Personal Preparation

  • Why do you want to do this?
  • Do you enjoy cultural anthropology?
  • What common medical problems do you want to examine?
  • What responsibilities would you like?
  • How are you going to communicate?
  • Do you have any personal health risks?
  • Who are your emergency contacts?
  • Can you deal with missing home or cultural isolation?

Four Months Out

  • Where would you like to go?
  • Determine the host site's expectations
  • Submit your application (PDF) to @email for further processing 
  • Obtain language training, if needed
  • Contact 3-4 agencies to find out specifics and choose
  • Determine the medical environment (lab, imaging, textbooks, medical supplies, etc.)
  • Learn about country's culture and your personal safety
  • Identify possible health risks
  • Check for state department travel warnings
  • Make travel plans
  • Identify a preceptor at host site
  • Review suggested readings (PDF) for international health
  • What would you like to do?
    •  Specialty versus primary care
    •  Hospital versus clinic/home visits

Two Months Out

  • Acquire UA College of Medicine – Phoenix paperwork (signatures in advance)
  • Review personal and education objectives
  • Make sure you are comfortable with:
    • Own health coverage
    • Liability insurance or lack thereof
    • Need for emergency medical care

One Month Out

  • Confirm lodging and travel plans (tickets, in-country travel)
  • Visit a travel clinic for vaccines, post-exposure prophylaxis, and /or malaria prophylaxis
  • Read about the country and people (local anthropology, most prevalent health issues)
  • Review faculty pre-departure checklist (first meeting with Dr. Beyda)

Two Weeks Out

  • Reconfirm your educational plans (second meeting with Dr. Beyda)
  • Packing list (PDF) (consider dress code for physicians, gender)
  • Reconfirm travel and lodging arrangements
  • Pack prophylactic meds

Upon Your Return

  • Summarize your experience in a written narrative essay
  • Debriefing (third meeting with Dr. Beyda)
  • Provide a written reflection
  • PPD three months after you return

UA College of Medicine – Phoenix Requirements