International health in medical education: students' experiences and views.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the experiences and views of the first group of medical students to complete the intercalated International Health BSc in Leeds.

Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on experiences of international health and draws parallels with those of other international health students. The paper also discusses how studying international health may benefit future doctors and considers how medical education can take a more international approach.

Findings: The paper finds that international health education can help future doctors acquire knowledge and skills in refugees' health, patients' cultural differences, the multifactoral influences on health, policymaking, the interests of various stakeholders, problem-solving skills and evidence-based medicine.

Practical Implications: The paper shows that international health teaching is both relevant and valuable in medical education. The medical profession should give more recognition to its worth.

Originality/value: This is the first paper to reflect on medical students' experiences of studying for an intercalated BSc at Leeds. It makes some important points about international health education for doctors and medical students world-wide.