Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda, has established partnerships with several other institutions around the world. Some of these are the University of Brescia and “Magna Græcia” University, which have agreed on a collaboration whose main objective is student exchange. We collected the experiences of some of the students who participated in the medical electives born from this partnership, integrating, and comparing them with other data and similar experiences in literature, analyzing the importance of adequate preparation in global health and ethical collaboration. Medical electives represent a unique opportunity for medical students, not only for those who will work in resource-limited settings due to an increasingly globalized world. The emergence of ethical international collaborations is of paramount importance to stimulate these projects and to ensure that they take place safely and with adequate preparation even and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda, has established partnerships with several other institutions worldwide, including the University of Brescia and “Magna Græcia” University, which have agreed to collaborate for the primary purpose of student exchange. Our aim is to comment on students’ preparation for away rotations based on the authors’ own experiences and opinions alongside a review of selected papers on the preparation of students for global health and ethical collaboration. Medical electives represent a unique opportunity for all medical students, not merely for those who will work in resource-limited settings due to increasing globalization. The emergence of ethical international collaborations is of paramount importance to stimulate these projects and ensure that they are implemented safely and with adequate preparation even and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.