Why Go Abroad?

Some of the benefits of participating in an international elective or other learning opportunity abroad during your medical education include:

  • Developing a better understanding of international health;
  • Relating social and economic factors to the cause, treatment, and prevention of disease;
  • Encountering health-care in lower technology societies;
  • Learning first-hand about another country and being immersed in a different culture to develop a better understanding of Canada's multicultural population;
  • Enhancing your clinical skills, sometimes with limited laboratory aids;
  • Exploring a career in international health;
  • Understanding different healthcare systems;
  • Gaining familiarity with different illnesses/diseases.

Other skills enhanced by international education include:

  • Social and cultural awareness
  • Cross-cultural communication
  • Problem-solving
  • Adaptability
  • Teamwork
  • Creativity
  • Initiative
  • Resilience