Preparing for a medical elective abroad

At the end of several years of hard study, your medical elective abroad is certainly something to look forward to.  Some students look for an adventure, while others focus on learning about health care in a different country.  Whatever your motivation, try to prepare well in advance.

Once you know what you want to gain from the experience, it will be easier to whittle down the options of where to go.

Where will your medical elective take place?

The world is your oyster, with elective opportunities everywhere.  All have their advantages and disadvantages.  One factor to consider is the cost of living.  Others include weather, safety, opportunity to travel, and social life.  Of course, do not forget what will your clinical experience be like.

Have a Social life abroad

Do not underestimate the importance of your social life.  Once you begin your elective, you will have plenty of time outside the hospital.  How will you spend this time?  It is no fun feeling lonely, especially in another country.  One benefit of using an elective organization is having others around you to spend time with, travel with, and have fun with.  Depending on the provider, social activities may be included in the program.

Arranging your clinical rotation

Many hospitals and elective programs fill up quickly.  Therefore, it is important to begin the application process early.  Contacting hospitals directly can be frustrating, so, just like medical schools, it is worth getting several rather than setting your heart on only one place.  The Elective Network is a fantastic resource to learn about individual hospitals and organized elective providers.

Once you get approval from the hospital or elective program, you must contact the elective program signed off by your medical school.  Each school has its policies and requirements.  Your host hospital or elective provider should be able to supply you with the information you need.  Typically, they will want details of where you are staying and who will be your preceptor, and they may wish to have further information about health and safety provisions at your destination.

Visas and Vaccines

You finally have the rotation agreed upon by your school and destination hospital.  It is now time to organize your travel.  Before booking your flights, it is essential to check whether there are any visa requirements for your destination.  Again, each country is different.  An internet search should provide all the details you need.

Again, vaccination requirements will vary from country to country.  The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site is an excellent place to start and has detailed information on every country worldwide.  In addition to general vaccination requirements, check with your destination medical facility to see whether they have any additional vaccine requirements.

Insurance

You MUST have travel insurance in place when traveling abroad.   It is improbable that you will need to use this insurance, but it is possible.  The expense is relatively small, but its value is potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars.  If you are involved in a serious accident, the costs may include getting you out of the country and expensive medical treatment.  If you do not show the local healthcare provider evidence of your travel insurance, it is unlikely that you will receive the treatment you need without first handing over a credit card.

Are you required to purchase indemnity insurance as well as travel insurance?  Again, you must check this with your elective provider or destination hospital.  If not, you must always work under the supervision of responsible healthcare professionals.

Safety Abroad

Wherever you go, it is doubtful that you will be the victim of a crime or be involved in an emergency.  Nevertheless, try to learn what you can about your host country.

Your home country probably has a government website providing up-to-date safety advice for citizens traveling abroad.

• US citizens                        https://www.state.gov/travel/
• Australian citizens            http://smartraveller.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
• British citizens                  https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

When you arrive at your elective destination, you should also find out locally regarding Dos and Don’ts.  These may include advice regarding areas not to visit or local dress codes.

Where will you stay?

Your accommodation will play a significant role in determining the success of your elective.  The priority is your safety and then comfort.  Are you staying in a safe area?  Are you near to the hospital?  If not, how will you get there?  Are you staying with other students?  Will you have your own room? At Medical Elective Peru, all participants have their own room, many with private bathrooms.

An elective organization should ensure that you answer the above questions satisfactorily.  Nevertheless, do check.  If you travel independently, ensuring you are happy with your accommodation details is especially important before leaving your home country.

Packing, money, phone and documents

In addition to packing clothes for the weather, you should consider how developed your destination is.  Should you bring your hand sanitizer or surgical gloves?  Are you taking a laptop or a phone?  Which plug sockets work in your destination country?  After your elective, are you traveling to the mountains or the jungle?

Remember, you can generally buy most things at your destination.  So, please do not overdo it.  You may want extra luggage space to bring back a few gifts or souvenirs at the end of your trip.

Most people use debit/credit cards when traveling abroad.  Unless your elective is at a very isolated location, most shops will accept cards, and you will find ATMs to withdraw cash.  It is worth bringing at least two cards and keeping them separate if you lose one.  Also, inform your bank that you are traveling abroad before leaving home.  Hopefully, this will prevent them from freezing your account when they see transactions abroad.

You will find wifi somewhere in most destinations.  You are unlikely to see this in a hospital, but you will see it in cafes and, hopefully, at your accommodation.

Make digital copies of relevant documents, such as your travel insurance and passport.

Support

Traveling to a country on the other side of the world is exciting.  However, it also means you are on the other side of the world.  You must have local support.  Support could be a local doctor or your elective provider.  The support you need may be just local travel advice, or it could be managing a serious incident.  You should send your new address and your host-country contact details to your family back in your home country.

Experience of a lifetime

Your medical elective abroad will hopefully be one of the best experiences of your life.  We often speak with past students, now health care professionals, who tell us of the fond memories of their elective years earlier in Peru.

Wherever you go and however you do it, spend a little time planning to ensure your experience is wonderful and free of hiccups.