SLIDE 1 Launching Your International Healthcare Career
Nicholas Comninellis, MD, MPH
President, Institute for International Medicine www.inmed.us
SLIDE 2 Presentation Objectives
At the completion of this presentation, participants will be able to more effectively:
Incorporate the principles of good decision
making
Understand the multiple modalities of
healthcare service toward forgotten people
Reach wise personal decisions leading
regarding professional commitments
SLIDE 3
Launching Into International Healthcare: It’s Not Just Academic
Somolia, 1993
SLIDE 4
Launching Into International Healthcare It’s Not Just Academic
Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone 2008
SLIDE 5
Launching Into International Healthcare It’s Not Just Academic
Angolan Civil War, 1961-2004
SLIDE 6
Launching Into International Healthcare It’s Not Just Academic
Forgotten People Among Us
SLIDE 7
My Entrance Into International Medicine
In high school I read his exemplary account of courage and compassion. “I want to do the same!” was my heartfelt conviction.
SLIDE 8
Two Weeks As A Junior Medical Student
Maternity Hospital in Port-au-Prince Haiti
SLIDE 9
Two Months As A Senior Medical Student
Clinica Evangelica Morava, Honduras
SLIDE 10
SLIDE 11
Two Months As A Resident Physician
Galmi Hospital in Niger & Burkina Faso
SLIDE 12
SLIDE 13
One Year As An Attending Physician
Shanghai Charity Hospital
SLIDE 14
SLIDE 15
Two Years As An Attending Physician
Kalukembe Hospital, Angola, southern Africa
SLIDE 16
SLIDE 17 Who Is The Most Influential Person In Healthcare Toward Forgotten People?
Albert Schweitzer? 1940-50s Tom Dooley? 1960-70s Paul Farmer? 1980-90s
SLIDE 18 “We want to follow their example and help, too!”
Record Interest Among Healthcare Professionals & Students
SLIDE 19
“We know the world’s in need…”
SLIDE 20
“But, We Have Questions”
SLIDE 21
“Questions like…”
SLIDE 22 Big Decisions Regarding Healthcare Toward Forgotten People
Professional specialty Service modality Community to serve Sending organization Language learning Time commitment
SLIDE 23
“In the battle of life we are bombarded with invitations, solicitations, advertisements, and apparent commitments. We are inundated on all sides by forces that clamor for our time, talents, money, influence, wisdom. We fight this battle by making decisions!”
SLIDE 24
Decision Making Is A Skill
Time and discipline are necessary to develop it!
SLIDE 25 Essential Decision-Making Skills
Pray for wisdom List the options Weight the pros & cons Get recommendations No Hurry
SLIDE 26 List The Options
Record all options, answers, or
alternatives that come to mind
Invite friends to brain storm with you Solutions often come to us after we
eliminate preconceived notions, and imagine the formerly inconceivable.
SLIDE 27
Weigh The Pros Weight The Cons
Spencer Johnson, author of The
One Minute Manager: “Our poor decisions were based on illusions we believed at the time, and our better decisions on realities we recognized in time.”
SLIDE 28
Where In The World?
SLIDE 29 Location Pros & Cons
1=bad 3=good Ghana Ethiopia Angola Yemen China
Language difficulty 2 3 2 1 1
New Opportunity 1 3 3 1 1
Inner peace 1 1 3 1 2
School for kids 1 1 1 1 2
Political stability 3 1 2 2 2
Potential student work 1 3 2 1 3
Potential for impact 1 3 3 1 3
TOTAL 10 15 15 7 14
SLIDE 30 Get Recommendations
Ask your parents,
friends, professors
Ask those who’ve made
similar decisions
Proverbs 15:22: “Plans
fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
SLIDE 31
No Hurry!
“The urgent is seldom important &
the important seldom urgent” - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
“The plans of the diligent lead to
profit as surely as haste leads to poverty” - Proverbs 21:5
SLIDE 32
Become A Skilled Decision Maker!
SLIDE 33
Obstacles Ahead!
Launching Into International Healthcare Is Not So Easy
SLIDE 34
What Are These Obstacles?
SLIDE 35
Disease ARE Different
Cerebral Malaria In Honduras
SLIDE 36
Medical Resources ARE Minimal
24 Drug Pharmacy In Angola
SLIDE 37
Cultural Context IS Challenging
In China, traditional people are encouraged to donate blood, but few are willing, believing that blood contains one’s “life force,” and that to have their blood removed is therefore a death-defying event.
SLIDE 38
Leadership Skills ARE Deficient
Many health problems can’t be solved one person at a time. They demand community- wide action.
SLIDE 39 Big Decisions Regarding Healthcare Toward Forgotten People
Professional specialty Service modality Community to serve Sending organization Language learning Time commitment
SLIDE 40
Decisions About Your Health Profession Specialty How Should You Go About Choosing A Field?
SLIDE 41 Decisions About Your Health Profession Specialty
Choose the field that most interests
you!
