The benefits of working abroad for British General Practice trainee doctors: the London deanery out of programme experience in South Africa

Abstract

BackgroundThe value of international health experience for doctors from developed nations is well recognised. Provisions have been made for medical staff in the United Kingdom to embark on work experiences abroad during their careers in the National Health Service. The London Deanery and Africa Health Placements provide an Out of Programme Experience for British General Practice trainee doctors wanting to work for a year in rural hospitals in South Africa.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted among fifteen British General Practice trainees who participated in the programme. The research aim was to understand the perceived benefit and value of their experience and their opinions about the structure of the programme. The data was analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsTheir experience provided an accelerated year of learning and development that contributed to their professional and personal development. In addition to their general development, their improved ability to work in resource limited settings, enhancement of soft skills, a greater appreciation for the National Health Service and a better understanding of working within foreign health care systems were important gains. The timing of the experience, the security of re-employment on their return, assistance with administrative requirements of destination countries and the opportunity to gain varied, hands-on experience were highly valued components of the Out of Programme Experience.DiscussionThe value and benefits derived from the doctors' experience in South Africa are discussed in relation to another evaluation of the Out of Programme Experience, as well as issues of transferability of skills and competencies and future impacts on career decisions.ConclusionThis study provides evidence to suggest programmes such as the OOPE have the potential to create substantial benefits for trainee doctors, both in terms of their medical skills and competencies and through the development of softer skills. This programme, through the supply of scarce skills, further benefits the host country and specifically the health facilities and communities served by these trainee doctors.

Volunteering and overseas placements in the NHS: a survey of current activity

“…Undertaking a period of voluntary work or a placement overseas has long been a feature of medical training in the UK, and the option to participate in such activity is built in to a wide variety of clinical training programmes. 1 Until recently, providing such opportunities for the myriad of other grades and roles within the National Health Service (NHS) (particularly non-clinical ones), has not been a priority and employment structures within the organisation have remained relatively inflexible in this respect. 2 However, the potential value that even short periods within foreign healthcare and cultural contexts can bring both to individual employees, and the wider NHS is now being more broadly recognised.…”

Evaluation of the anaesthetic theatre educational environment at the University of the Witwatersrand.

“…The possible reason for the higher scoring of the autonomy domain is the level of responsibility given to training doctors in the South African health system and the accountability for the care given to patients (30). With regard to the learning opportunities and orientation to learning domain, the patient load with varieties of pathology allows for workplace-based learning and the opportunity for exposure to a large number and variety of practical procedures (31).…”

Client or Volunteer? Understanding Neoliberalism and Neocolonialism Within International Volunteer Health Work

“…Indeed, the few occasions where “culture” was even considered as a variable important to this work was when it was contextualized as a learning outcome. It is also important to consider literature related to international volunteer placements as the practice has long been an attribute of many health care training programs ( Reardon, George, & Enigbokan, 2015 ), including nursing. Service learning experiences are offered as opportunities to enhance “cultural competence” and expose practitioners (as well as future practitioners) to the “cultural Other” ( Brown & Varcoe, 2006 ; McGrath & Phillips, 2008 ), while claiming to result in immediate skills acquisition ( St. Clair & McKenry, 1999 ; Walsh & DeJoseph, 2003 ).…”