Working round the world | |
Beyond borders. McGraw-Hill’s guide to health placements. Hamish Graham. Sydney: McGraw-Hill, 2005. (xiv + 98 pp). ISBN 007471552 6. |
It is not that often that a small book delights me as much as this one did. There was, I found, much to enjoy. Written by a senior medical student, the proceeds go to Médecins Sans Frontières, and it is all about health science students and health professionals undertaking successful placements overseas. I am surprised at how many of my medical colleagues have never worked or studied overseas. As somebody who has globe-trotted excessively I suppose I have a biased view, but I believe you can tell who has been overseas, and how it has touched them — usually in a positive way. Travel and work overseas is not without risk of course. When doctoring in Africa most medical students I knew of had a fine time, but there was a tragic death (from a car crash), an occasional case of malaria, plenty of gastro, and one very embarrassing case of gonorrhoea. Most of these risks, and a range of others, are at last touched on in this pocket-sized book, providing a wealth of useful information in a very lively and friendly format. I particularly liked the many quotes that seek to inspire travel. Scattered throughout Beyond borders are a series of case studies that students and doctors will find very useful, prompting them to think carefully about what they face, without seeking to dissuade them from embarking on a very likely life-changing experience. Well done! David Wilkinson
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