Specialties that allow you to practice abroad

[jj6vcb]

I've just started thinking about this and was wondering if anyone had some insight. Are there any specialties that tend to be more travel-friendly (work-related travel), or allow you to even practice abroad for some amount of time?

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[LRAccord624]

Infectious Disease, especially if you decide to do any research, will be one specialty that offers a lot of travel. I know an ID doc who specializes in tropical disease and travels to south america and Africa alot. He was also in the military for a number of years and goes to the middle east regularly.

 

[justdoit31]

General/Trauma Surgery, Family/Internal, or Pediatrics are always good... also several organizations look for anesthesiologist to come and help during surgeries (Operation Smile type stuff). What physicians have told me is that if you specialize too much (say cardiology, oncology, resp) you can't do as much.

One oncologist said "so what if I can diagnose them with a cancer I can't treat it" (refering to trips to Central America) but she is able to listen for basic things, it's just she doesn't remember every little thing from medical school general rotations and she doesn't see those issues anymore.

 

[LizzyM]

Add Emergency Medicine-- particularly in areas with violence.

 

[tkim]

I've just started thinking about this and was wondering if anyone had some insight. Are there any specialties that tend to be more travel-friendly (work-related travel), or allow you to even practice abroad for some amount of time?

You need to differentiate between medical missions, where you either work for free or minimal money - like Doctors Without Borders, and true, move to another country and practice for money.

Doing the first, pretty easy, as they grant privileges for visiting missions.

Relocating and practicing for money, much harder. Licensing requirement and language issues make it a country-to-country issue. There is no such thing as an internationally recognized medical degree, US MD or otherwise.

 

[Electronegative]

Transplant surgeon? they travel inside the country.

 

[Morsetlis]

Surgical specialties are in high demand. However, if you know how to manage DM, OA, HTN, and STD's, that's probably what most people need.

 

[J ROD]

EM also go on cruises.....

 

[Morsetlis]

EM also go on cruises.....

Sources?

 

[J ROD]

Sources?

I read it on here....

Cruise ships hire EM docs to work on them

 

[link2swim06]

I read it on here....

Cruise ships hire EM docs to work on them

I hear you get paid peanuts and live in a closet if you work on a cruise ship. I read something awhile back, most cruise ships have foreign docs who will work for less anyways.

 

[FluffyRabbit]

EM also go on cruises.....

I'm on a boat AND I wear a coat! =P

 

[Siggy]

Sources?

http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/medical.htm

 

[J ROD]

http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/medical.htm

never knew the pay was that bad....

 

[boaz]

There was an EM doc on the news (I forget his name) who went to Haiti and did amputations under fallen down buildings and massive slabs of concrete.

 

[J ROD]

There was an EM doc on the news (I forget his name) who went to Haiti and did amputations under fallen down buildings and massive slabs of concrete.

what did he get paid?

 

[boaz]

what did he get paid?

zero, zilch, gornisht, + nada.

 

[MedBoundForSure]

what did he get paid?

looks like they make 4500-6400 USD per month.

edit: Oh nvmd that was for the cruise docs I dont know about the Haiti one...

 

[J ROD]

zero, zilch, gornisht, + nada.

not interested...

 

[Morsetlis]

never knew the pay was that bad....

But it's basically vacation all year.

 

[CUBR]

But it's basically vacation all year.

It's not really vacation when you're working all the time. And all you see is puking from sea sickness and couple heart attacks a year. In which case you try to keep them alive until the coast guard can reach you.

 

[hqt331]

how easy is it for a US doc to work in Europe?

 

[J ROD]

But it's basically vacation all year.

until a stomach virus breaks out.....

 

[tk31]

Have you ever considered radiology? More specifically teleradiology.

As long as you have high quality monitors and high speed internet connection you can work from virtually anywhere. It might even be considered an advantage because of time differences your working day could be the middle of the night back in North America.

-Tyler

 

[Bernoull]

I've just started thinking about this and was wondering if anyone had some insight. Are there any specialties that tend to be more travel-friendly (work-related travel), or allow you to even practice abroad for some amount of time?

Public health/Epidemiology.. think WHO, you travel to death.

I have a family member who just wrapped up 20yrs at WHO and routinely travelled from Egypt to Iraq, US to Kazahkstan, Tanzania to Myanmar and many countries in between..