Working, or volunteering, within the domain of global health can be one of the most rewarding endeavours for health workers to be involved in - and the opportunities to become involved are endless!

At this moment, there are doctors, nurses and allied health professionals providing humanitarian assistance in refugee camps, performing surgery in desert tents, consulting at remote village clinics, running immunisation campaigns with nomadic populations, as well as walking the corridors of large specialised urban hospitals. There are professionals around the globe reviewing epidemiological data in the wake of an emerging pandemic, revising protocols for pregnancy care in remote clinics, debating field data, investigating attitudes to HIV / AIDS, and submitting evident to governments to improve policy around the world.

Whilst committing to working and volunteering in global health can be incredibly rewarding, unconsidered placements can be a disaster.  By closely examining your own reasons for undertaking this, you will be in the best position to further explore the many options open to you (and make it a good experience for yourself and your host community).

KEY QUESTIONS

Before we go any further, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Why am I interested in working or volunteering in global health?
• Why am I thinking about this NOW?
• What type of work or volunteer work am I interested in?
• Where would I like to do this? Australia or overseas?
• In what type of setting would I like to undertake this?
• Which organisation(s) would I like to work?
• What do I hope to achieve by undertaking this?
• How will it benefit me personally and professionally?
• What will the rewards and the challenges be?
• What knowledge and skills are required?
• What are the practicalities I must consider? e.g. financial implications, time away from training,  etc.

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR HOST COMMUNITY

When working abroad, relationship really is everything!  Sadly, the experiences of host communities are too often neglected when we talk about working abroad.  The Global Health Gateway hopes that the information provided here resonates with the acknowledgement of host community needs, expectations and experiences.  But we recognise that so much more that could be said.

The importance of making efforts to understand, respect and learn from your hosts cannot be emphasized enough!

More

> Discover our 10 Ethical Principles for working in global health
> Explore the diverse Settings for work in Global Health
> Find a Job in Global Health
> Be inspired by Personal Stories of health workers in the field
> Visit the Forum to meet Global Health workers