Volunteers in Panama
The intrinsic desire, or calling, to help people, and a brewing awareness of health disparities across the globe have marked a steady increase in medical student participation in global health initiatives over the past decade.1 COM student, Hannah Akre, COM ’23, Director and Founder of the non-profit organization, Health Goes Global, attests how global health aligns with the osteopathic philosophy: “You’re not just treating a disease of someone, you're treating the person. If you're evaluating your patient properly, you're taking into account their demographic, and maybe they are predisposed to diabetes… and you should take preventative measures to educate them about that… I think that is where osteopaths have so much experience in this musculoskeletal system and the field of preventing instead of treating, treating when that is applicable, but the preventative medicine is so paramount for osteopaths.”
Although there are risks associated with traveling abroad, the benefits are many. By practicing their medical training in another country, students have the opportunity to see pathologies uncommon in the US. In addition, the relationship between “social determinants” and “health outcomes” can be more easily observed.4 Global health initiatives have been shown to expand clinical skills and medical knowledge, increase problem-solving and resourcefulness, and strengthen cultural and ethical competencies.3 The overarching benefit, of course, is not the clinical experience, but the opportunity to impact a community, and help make a difference in their lives.
What we shouldn’t overlook is that the work being done on a global level translates to work in underserved communities within our own borders. Interested UNE COM students may participate in a two-year honors distinction called Care for the Underserved Pathways AHEC Scholars Program. The recently installed program is a collaboration between the UNE Center for Excellence in Health Innovation and the Maine Area Health Education Center (AHEC) and provides students the opportunity to “increase leadership skills, gain competencies in interprofessional education and team-based practice, understand and address health disparities and the social determinants of health in rural and underserved communities, and understand the role of practice transformation in addressing significant health and public health issues.”5 In that respect, volunteering abroad provides students the opportunity to practice skills that are directly applicable to their
practice in underserved populations within the US. In addition, students who participate in global health initiatives show an “increase in cultural sensitivity, enhanced community, social, and public health awareness, improved clinical and communication skills, and a greater understanding of the challenges of working in resource-poor areas.”1 Studies show that students who participate are more apt to care for people in medically underserved communities, including immigrants and low-income patients, and to go into family medicine, which fits nicely into the mission of UNE COM.1,2
For our students, participation in global health initiatives is an incredible professional and personal experience. They have the opportunity to impact global communities by applying what they learned in the classroom, and by continuing to learn in a setting of fewer resources and greater need. Students seem to inherently understand the great privilege it is to be in a position to help others. One of the anticipated outcomes of global health initiatives is that through the experience, student will “improve their abilities to attend to the concerns of those living in areas of need, enhance social justice, and improve the health of all people.”4
Reference
1. Shah, S., & Wu, T. (2008). The medical student global health experience: Professionalism and ethical implications. Journal of Medical Ethics, 34(5), 375-378. Doi:10.1136/jme.2006.0119265
2. Scott, J. (2013). Medical student in global Health—Just one part of a larger commitment. Academic Medicine, 88(11), 1596-1597. Doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182a705d1
3. Lu, P. M., Park, E. E., Rabin, T. L., Schwartz, J. I., Shearer, L. S., Siegler, E. L., & Peck, R. N. (2018). Impact of global health electives on US medical residents: A systematic review. Annals of Global Health, 84(4), 692-703. Doi:10.29024/aogh.2379
4. Ventres, W. B., & Wilson, B. K. (2019). Rethinking goals: Transforming short-term gobal health experiences into engagements. Academic Medicine, 1. Doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000002841
5. Care for the Underserved Pathways AHEC Scholar Program. Maine Area Health Education Center. University of New England. 2019.