I haven't traveled anywhere near as much as I want to... basically just Brazil, Italy, Colombia, etc. but every experience has been wonderful. The great thing about being in medicine is that there are so many opportunities to travel... as a medical student (M), as a resident (R) or as a physician (P).
Here's a brief list of some of the things you can do:
1. International rotations during your 3rd and 4th year of medical school (M)
2. International electives anytime during medical school (M)
3. Medical mission project (usually over winter, summer, or spring break) (M,R,P)
4. International conferences - if you are invited by a consortium to speak as an expert in your field they will often foot the bill (usually only P)
5. Work internationally (R,P) - I can't even tell you how many 1000's of amazing job offers I get in my email inbox every month for AMAZING international jobs for physicians... ie. medical director of an HIV/AIDS project in Rwanda or a Malaria needs assessment director in Mozambique or a fertility specialist in Croatia. Usually these type of jobs don't pay as much as you'd make at home... but they certainly pay enough. And many of them are temporary contract projects. They can be funded by either the US government, the hosting government, international foundations like the World Health Organization, private foundations like Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or a plethora (and I mean plethora) or non-profits from anywhere in the world.
6. Working in US Academics - (R,P)meaning that instead of getting a job at a private hospital like Kaiser Permanente you work for an academic institution like Johns Hopkins or UCLA. Part of your appointment will be as a physician in their affiliated hospitals and clinics (you're "doctor stuff").... but the other half of your job is to be a part of the medical school. As such, you'll be required to teach medical students or residents, conduct research, etc. depending on your contract. Many physicians work from their home academic hospital for several months, then travel internationally to work on their research... the institution footing the bill.
7. Start your own international project - (M,R,P) Which is what I would LOVE to do. I have always wanted to build a self-sustaining hospital in a rural area in a developing country. It's tough though, because you have to manage your bills at home AND fund yourself oversees. Interestingly however, many physicians manage to do it by moonlighting. Moonlighting is something any physician can do as long as they carry an appropriate state medical license. When you moonlight, you basically contract yourself out a night at a time to a hospital (usually a community-based hospital that doesn't have residents who take call at night) who needs someone to cover. Depending on the hospital, you can often make between $800 to several thousand dollars PER NIGHT. Nice, right? As cool as this sounds, you can't do it that often, bc otherwise you wouldn't get to sleep in between your day job hours. But for docs who work internationally they can spend time on their project in another country, then fly to the US, pick up enough shifts to finance them for a while, then go back to what they were doing... it works great! This sounds amazing to me.. but considering my heavy educational debt I didn't think it was possible... at least not for a long time. But then I met someone who did it. With debt. Same degrees I have, same school. He basically flies back to the US every summer and picks up 3 months of ER shifts and then goes back to his little hospital in South America. I went to a presentation of his on "how to"... and this is the best advice I've ever received.
He said to be an international doctor you have to do a few things:
- Pick a residency that you love - it can be anything. Don't pick something that you think will be useful internationally... everything is useful
- Learn languages early
- Pick a spouse with compatible goals
- Getting another advanced degree (like an MPH) gives you credibility when you need it, resources from people who've done the same, and a knowledge base
8. Pharmaceutical Clinical Trials - Often when you participate in clinical pharmaceutical trials as a resident or a physician (or even as a study coordinator) you are invited to attend investigator meetings in international locations (usually Europe)... and they are pretty posh.
Anyway, many opportunities await you in lands far away...
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