A systematic approach to developing a global surgery elective

Background: Interest in global health has been increasing for years among American residents and medical students. Many residency programs have developed global health tracks or electives in response to this need.

Objectives: Our goal was to create a global surgery elective based on a synergistic partnership between our institution and a hospital in the developing world.

Design: We created a business plan and 1-year schedule for researching potential sites and completing a pilot rotation at our selected hospital.

Setting: We administered a survey to general surgery residents at the University of Cincinnati and visited medical facilities in Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and Malawi.

Participants: The survey was given to all general surgery residents. A resident and a faculty member executed the fact-finding trip as well as the pilot rotation.

Results: Our general surgery residents view an international elective as integral to residency training and would participate in such an elective. After investigating 6 hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa, we conducted a pilot rotation at our selected hospital and gained the necessary information to organize a curriculum. We will begin sending senior residents for 8-week rotations in the coming academic year.

Conclusions: By systematically approaching the process of creating a global surgery elective, we were able to gain considerable insight into choosing a location and organizing the elective.