On Volunteerism and Orthopaedics

International Elective During Orthopaedic Residency in North America: Perceived Barriers and Opportunities

“…As the international elective is offered but not mandated in certain programs, there is a potential for unequal educational exposure among residents of the same program and among residents nationwide. Development of a standardized international elective curriculum to provide a more uniform resident experience should involve aligning the elective with the six core competencies stipulated by the ACGME and the requirements for participating in the certification examination held by the ABOS 32 . Working with board-certified orthopaedic surgeons, gaining both an outpatient and operative experience, having a clearly outlined set of goals and objectives for the rotation, and providing evaluations of resident performance during the elective are some measures that the programs can incorporate 33 .…”

“…For example, the RRC (Residency Review Committee) for general surgery recently began accepting cases performed by residents overseas 31,34 . An international health elective is a valuable experience that has the potential to address all six ACGME core competencies 5,6,8,9,13,16,32 , especially those involving patient care, systems-based practice, professionalism, and interpersonal skills and communication. At the 2012 AOA Annual Meeting, it was suggested that "volunteerism" be included under "professionalism" as a core competency 32 .…”

Sustainability Assessment of a Short-Term International Medical Mission

“…unmet needs [2][3][4][5][6] , whereas critics question the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of these missions 1,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] . Few studies have analyzed the tangible impact of global medical mission trips.…”