Where to start...

If you’re interested in international health, yet not sure how to prepare yourself for working overseas, here are some useful starting points. Overseas organisations are often looking for these skills. Tailor your skills to the sort of overseas work that you wish to do.

Where to begin?

1. •Choose terms in paeds, O&G, rural or indigenous medicine
   

2. •Learn a foreign language
   

3. •Do a public health course
   

4. •Talk to someone who has worked overseas
   

5. •Attend an information evening
   

6. •Find out which organisations fit your situation
   

7. •Do an advanced resuscitation course

Speaking a language is invaluable in communicating with patients and staff in low and middle income countries. Some organisations will favour applicants who are functionally fluent in languages such as French, Spanish and Chinese. A range of part-time courses are available to study foreign languages through Universities, local councils and other language institutes.

Useful links include:

University of Sydney evening courses

Alliance Francaise

Study Spanish in Sydney

Public health skills are useful in most international health roles. Working in an acute tertiary city hospital can skew your management towards expensive tests and treatments which are not cost-effective in many settings.

Useful skills which you will learn through these courses include: an understanding of tropical diseases, basic epidemiology,  approaches to disease prevention, knowledge of differing disease priorities, skills in managing humanitarian disasters and refugee health.

Face-to-face or distance learning courses are available at most Universities. See here for further information about specific courses available to Sydney trainees.

There are many different types of international health opportunities. The best way of finding out which suit you is by word of mouth. Come along to global health drinks evenings to hear trainees and consultants from a range of specialties describe their experiences and approaches.

When you’re talking to someone you should seek a balanced view of their experience - both the good and challenging aspects. You can ask about:

1. •How did they prepare to go overseas?
   

2. •How did their work fit in with their training?
   

3. •What were the problems that they encountered?
   

4. •How would they do it differently in the future?
   

5. •What skills were useful in their role?
   

6. •How did their organisation prepare and debrief them?
   

7. •What financial sacrifices did they make?
   

8. •Would they do it again?
   

To see records of the experiences of past global heath drinks speakers, go to our Past events page

International health organisations often hold information evenings for potential applicants. It is worth attending a few and learning about their application process, the timing of recruitment and how they match your interests.

Groups such as Medecins sans frontieres, Australian Volunteers International, Australian Youth Ambassadors and Interserve have websites with information about upcoming events. Come to global health drinks to hear from speakers from a range of organisations.

You should start to talk to organisations at least 6 to 9 months before you plan to go overseas, so you have time to find a suitable position attend any preparatory courses that these organisations run.

Working amidst humanitarian disasters is not for everyone. There is a huge range of potential roles you can play overseas - whether in a clinical, public health, research or development capacity.

Some organisations are better suited to doctors who wish to bring their partners with them (Australian Volunteers International openly accommodate non-medical partners, for example).

If you have acute medical skills then you may be interested in joining an organisation that deals with humanitarian disasters, such as Red Cross or Medecins Sans Frontieres. Public health and development skills are needed by a range of small and large organisations.

You may wish to work overseas for short periods each year. Groups such as Interplast (Orthopaedic surgery) and other surgical bodies send doctors to developing countries for brief periods to operate, in conjunction with local health services. Often word of mouth is the best way to find out about these.

If you attend a public health course, you are bound to come across research opportunities overseas if you talk to your course coordinators. Most courses have elective projects which are specifically designed to provide international health experience.

Regardless of whether you are a pathologist, anaesthetist or psychiatrist there are likely to be opportunities for you to work overseas. Most specialists who work internationally will be delighted to find like-minded individuals interested in pursuing a similar career path.

Most hospitals offer resuscitation courses, which will prepare you for working relatively independently overseas. These are particularly useful if you are going to be running a remote hospital independently, or dealing with humanitarian crises.

Your ability to perform advanced resuscitation will depend upon the setting. In many cases, there will not be intensive care, defibrillators, intubation or anaesthetic support and so advanced resuscitation may be limited.

Surgical, anaesthetic and emergency trainees should consider gaining broad skills in paediatric resuscitation, emergency obstetric surgery and basic trauma management.

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