Next week, Health Volunteers Overseas will begin accepting applications for the 2017 Society for Education in Anesthesia – HVO Traveling Fellowship. With the support of numerous individual donors and organizations, the Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA) and HVO offer a number of fellowship opportunities to senior anesthesia residents to teach at HVO’s anesthesia project sites each year. The fellowship provides a unique educational experience and opportunity to transform lives.
The global experience afforded by the SEA-HVO fellowship pushes residents to be both flexible and creative in problem solving. Serving as teachers of anesthesia and as role models for the anesthesia students at HVO project sites, residents are able to hone their skills as mentors. Many SEA-HVO fellows maintain professional relationships with their students long after they return home and become part of the global anesthesia network, offering the opportunity to grow in their field and expand their global health networks.
As SEA-HVO Fellow Michael Hatch, MD reported following his assignment to Peru:
..I paid close attention to the framing of the HVO-SEA Traveling Fellowship as an opportunity for cultural exchange and in-so-doing, did my best to serve in the role of student as much as I did in the role of teacher. I found that this approach helped me to develop the relationships I hoped to develop and ultimately led to a fantastic experience.”
“Overall, this was exactly the experience I sought when I applied for the HVO-SEA fellowship. I developed several meaningful professional relationships, made several new, close friends, and – along the way – learned and taught a great deal [about] anesthesia.”
Past fellows have also reported that the fellowship enhanced their understanding of the realities and constraints of delivering health care in a resource scarce environment. SEA-HVO fellows encounter a wide range of surgical pathologies and anesthetic techniques not commonly seen in the United States. By better understanding the challenges that students of anesthesia face in resource-scarce environments, SEA-HVO fellows come to understand the essential role they can play in improving global anesthesia care.
This has led some fellows to a newfound understanding and enthusiasm for their role as health care providers, and a newfound dedication to the global health community. William Navarre, MD reported from his trip to Malawi in February 2015:
This was a unique experience for me in that I have not done a trip completely focused on teaching. The process was certainly worthwhile as I grew and gained comfort as a teacher. I particularly favored this approach, as the knowledge the students gain hopefully will positively impact surgical patients who encounter these students in Malawi. I was re-energized by the experience and know that I would like to continue global health work in the future.”
Applications for the 2017 SEA-HVO fellowship will be accepted starting on November 1, 2016; senior anesthesia residents interested in spending 4 weeks teaching at an HVO anesthesia site in a resource-scarce country are encouraged to apply. Applications are due January 11, 2017. Learn more by visiting HVO’s fellowships and funding page.
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