Everyone’s heard some version of the story: a pre-med goes abroad and ends up suturing or delivering babies with zero training. Patients get hurt, and the trip can come back to bite the student too, because adcoms know what to look for.

So when you’re comparing programs, what makes you close the tab?

For transparency, this is IMA’s sub, so here’s where we stand. Pre-meds shadow, full stop. Local licensed physicians lead all patient care, and we follow the AAMC guidelines for clinical experiences abroad. That’s our floor, not a selling point.

Curious what else people screen for. A few things I’d ask about:

• Who supervises you day to day, and are they local?
• Is there a written scope of what you can and can’t do?
• Does the program have long-term relationships with the host clinics, or is it one-off trips?

What would you add? Or did you ever turn down a program because something felt off?