Preparing for an International Health Elective: Exploring Global Health, Ethics and Safety

Online Course

St George's, University of London

Future Learn

Go to Future Learn

Start Learning

Preparing for an International Health Elective: Exploring Global Health, Ethics and Safety

What is the course about?
Prerequisites & Facts
Cost, Certificate & Degree
Reviews & Experiences

What is the course about?

Preparing for an International Health Elective: Exploring Global Health, Ethics and Safety

The course Preparing for an International Health Elective: Exploring Global Health, Ethics and Safety is an online class provided by St George's, University of London through Future Learn. It may be possible to receive a verified certification or use the course to prepare for a degree.

Prepare for undertaking an International Health Elective, in this course developed in collaboration with King’s College London

Course description

3 weeks

International health electives (IHEs) are highly variable, student-organised placements that offer important opportunities for student-directed learning about health and healthcare in unfamiliar contexts. They enable medical and healthcare students to take responsibility for their own learning and to explore areas of interest relevant to future careers.
However, there is evidence to suggest that international health electives do not always deliver the learning outcomes anticipated and that pre-elective learning can help to ensure a valuable and productive experience. This free online course, developed as a collaboration between King’s College London and St George’s, University of London, is aimed at learners currently studying in medical or healthcare disciplines and considering taking an IHE. On the course you will learn how you might avoid negative experiences and ensure that doing an IHE would be both valuable and productive, should you decide to undertake an elective yourself.
Understand the issues surrounding IHEs
On this course you’ll explore some of the problems that may be experienced during IHEs, including: working beyond competence, consumption of scarce host resources, suboptimal supervision, and risks to the health of students and the patients they see. We will present examples of student experiences with opportunities to discuss the choices and courses of action available, and guidelines to support decision-making when faced with challenging circumstances.
Learn how to get the most out of an IHE
In an already crowded medical school curriculum this free online course offers flexible learning to prepare you for undertaking your own IHE. Touching upon complex issues of ethics and professionalism, global health and clinical practice, the course aims to provide you with the information that you need to maximise the positive aspects and mitigate the negative elements of international health electives.

Understanding digital professionalism
Working beyond competence
Bringing gifts and dealing with scarcity
The impact of language barriers
Global Health and the Social Determinants of Health
Staying safe: Managing risk inside and outside the clinical environment
Health infrastructures and systems
Voluntourism
Experiencing different professional cultures

Demonstrate awareness of professional guidance on digital professionalism and be able to apply this to communications on electives.
Identify clinical procedures that it will be appropriate for you to undertake on your elective and those that are not.
Identify ethical issues that you are likely to encounter on your electives and adopt a structured approach to developing a response.
Recognise the importance of linguistic barriers on elective experiences and take steps to mitigate these.
Discuss from the global perspective the determinants of health and disease and variations in healthcare delivery and medical practice.
Identify the occupational health risks associated with planned electives, including the risk of body fluid exposure, and identify strategies to mitigate these risks.
Recognise that health systems are structured and function differently across the globe.
Discuss the essential components of a health system using the World Health Organisation (WHO) model.
Discuss the role of voluntourism in relation to international health electives.
Understand the challenges of working across professional cultures.

This course is primarily aimed at those currently studying in medical or healthcare disciplines and who are considering undertaking an International Health Elective as part of their training.

St George’s, University of London
St George’s is the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research.
King’s College London
King’s College London, established in 1829 and a founding college of the University of London, is one of the world’s leading research and teaching universities, based in the very heart of London.

Start Learning

Prerequisites & Facts

Preparing for an International Health Elective: Exploring Global Health, Ethics and Safety

Course Topic

Healthcare & Medicine, Study Skills

University, College, Institution

St George’s, University of London

Course Skill Level

see course summary

Course Language

English

Place of class

Online, self-paced (see curriculum for more information)

Degree

Certificate

Start Learning

Degree & Cost

Preparing for an International Health Elective: Exploring Global Health, Ethics and Safety

To obtain a verified certificate from Future Learn / St George's, University of London you have to finish this course or the latest version of it, if there is a new edition. The class may be free of charge, but there could be some cost to receive a verified certificate or to access the learning materials. The specifics of the course may have been changed, please consult the provider to get the latest quotes and news.

St George’s, University of London

Preparing for an International Health Elective: Exploring Global Health, Ethics and Safety

provided by Future Learn

Start Learning