MED STUDENTS TAKE PASSION FOR HEALTH CARE AROUND THE WORLD

There are a variety of reasons OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine students chose to be part of the school’s Global Health Track, which takes students to different parts of the world where health care is most needed.

John Mumey, the Global Health coordinator, said the Global Health Track allows students the opportunity to travel to places they may not have considered before and to utilize and hone the clinical skills they learned in the classroom while being supervised by residents and physicians who are there for guidance and training.

“It offers medical students a one-of-a-kind experience alongside their peers,” Mumey said. “They are traveling outside their comfort zone, visiting new countries, interacting with individuals who may speak a different language.”

One of the goals for these trips is to help populations who need it the most, Mumey said.

“These international rotations allow students to expand their cultural competency regarding medicine, and these skills are imperative no matter where a student decides to establish a practice following medical school,” he said.

For many medical students who take part in global health trips, the experience of working in clinics and hospitals without an abundance of resources can also prepare them for what they may encounter when practicing medicine in rural or underserved communities.