- Office is on 3rd floor of SMC if you are interested in contacting her!
- Services and opportunities:
- 1-on-1 student advising
- Logistical support for what you want to do
- Holding Global Forums - six times a year, on global health topics (next one on Tuesday, April 23rd)
- Developing interprofessional programs (such as the Malawi program)
- Helping with 4th year electives
- Check out GHLOs - Global Health Learning Opportunities (by AAMC)
Bonnie introducing the lunch talk. |
Dr. Neda Frayha, Office of Student Affairs - about the application process
- You will be interacting with OSA a LOT as you plan your 4th year, in general.
- Currently 2 international electives formally in the student handbook:
- Pediatrics Elective (Doris Duke) in Mali (currently on hold due to political unrest)
- Elective with Dr. Nelson Goldberg in Department of Plastic Surgery - mission-based trip to do reconstructive surgeries on children (and often adults) - country varies by year (Guatemala often)
- 4-6 months
- Usually for students who are interested in a specific field (surgery, gynecology recently)
- Other opportunities:
- Often self-designed by student
- Working with faculty members met in 3rd year
- Working through other medical schools that offer a desired elective
- Fill out forms on the OSA Academic Handbook website.
- If you are interested in Women's Health, Dr. Jowla is doing stuff in Africa.
- You can always extend your international elective by additional subsequent free months.
- Remember that you want to be in Baltimore for:
- Interview season (November through January)
- March - for Match Day (in case you don't match and need to do SOAP)
Sarah Schaffer and Student Panel
- Identifying a site for an international rotation
- Aparna: I lived in Peru for a year for research between 3rd and 4th year, so I already had my 4th year site identified (Lima's maternity hospital)
- Joel and Adam: both interested in Emergency Medicine
- We reached out to EM faculty here at UMMC, who referred them to a colleague who set them up in South Africa.
- May be hard to find a program that the OSA will give credit for - so find faculty members that can vouch for the program.
- Takes around 1 year to identify and plan a 4th year rotation, so start early.
- Responsibilities while abroad ("typical day")
- Joel: I worked at a primary care clinic, which basically functioned as the local ER in the area - so got a lot of hands on experience (seizures, lines, LPs, etc.)
- Adam: A plus for doing an international elective is that you can basically function as a resident, with a lot less red tape than in the US. While I was in Cape Town, I got to do a lot of procedures that residents would have been doing, had he been in the US.
- Aparna: I was at a Spanish-speaking high-volume maternity hospital. You have a lot more responsibilities, and often the attending doesn't check your work, so you have to be confident and accurate in your work.
- Biggest change you will see is when you are writing out your notes in a different language. If you aren't fluent, you will have a hard time and not appreciate the rotation fully.
- Best and worst part of the trip
- Joel: The best part was meeting medical students from around the world, also on rotation at your site. No worst part.
- Adam: The best part was doing all the procedures on stabbed and shot people in South Africa. There was no worst part, but the financial aspect was a little daunting.
- Also was great for the interviews, especially for EM!
- Aparna: The best part was learning about healthcare and doctor-patient relationship in another culture and country. This was also the worst part - sometimes, you will see patients getting treated badly because they were poor or because the doctors have a lot of power in that culture.
- Definitely looks great for your resume.
- Administrative hurdles and other advice
- Joel: Programs are often very unorganized. Finding housing was fine.
- Aparna: I had free housing by staying with a Hopkins student in Peru. Programs will make you pay to do the elective, so you should definitely ask if housing/transportation is provided.
- Adam: In the Mali Doris Duke fellowship, everything was provided. When you have to do find housing yourself, like in South Africa, it can be kind of frustrating - so start a year in advance! Definitely look for places that have provided housing, or that have people you know that you can stay with - these sites can be dangerous!
- Don't forget about transportation.
- Also, try to see if you can make the elective count for a required rotation.
- Finances
- Aparna: My mentor paid for everything except food and minor expenses - because I was going back to do research, as well as my rotation.
- If you want to go to a tropical country, there is a Trop Med program that may help fund you.
- CDC - Kenya
- Joel: My overall extra cost was around $4,000 - including flights, housing, tuition at the foreign hospital, etc. It was hard for us to find a research program to fund us.
- Adam: Realize this is an expensive process, and be creative.
- You need to spend time finding a research mentor and program - this can be hard in 3rd year, when everyone is so busy. But there is definitely funding out there!
- Google non-profit organizations/NGOs that may help pay for a portion of your work ("international medical mission")
- Time of 4th year for trip
- Aparna: February, after interview season and before Match Day
- Adam: Avoid November through January. We went from October to mid-November to catch the summer in South Africa, but had to shift my interview schedule.
- You must have internet access to schedule your interviews!
- The best time is probably spring (February) - because you have free time that you can choose to add on to your rotation.
- Other Q&A
- Joel: Make sure you bring a mask if there is rampant TB in that country.
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