Category: Learning needs

Taking it in steps?

A missionary doctor, nurse or health provider in his or her first term is all enthusiasm. After all, he or she may think, “After all that preparation, let’s get on with the real work!”

But those first few years show how much more there is to learn! First there is the adjustment to the new sights and sounds, then a new set of co-workers, then a new job, and of course there is langauge learning!  We want to provide excellent medical care but face the obstacles that often exist in resource-poor settings.

On top of these things, in those first years we may also be working on:

  • issues of marriage and singleness
  • growing a family
  • integrating spiritual and physical ministry into practice
  • understanding how our role fits with the vision and strategy of mission and church
  • doing things outside of his or her training, such as leading a team or projects
  • conflict and team formation
  • identity issues (“who am I really?”)

During this intense time of learning and growing, sometimes I am asked for advice on getting futher training: should I do an MPH degree?  get tropical medicine? learn more about management and leadership?

Looking back over my own 30 years with SIM in medical missions, I think I tried to do too much too early. So my suggestion is this: take a longer view and then break it up into steps.

The complexity of the task means that if we try too much too soon, we won’t do anything well. So in the early years it may be best to focus on the basics: our relationships, especially marriage/singleness/family; language learning; and practicing what we have been trained to do.

Then it will become clear what is needed for later stages.  Not everyone needs to go on and do a public health degree.  Not everyone needs to go to seminary.  Not everyone needs to become skilled in management.  But everyone should grow in their understading of their gifts and abilities, and over time, take on new challenges. Everyone should grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph 2:10).

The process of discovering those good works prepared for us by God is a journey.

Let’s take it one step at a time.

 

Assessing the learning needs of medical mission workers

How does one assess the learning needs of healthcare missionaries or mission workers?  If you are looking to assess your own needs, here is an article that is a good place to start. How would you do it for an entire organization, or the entire enterprise of healthcare missions?

The Global Healthcare Workers Needs Assessment (GHWNA) Survey Report was completed in 2015 by Mark Strand and Amber Wood, under the sponsorship of MedSend and endorsed by the Christian Medical and Dental Association of the US. The aim was included in the title of the report: “That Healthcare Missionaries Might Flourish.”  The aim was to “investigate how to better equip healthcare missionaries for long-term service.” It builds on the PRISM survey which was more about the training, support and satifaction of healthcare missionaries with their role, with a view towards making needed changes in selection, preparation and equipping of these workers.

Some key findings:

Healthcare missionary respondents had a mean age of 41 years. Years in cross-cultural service were 7.2 for those currently serving and 4.8 for those who had returned from the field. All were American missionaries, so we need to generalize with care.

85-90% of these healthcare missionaries reported that they were able to see lives transformed, meet spiritual needs, and share the gospel with those they served.

While there was a high degree of satisfaction with their roles in healthcare (93% and 84% of currently serving and returned missionaries, respectively), many (33 and 34%) reported a discrepancy between their roles and what they expected. Role inconsistency is a problem for medical missionaries.

Those currently serving spend less of their time on clinical work, and more on administration, church or mission agency responsibilities, and general organizational leadership, than post-field missionaries did when serving on the field.

In terms of needs assessment, healthcare workers serving overseas find themselves with many jobs for which they are unprepared. These cross-cultural healthcare workers rated professional development and leadership training as important as cross-cultural training in preparation for the field. Those serving on the field weigh public health equally to clinical skills in terms of training.

Leadership training needs reported by respondents in order of importance were: mentoring, strategic planning, and general leadership skills. However only 38% of all respondents had mentors, and only 18% of sending agencies assign mentors who are healthcare professionals themselves.

Of note, 18% of those serving and 20% of those previously serving were individuals at risk for burnout based on callousness, and 8% and 20% based on exhaustion.

Half of post-field respondents left the field for potentially preventable reasons, most often burnout, interpersonal conflict, or emotional exhaustion.

Learning needs for American medical missionaries might therefore include not only cross cultural preparation and clinical competence but leadership and management skills, burnout awareness and prevention, conflict management and emotional awareness. When possible there should be intentional mentoring which is delivered by healthcare professionals who understand the challenges of cross-cultural service.

How would you assess your learning needs in terms of service as a healthcare worker? Where would you agree or disagree with these survey findings?