Prepare for undertaking an International Health Elective, in this course developed in collaboration with King's College London
This course is made available through the eLearnAfrica and FutureLearn partnership.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Certificate cost may vary. You will be redirected to the host page for cost and payment options.
St George’s is the UK’s only university dedicated to medical and health sciences education, training and research.
The university provides a world-class multi-professional health sciences education that equips graduates to meet today’s healthcare needs through relevant scientific research, clinical excellence, strong interpersonal skills and team-based working. Sharing a clinical environment with a major London teaching hospital, its innovative approach to education results in well-rounded, highly skilled clinicians, scientists, and health and social care professionals.
St George’s has more than 250 years of excellence and innovation in research and education resulting in groundbreaking advances in medicine and healthcare. Alumni include Edward Jenner, John Hunter, Muriel Powell and Patrick Steptoe. The university has three research institutes focus on biomedical and scientific discovery, advancing the prevention and treatment of disease in the fields of population health, heart disease and infection - three of the greatest challenges to global health in the 21st century.
This institution is available on eLearnAfrica through partnership with FutureLearn.
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Effective Date: September 22, 2016