Misconceptions about primary care Important role for narrow specialists
SLIDE 42 Special Opportunities For Pharmacists
Development of disease
management protocols
Research into greatly needed
diagnostics and therapeutics
Local pharmaceutical
production and procurement
Therapeutic safety monitoring
SLIDE 43 Special Opportunities For Nurses
Disease prevention Health education Maternal-child health care Health profession education Community development Patient education Disease management
SLIDE 44 Special Opportunities For Physical Therapists
Innumerable hidden disabilities Unrecognized rehab potential Promise of reintegration Virtuous profession Exemplary role modeling
SLIDE 45
“What About Training In Public Health?”
SLIDE 46
“What About Training In Tropical Medicine?”
SLIDE 47
“Equipping healthcare professionals & students to serve the forgotten”
SLIDE 48
Exploring Medical Missions Conference
SLIDE 49 International Public Health Intensive Course
Disease prevention and community development. Offered each winter, summer and fall.
SLIDE 50 International Medicine & Public Health Intensive Hybrid Course
Managing the diseases of poverty in low-resource settings. Offered each winter, summer and fall.
SLIDE 51 Courses On Topics Of
- International Public Health
- Diseases Of Poverty
- Cross-Cultural Competency
- Health Leadership
- Disaster Medicine Management
- International HIV Medicine
SLIDE 52
SLIDE 53
INMED’s Core Learning Resource
SLIDE 54 Supervised Service Learning in Medicine and Public Health
Africa Angola Cameroon Ethiopia Ghana China Kenya South Africa Tanzania Uganda Zambia
Kudjip Nazarene Hospital Papua New Guinea
Asia Bangladesh China India Macau Pakistan Philippines Papua New Guinea
SLIDE 55 Supervised Service Learning in Medicine and Public Health
Americas Dominican Rep Ecuador Guatemala Haiti Honduras USA Middle East Jordan United Arab Emirates
Clinica Evangelica Morava Honduras
SLIDE 56
1:1 Supervised Mentorships
SLIDE 57
Esteemed Credentials
SLIDE 58
Esteemed Credentials
SLIDE 59 Decisions About Your Service Modality
Primary patient care Teaching Research Administration & leadership Public health initiatives Combinations of these
SLIDE 60
Especially Consider Teaching Opportunities!
SLIDE 61
Decisions About A Community To Serve
How Should You Go About Selecting A Particular Community?
SLIDE 62 Decisions About A Community To Serve
Potential selection criteria:
Health needs of the people Opportunities to assist Language & culture Previous experience Political stability Your organization’s presence Passion for the people!
SLIDE 63 Location Pros & Cons
1=bad 3=good Ghana Ethiopia Angola Yemen China
Language difficulty 2 3 2 1 1
New opportunity 1 3 3 1 1
Inner peace 1 1 3 1 2
School for kids 1 1 1 1 2
Political stability 3 1 2 2 2
Potential student work 1 3 2 1 3
Potential for impact 1 3 3 1 3
TOTAL 10 15 15 7 14
SLIDE 64
Decisions About Your Sending Organization
What Sort Of Sending Organizations Can You Select From?
SLIDE 65 Decisions About Your Sending Organization
Types of organizations in international health:
NGO Faith-based NGO Educational Institution US Government National Government For-profit corporation
SLIDE 66
Decisions About Your Sending Organization What Should You Look For In A Sending Organization?
SLIDE 67 Decisions About Your Sending Organization
Potential selection criteria:
Reputation National connections Financial resources Philosophical agreement Personality compatibility Logistical support Passion for the national people!
SLIDE 68 Decisions About Language Learning
An enormous commitment, guided by:
Existing language skills Passion for a people
group
Available learning
resources
Nothing to do with high
school language success
SLIDE 69 Decisions About Time Commitment
Options to fit your lifestyle:
Occasional trips Part-time commitment Full-time commitment Regardless, focus on a
particular community!
SLIDE 70 Prepare Your Personal Life
Personal Finances Personal Health Family Relationships Faith & Community Documents: Passport, Visa, Airlines,
Insurance
SLIDE 71
How Do You Managed The Barrier Of Debt?
SLIDE 72 Managing Debt
Minimize loans Live simply Create a reserve and
investment plan
Live fully while
repaying loans
Consider paid
positions
SLIDE 73 Personal Health
Healthy lifestyle Controlled Chronic
Conditions
Vaccinations, prophylaxis Emergency care &
evacuation
“Acceptable Risk”
SLIDE 74
SLIDE 75 Family Relationships
International intimacy Cross-cultural kids Single & satisfied Way-extended family
SLIDE 76 Faith & Community
Your personal
connection with God
Your personal
community of faith
SLIDE 77 Documents
Passport Visa Airlines Insurance Practitioner licenses Malpractice
SLIDE 78 Employ Decision-Making Skills
Pray for wisdom List the options Weight the pros & cons Get recommendations No Hurry
SLIDE 79
Find and follow your passion!
SLIDE 80
...Like Those Role Models Who Inspire You
SLIDE 81
Launching YOURSELF into healthcare toward the world’s most forgotten people
SLIDE 82 For next steps in serving forgotten people:
6400 Prospect Ave Suite 338A Kansas City MO 64132 816-444-6400
www.inmed.us
