Rethinking international medical electives

What’s the point of an international medical elective? When I used to consider the benefits, I often thought about how this kind of elective would allow me to see patients in a different setting, immerse myself in a new culture, and mean that I could practise my clinical skills—“me,” “myself,” and “I.” Learning more about global health has made me rethink.If international medical electives are for the good of the medical student alone, then the way we currently approach them seems to work. In one survey of medical students in Canada who had participated in a global health elective, 90% of sampled students agreed that their elective provided a valuable opportunity for personal growth.1 Students in this study also reported that their elective had made them more resourceful (90%) and improved their awareness of the social determinants of health (88%).Despite the potential benefits to the medical student and their future…
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