Feeling Like a Rookie: A Health Professions Teacher’s Experience in a Study Abroad Program Designed to Address Global Health Inequities Through Collaborative Interprofessional Experiences

Recognizing health inequities is critical to identifying sociocultural forces that lead to poor health outcomes. Interprofessionalism and associated interprofessional education are recognized mechanisms that reduce health inequities by instilling shared values in health professionals. Study abroad programs provide a unique opportunity for interprofessional, experiential learning and addressing global health inequities. This commentary describes a health professions faculty's reflection on experiences serving in a study abroad program. The four-week program provided students with theoretical concepts of the social determinants of health, and communication and immersive experiential learning on the island of Crete, Greece. Three main themes were identified surrounding the roles of faculty members serving in the program: roles of teacher, counselor, and colleague. Reflective journaling provided a mechanism for processing challenges, such as helping students cope with repeated discussions on topics of discrimination and racism. It was also helpful in reinforcing strategies that helped faculty overcome apprehension of inexperience and rookie feelings, leading to positive experiences for faculty and students alike. Health professions faculty are encouraged to consider study abroad programs as a mechanism to provide novel, interprofessional educational experiences key to finding collaborative solutions to the global problem of health inequity.