Preparing for International Health Experiences: A Practical Guide

Book Title: Preparing for International Health Experiences: A Practical Guide

Book Author: Akshaya Neil Arya, editor

Publication Information: New York, Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2017, 250 pp., $45.95, paperback

Dr Akshaya Arya, the editor of this book, is a Canadian family physician, who from his medical school days has been involved in internal health experiences (IHEs) in various regions of the world, including East Africa, Central America, Palestine, and in his parents’ country, India.

The book has 32 contributing authors from various health care fields including dentistry, medicine, midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, public health, social work, physical therapy, surgery, and global health research. The book was written by contributors “who are not merely academics, but people just like you, who learned in training and in the field, through the school of hard knocks” (p 7).

This is a comprehensive guidebook, particularly useful for qualified health care professionals, health science students and trainees embarking on an IHE, and for faculty and administrative staff who oversee global health electives (GHEs). Faculty, mentors, and administrative staff who prepare students and trainees for a GHE will find very useful information to help facilitate predeparture and return orientation sessions.

How does one know if one has the right motives, the right organization to work with, and adequate preparation for an IHE? Anyone considering an IHE would be advised to read the “Putting Global Health Electives in Context” section thoroughly, before any concrete plans are made. At the end of this section, the student, trainee, or qualified health care professional should be able to decide if they have the right motives, attitudes, risk aversion, right organization to work with, and mentors at home and abroad to successfully engage in an IHE. For those who determine after reading this book that an IHE is not what they are cut out for, the book also provides suggestions for finding rewarding local health care experiences in one’s own community.

An experienced, qualified health care professional, student, or trainee with the right motives, resources, and skills might be tempted to embark on an IHE with a ticket in hand, some travel vaccines and a little knowledge of the host country. This book explains how critical predeparture preparation is. The authors explore topics on effective communication in a cross-cultural context, personal safety, travel health, cultural competence and ethical aspects of an IHE. The Ethics chapter provides additional book recommendations and online media links for students and faculty.

The authors also address practical needs of specific health care disciplines, covering emergency medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, midwifery, nursing, disability and rehabilitation, social work, dentistry, eye care, surgery, and global public health.

Finally, how does one reintegrate into one’s own community after an IHE? The final section of this book addresses postreturn management: debriefing, reentry and preparation for future global health electives or careers.

The book is laid out well; information is easy to find as each chapter has a table of contents. It is not necessary to read the whole book to benefit from it. Sections I, II, and IV cover topics that are useful for every health care professional. Students may then focus on their specific profession in Section III. The information is written by experts from various disciplines who have been personally involved in, or supervised students engaged in global health electives. The information is practical and authentic, and there is no detectable religious or political bias in the text. I was glad to see the writers tackle difficult subjects around the ethics of global health, avoiding harm and most importantly, using objective tests to determine if one is ready to take the risks involved in a GHE. This book does not sugar coat international health experiences, and gives a practical analysis of pros and cons, possible benefits and harm both to the student and the host country and sponsors that could result from the elective. I have read a few other books on GHE but this is the first one that I found was explicit in warning students from the Global North about the possible harm them may leave behind as well as the personal harm they may encounter. For the many reasons discussed above, this book would be a useful resource for health science students and trainees, faculty, administrative staff, and qualified health care professionals who are involved in, mentor, or supervise students and trainees who participate in global health electives. As a family physician, I will definitely use this book to guide me as I develop a GHE program at my institution.