Abstract
International clinical experiences are increasingly popular among medical students, residents, fellows, and practitioners. Adequate pre-departure training is an integral part of a meaningful, productive, and safe international experience. At Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, we have developed a pre-departure handbook to assist practitioners in preparing for global health work. The handbook draws from current global health education literature, existing handbooks, and expert experiences, and includes information about logistical and cultural preparations. While a pre-departure handbook cannot serve as a substitute for a comprehensive pre-departure training program, it can be a useful introduction to the pre-departure process.
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Acknowledgements
The following US and internationally based global health providers and educators provided insights into the development of the pre-departure handbook and/or reviewed and provided edits/suggestions: Dr Robert Einterz (Department of Medicine, Indiana), Dr Frank Anderson (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan), Charles Shields, Jr (Executive Director, IUGA), Dr. Amy Meg Autry (Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, UCSF), Dr. Joan Blomquist (Department of Urogynecology, Greater Baltimore Medical Center), Dr. Sharon Knight (Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Medicine, UCSF), Dr Abner Korn (Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, UCSF), Dr Saifuddin T. Mama (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cooper University Health Care), Dr Sanjay Sinha (Department of Urology, Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, India), and Dr Anyetei Lassey (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ghana Medical School).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author contributions
J. Edwardson: project development, manuscript writing, handbook writing; L. Owens: project development, manuscript writing, handbook writing; D. Moran: project development, handbook writing; J. Aluri: project development, handbook writing; A. Kironji: project development, handbook writing; C.C.G. Chen: project development, manuscript editing, handbook editing.
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A Handbook for Health Professionals and Trainees is available at http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/som/curriculum/genes_to_society/_documents/predeparture_handbook.pdf.
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Edwardson, J., Owens, L., Moran, D. et al. Pre-departure preparation for international clinical work: a handbook. Int Urogynecol J 26, 1111–1113 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-015-2682-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-015-2682-0