TY  - JOUR
T1  - The International Orthopaedic Health Elective at the University of California at San Francisco: The Eight-Year Experience
AU  - Disston, Alexander R.
AU  - Martinez-Diaz, Gabriel J.
AU  - Raju, Sarath
AU  - Rosales, Maria
AU  - Berry, Wil C.
AU  - Coughlin, R. Richard
Y1  - 2009/12/01
N1  - 10.2106/JBJS.I.00460
JO  - The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
SP  - 2999
EP  - 3004
VL  - 91
IS  - 12
N2  - 
It is estimated that half of the world's population lacks access to adequate primary health care and that two-thirds of the population lacks access to orthopaedic care1. While opportunities for orthopaedic surgeons to volunteer internationally have existed for many years, only a small percentage of practicing orthopaedic surgeons in the United States do so. One reason for this low rate of volunteerism is that physicians who have recently finished residency training face substantial loan burdens. In addition, recent graduates need to establish and build their practices2,3. Residents at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) may elect to participate in an overseas volunteerism program as early as their third postgraduate year. This program is rooted in the hope that early exposure will encourage future participation in similar activities throughout the residents' professional lives. While reports on the early experience of this elective have demonstrated a trend toward increased future participation in volunteerism, to date there have been no formal investigations of the long-term impact of this elective experience on orthopaedic surgery residents4,5.

SN  - 0021-9355
M3  - doi: 10.2106/JBJS.I.00460
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.I.00460
ER  -