Mobilizing and training academic faculty for medical mission: current status and future directions

• Main Authors: James D Smith (Author), Roger P Holland (Author), J Dwight Phillips (Author), Sharon A Falkenheimer (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Health for All Nations, 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2167-2415; 10.15566/cjgh.v3i2.134
• Keywords: Mobilizing; Recruiting; Medical Education Missions; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Practical religion. The Christian life; BV4485-5099
• Source: Christian Journal for Global Health, Vol 3, Iss 2, Pp 168-175 (2016)

As more mission groups become involved with health care education, by starting medical and nursing schools, postgraduate training programs and paramedical professional training, there is a need to recruit expatriate faculty from high income countries to help start programs as there are few national health care education professionals available in the mission setting in most low- and middle-income countries. This paper outlines the current status and needs for academic faculty in health care education mission settings. A working group of medical educators met in conjunction with the Global Missions Health Conference in November 2015 and discussed the motivational factors which lead Christian academics to volunteer, both short- and long-term in mission settings. The group then looked at barriers to volunteering and made suggestions for future directions and best practices when mobilizing academics from high income countries.