Tag Archives: professionalism

Internationalizing Medical Education: Shaping Healthcare Providers for Global Health

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Internationalized Medical Education: How do we develop competency-based education and realize its full potential?  UN-recognized NGO Child Family Health International (CFHI) has been running global health education programs for over 20 years.  We have seen a lot along the way since our beginnings in a small garage in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Global Health and Study Abroad See Upward Trends

CFHI Uganda Program Photo Woman

Fast forward to 2014.  Global health has become a buzzword, conjuring up images of Bill and Melinda Gates projects and Partners in Health initiatives.  Once a field that rallied for press, global health is receiving increasing limelight.  Take a look on the Kaiser Family Foundation webinar on U.S. spending towards global health initiatives or the entire Center for Global Development event devoted to discussing Best Buys in Global Health. Global health teaching in undergrad and medical curricula is also increasing and the 2013 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, states study abroad by U.S. based students is steadily increasing and is at an all time high.   The Association of American Medical Colleges data demonstrates that 35% of US medical students participate in international experiences.  Spurred by increased participation, global health education is evolving from a phenomenon of one-off volunteer experiences to a field of educational theory and practice, shaping the world’s next generation of healthcare providers with skills demanded by an increasingly inter-connected world.

Looking at Competencies in Medical Education & How Students Engage

A study in the journal Academic Medicine shows the structure of global health programs, the degree to which they are imbedded in local health care systems, and having a capacity-building agenda, affects what students learn.  In an era where competency-based education is dominating pedagogy in medical education, we must leverage the richness of global health experiences to meet accreditation standards and competency-based outcomes.  Like studies have shown and CFHI’s 7,000 alumni can attest, global health exposure and international experiences make for better practitioners and global citizens.  CFHI’s approach leverages asset-based engagement and encourages students to “Let the World Change YOU.” stethescopeglobe

As we strive to meet demand and look at the nuances of programming, we must continue to examine students’ international experiences. This month thousands of international educators will gather at the NAFSA conference and discuss these topics at the Colloquium on Internationalizing Education for the Health Professions.  Here and on our own we must consider key questions—what competencies does a globalized health practitioner need?  What competencies are nurtured during global health programs? How do we wed international global health and what is taking place in our own back yards?  Just as important, not all global health experiences are created equal.  As educators and leaders in the field, we must advocate for socially responsible and ethically sound approaches to placing students in health settings abroad.

Global Health Down Under -A students’ Conference- Hobart, Tasmania

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Map of Austraila and Tasmania

Australia site of Global Health Conference

CFHI is very happy to be at the Global Health Conference in Hobart, Tasmania that is being put on by the Australian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA).   The conference running 1-4 July has a full academic program with impressive topics and excellent speakers. The entire conference is organized by and for students and the level of professionalism is truly outstanding.  CFHI is very happy to be an NGO sponsor here and we find the interest and engagement of the students to be at a very high level.   A CFHI alum from Perth, Samantha Mulholland (2009, Pediatric Health, La Paz), has been present and giving her first-hand descriptions of her CFHI experience.

UTAS

UTAS Site of Global Health Conference Tasmania

The University of Tasmania in Hobart is the site for the conference as some 500 students gather from across Australia and New Zealand, and even from Asia and Africa.

Indeed students all over the world have a growing interest in Global Health.  What is refreshing here is that so many of them are deeply informed on world issues, social determinants of health and many other areas.  Panels of leading experts, student questions and discussions have all been engaging and enlightening.

GH Conference Hobart

Panel discussion at the Global Health Conference Hobart Tasmania July 2010

CFHI Makes List of Trusted Charities in National Press

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The Editors of the national newspaper, USA TODAY added a special section to the paper on April 13, 2010, devoted to how people can help and give to others in need. One full page of the section contained a list of the only charities in the United States that meet the highest requirements of the Better Business Bureau of Nonprofits.

CFHI listed as Trusted Charity in USA TODAY

CFHI listed as Trusted Charity in USA TODAY

CFHI is very happy and proud, once again, to make this list. This is the third consecutive time that CFHI has made the list and we extend congratulations to all the members of the CFHI global family for this important achievement.

Under the banner headline “Start With Trust” came the list of Seal Holders of the Wise Giving Alliance, a group of nonprofit organizations in the United States that meet all 20 of the best practice standards set by the Better Business Bureau for nonprofits. These are rigorous standards that cover areas like governance, effectiveness, finances, and fund-raising. CFHI has worked very hard to meet and maintain these standards.

Communication Skills for Medical Students and Other Health Science Students

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Empathic Listening Training for Health Professionals

Empathic Listening Training for Health Professionals

Professionalism as a component of medical education is something we all know is important but can be hard to effectively impart and even harder to measure.  Students who want to improve their professional skills report that it can be difficult to find effective ways to do so.

One of the most obvious ways that the professionalism of a doctor or medical professional is seen by his or her patients, is through the communication skills that are used on a daily basis.  Effective communication is a two-way street and becomes ever more challenging each day as our societies become more multicultural.  Empathy spans culture, gender, race, age, and socioeconomic factors that can become barriers to effective communication.    The need to be understood is a universal human trait and with the right tools, the medical professional can use that energy to charge the healing process in a positive way instead of just letting that energy create stress, confusion and possibly frustration.

Over the years, many  CFHI students have commented that the time spent immersed in another culture, has increased their awareness of others and also their awareness of self.  Being in a foreign culture and a foreign healthcare system makes a person aware, sometimes awkwardly aware of themselves and of their assumptions about how healthcare should be delivered.  Many of the things that we might take for granted on a daily basis are suddenly removed.  The experience is one that is new, different, challenging, perhaps uncomfortable and, at the same time, an amazing opportunity for learning.  Here too empathy can play a role.  The practice of self empathy can help transform the experience to be one of learning and not just stress.

CFHI is thrilled to present, in collaboration with the Center for Nonviolent Communication CNVC,  a two-part training focusing on empathy.  This will be a live phone-in training.  We encourage CFHI alumni and students preparing to go in CFHI programs to register for this free training.

Choose Your Words Professional Edition by Mel Sears

The Professional Edition of Choose Your Words by Mel Sears

Melanie Sears has been a Registered Nurse for more than 25 years and a certified trainer in effective communication since 1991.  Her book, Choose Your Words: Harnessing the Power of Compassionate Communication to Heal and Connect, is an excellent workbook designed to help health professionals be more effective in their communication with both patients and colleagues.  Joining her as co-trainer  will be John Kinyon, also a certified trainer in communication skills since 2000.  John has worked in a number of international settings and has worked with many groups to address the challenges of cross cultural communication.

CFHI is honored  and grateful to have Mel and John offer their expertise to CFHI participants.