One important component of the field experience
is a focus on the team and interprofessional skills
required in global health practice. Certificate students
on the ground also learn something about the
nature of global health practice: it is demanding and
requires self-discipline, flexibility, and considerable
self and cultural awareness. Field work also requires
an understanding of the importance of working as
a member of the team and subordinating one’s own
personal interests to the goals of the team, the needs
of the in-country partner, and the requirements of
the partnership. These “soft” relational
competencies are not dissimilar to those
involved in working in interprofessional
health care teams. The context, however,
is vastly different in global health for it
involves working in a different cultural
setting where everything is new and
potentially challenging. In addition to
creating country-specific cultural competencies,
we also work with each individual
and each team to address personal
vulnerabilities that might affect a student’s
performance on the ground. Even
so, we have had several instances where
individual students have failed to engage
with other team members to meet the goals of the
project and have become withdrawn and resistant to
fully participating in the efforts of the team. This kind
of behavior can be very destructive to the functioning
of the team as a whole — particularly in a demanding
and stressful setting such as Africa. The team related
competencies of individuals are a critical aspect of the
“soft” skills that may determine the success or failure
of a program or project.