Medical students from German-speaking countries on abroad electives in Africa: destinations, motivations, trends and ethical dilemmas.
Hum Resour Health
; 20(1): 9, 2022 01 17.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1638058
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
International medical electives are one the highlights of medical training. Literature about international electives is scarce, and understanding what made a student choose one destination over another is unclear. Many medical students based in Europe travel to Africa each year for their elective, however, students' expectations and motivations are yet largely unexplored.METHODS:
To gain insights into the factors driving students to travel to Africa, we analyzed two large international elective databases based in Germany. We reviewed elective testimonies and extrapolated geographical data as well as the choice of discipline for electives completed in Africa. Based on pre-defined categories, we also investigated students' motivations and expectations.RESULTS:
We identified approximately 300 elective reports from medical students from German-speaking countries who chose to travel to Africa for their elective. Students commonly reported destinations in Southern and East Africa, with the Republic of South Africa and Tanzania being the most frequently selected destinations. Surgical disciplines were the most commonly reported choice. Diverse motivations were identified, including the desire to improve knowledge and clinical examination skills. A large proportion of students reported a link between destination choice and the potential to partake in surgical procedures not feasible at home; whether these surgeries were not or no longer practiced at home, or whether students could not partake due to level of training, was not ascertainable from the data. A trend-analysis revealed a growing interest in travelling to Africa for electives within the last 15 years. We observed a sharp decline in reports in 2020, a phenomenon most likely related to SARS-CoV-2-related travel restrictions.CONCLUSIONS:
This study suggests that medical electives in Africa are commonly reported by medical students from German-speaking countries, with diverse motivations for the choice of destination. A non-neglectable proportion of students identified the possibility to engage in surgical procedures as one of the main reasons for choosing Africa. This poses a series of ethical dilemmas, and well-structured pre-departure trainings may be a solution to this. The recent dip in overseas electives should be seen as a unique opportunity for medical schools and universities to restructure their international elective programs.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Students, Medical
/
Education, Medical, Undergraduate
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
English
Journal:
Hum Resour Health
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12960-022-00707-2
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS