Teaching (and learning) family medicine internationally: a cultural survival guide

Around the world, family medicine is emerging as an important model for the delivery of primary health care services. Clinician-educators from countries with successful family medicine programmes will be looked to for leadership in the international development of the specialty. Family medicine educators who are asked to teach internationally will face numerous challenges as they work to adapt their knowledge and expertise to fit local needs. These challenges can become either insurmountable obstacles or enriching experiences. The purpose of this article is to help guide educators as they explore, enter into and return from teaching family medicine abroad. It offers practical suggestions in response to three questions important in the course of work abroad: What are one's expectations for working abroad? What will one's attitude be toward daily work overseas? What will one have learned upon returning home? The suggestions can be used to enhance personal and professional development, promote common pathways in the development of family medicine as a specialty, and encourage bilateral exchange of knowledge and experiences among family physicians worldwide.