Establishing an International Training Program for Surgical Residents

In today's ever-globalizing climate, the academic sector bears a certain responsibility to incorporate valuable international opportunities into training programs, particularly with respect to surgical education. As the educators of future leaders within the field of academic surgery, the need for international awareness and experience abroad is paramount. Recognizing that need has afforded the opportunity of constructing this unique elective abroad. Establishing a resident surgical rotation in a developing country is complex and time consuming. It must be approached in an organized fashion, taking into consideration multiple factors such as specific needs of the country, workload and resources of the host hospital, and personal issues regarding the well-being of the participating residents. Such a rotation is beneficial to the residents, the local population being served, and the organizing surgery program. Gaining an understanding of the operations of a single public hospital within the larger framework of a developing country and its myriad cultural influences undoubtedly allows for significant growth of residents both as clinicians and human beings. The experience of organizing such a program is described and is offered as a template for similar model programs in the future. The hope is that this elective will not only impact the residents and the communities involved but will also spark a great deal of interest in establishing similar programs worldwide. This global vision is possible, as evidenced by the initial success of our program.