RESEARCH Open Access

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground There is a long history of medical students travelling to developing countries to further their understanding and experience of health care. In Ireland, where we have a long and proud history of medical missionaries going to low resource settings, medical students have been taking part in international health electives (IHEs) for over forty years. Five of the six medical schools in Ireland have medical student IHE groups or societies which organize students for the experience. These societies are run entirely by students themselves and membership of them is typically open to students in the third year of studies. Their main role is to help fundraise for dona-tions to the IHE host institutions in developing coun-tries. Most students who travel to low resource settings on IHEs are members of these societies, and a small number of others travel independently. * Correspondence