into an office outdoors

It is 6.30pm on Monday here, and I have just watched my first proper sunset since arriving, a nice treat before settling in for an evening of work (the mid-year budget reviews started today). 

I spent most of my first week settling in, getting to know the people and the organisation, and setting works objectives.

The offices are based around an open air quadrant, and there is a large working area which has a roof and one wall but is otherwise open to the environment.  Spending so much time outside is awesome.

We conducted our interviews for the position of Internal Auditor last Monday.  We used video-conferencing to enable the Boston-based team to participate, but to be heard clearly in Boston the candidates had to sit right in front of the monitor, with the rest of us circling them.  Not exactly an easy environment for an interview.  Unfortunately, we didn’t end up recruiting, so we are back on the hunt...

In the meantime, there is plenty to keep me busy, including: performing financial “healthcheck” audits on each of the 3 districts in which PIH operates (Kayonza, Kirehe and Burera), and then working with those teams to help strengthen controls over newly expanded and decentralised operations; reviewing the procurement and stock management systems for medical and non-medical supplies; and setting up a risk assessment process.

One afternoon a week the Finance Advisor delivers excel training in Kigali to the whole finance team.  Having had some practice of delivering training over the past 12 months, I was interested to attend and help out, so went along on Friday afternoon.  It was pretty tough given the range of abilities in the class and various distractions (sodas and snacks arrived so they didn’t have two free hands to learn shortcuts, phones rang, and were answered, people joined the class at various points right up until 20 minutes before the end).  Going forward, we have agreed to split them up into two smaller groups, and work with a group each.  Hopefully that will make the training more effective, and more manageable.  There is a strong culture of exams here, and so when we suggested a game to check their learning, they seemed disappointed and have willing opted for an old fashioned test!

Non-clinician staff aren’t allowed to just wander around the hospital, and I still haven’t arranged a proper tour with Dr Felix.  As soon as I have, I’ll describe what it is like.  I will start taking a few more photos and loading them to share my surroundings too.