Are one week medical mission trips considered a significant EC?

[Ravens18]

My school offers them. One week mission trips to places like South America. I'm already interested in them as they'd be a fun way to use spring break but is that considered significant compared to other ECs?

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[gyngyn]

My school offers them. One week mission trips to places like South America. I'm already interested in them as they'd be a fun way to use spring break but is that considered significant compared to other ECs?

No.

 

[Ace-Co-A]

I've done several, but I basically feel that they were not an excellent use of my time/resources, and - for medical admissions purposes - seem to be something of a non-starter:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-medical-mission-trip-question.1052640/#post-14841552

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/medical-mission-trip-worth-it.1046808/#post-14733386

From the second link:

One of the big problems with medical missions is that unless they're for a prolonged period of time, a la the Peace Corps, they are perceived, especially by my clinical colleagues, as "medical tourism".

 

[Aerus]

Significance is a relative and subjective term. While an activity may be significant to you, there might be tons of other activities that are a lot more significant. And while you may consider one activity significant, others may not.

Addressing one week medical missions, why would you think they would be significant experiences for you? What can you do of significance that you can't do here in the United States? Why are you doing these? Typically, trips like these are not really valuable to a medical school application and, if talked about and portrayed in the wrong way, can actually be detrimental to your overall application.

 

[Fargofargo]

If your intention is to use this opportunity to have fun during spring break, then no. It's not about what you do, it's about what your intentions are and what you learned from it.

 

[Ravens18]

My intention is to help people in underserved countries but just have fun while doing it. The trips are kind of pricy too and there's other service activities I can do besides those trips where I can help other people which is why I was wondering if it was significant to adcoms (not just doing it for adcoms I'm trying to find things that I like that will help me down the road as well)

 

[Ravens18]

Thank you guys though for your comments

 

[Aerus]

My intention is to help people in underserved countries but just have fun while doing it. The trips are kind of pricy too and there's other service activities I can do besides those trips where I can help other people which is why I was wondering if it was significant to adcoms (not just doing it for adcoms I'm trying to find things that I like that will help me down the road as well)

The reason bolded is exactly why it isn't significant to adcoms. There are tons of underserved areas in THIS country (and they don't require an expensive plane ticket either!).

 

[allantois]

My intention is to help people in underserved countries but just have fun while doing it. The trips are kind of pricy too and there's other service activities I can do besides those trips where I can help other people which is why I was wondering if it was significant to adcoms (not just doing it for adcoms I'm trying to find things that I like that will help me down the road as well)

Go help people in your backyard first. That will be a better use of your resources.

 

[FutureSurgical]

Depends on how you portray it. I did it but I did a lot of work to go for free (which includes a leadership position), so I'll most likely use it as a semester-long endeavor rather than a medical mission for 10 days. However, I got experience in rural and clinical medicine with American and Peruvian doctors so I guess that counts as volunteer/clinical/shadowing hours?

 

[FutureSurgical]

The reason bolded is exactly why it isn't significant to adcoms. There are tons of underserved areas in THIS country (and they don't require an expensive plane ticket either!).

With a lot more red tape and less programs that limit the premed to just a day of shadowing. I live in an underserved state and such programs do not exist unless you do a bunch of 5Ks and donate a bunch of money.

 

[Aerus]

With a lot more red tape and less programs that limit the premed to just a day of shadowing. I live in an underserved state and such programs do not exist unless you do a bunch of 5Ks and donate a bunch of money.

I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about but a couple things:

1) There are definitely volunteer opportunities in underserved places for premeds (as well as anyone else who is interested). It doesn't have to be in a clinical setting, although there are tons of opportunities, such as free clinics.

2) If you go on a medical mission to "do more than what is allowed in the United States", that could be considered unethical.

 

[cupcakesandcadavers]

I went on two of these to the same place. I was also on the exec board of my schools chapter. I went on them because I thought it was important to see and start to understand the problems we have in the world, gain some perspective, and I think I did help make an impact. Yes I realize that week long trips don't solve everything, it was important to me to get involved with global health. I learned a lot about a new culture and have the confidence to do an even bigger mission in the future such as doctors without borders, for example (they are doing amazing things in Africa regarding the Ebola epidemic)
Overall, this made a huge impact on me and my world views/awareness, which is a start. This is how I portrayed my medical missions.

 

[NickNaylor]

With a lot more red tape and less programs that limit the premed to just a day of shadowing. I live in an underserved state and such programs do not exist unless you do a bunch of 5Ks and donate a bunch of money.

In what context is red tape limiting your extensive skills?

 

[Lawpy]

Mission trips are nothing more than a week's vacation for people with the cash to burn. I'd find something local and go from there

 

[Kochanie]

Considering I had never shadowed a doctor before, I thought it was worth the money. A lot of work went into it and I didn't even get to see any of the country except for driving to our location. But I probably won't do any more.

 

[Lamel]

Unless you have some close connection to the country or spend significant time there, they obviously seem like pre-med application bloating trips.

 

[bsmd14]

What's more important is what you do with the experience AFTER you get back from the mission trip.

 

[allantois]

What's more important is what you do with the experience AFTER you get back from the mission trip.

I didn't know that mission trip experiences are a physical entity

 

[bsmd14]

^Someone seems to be missing the message

 

[Planes2Doc]

Short response: Unless you genuinely care about that specific population or continue to work with that population/organization after the trip, then no.
Long response: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...oseph-kony-and-why-you-shouldnt-do-it.994079/

 

[Doudline]

You can use the experience as a stepping stone to decide whether you enjoy that kind of volunteer work and continue working with such a population in the future (aka spend a week there, realize you love it, and next year apply for a summer internship with a recognized organization to volunteer a few months there in the summer).

 

[FutureSurgical]

Here's my response. I went to Peru, for free, putting in a bunch of work pre-, during-, and post-trip. The biggest impact that I got was the kids. We taught them how to brush their teeth (some had never seen a toothbrush in his/her life) as well as provide them with free dental care. That actually struck a chord with me. So when I got back, I immediately started volunteering at a children's hospital in a major city. When I move back to my colleges town, I will be helping little kids in elementary school with schooling and daycare.

OP, if you sell it as "the greatest experience of my life, especially helping X" and do NOTHING after the trip, especially helping X, adcoms will see through your bulls**t.

 

[cupcakesandcadavers]

Here's my response. I went to Peru, for free, putting in a bunch of work pre-, during-, and post-trip. The biggest impact that I got was the kids. We taught them how to brush their teeth (some had never seen a toothbrush in his/her life) as well as provide them with free dental care. That actually struck a chord with me. So when I got back, I immediately started volunteering at a children's hospital in a major city. When I move back to my colleges town, I will be helping little kids in elementary school with schooling and daycare.

OP, if you sell it as "the greatest experience of my life, especially helping X" and do NOTHING after the trip, especially helping X, adcoms will see through your bulls**t.

agreed!!!
i started taking more global health classes as a result. we also taught kids to brush their teeth on my brigade to another country. i talk about that a lot in secondaries and now I'm interested in pediatrics as a result

 

[Aerus]

I went on two of these to the same place. I was also on the exec board of my schools chapter. I went on them because I thought it was important to see and start to understand the problems we have in the world, gain some perspective, and I think I did help make an impact. Yes I realize that week long trips don't solve everything, it was important to me to get involved with global health. I learned a lot about a new culture and have the confidence to do an even bigger mission in the future such as doctors without borders, for example (they are doing amazing things in Africa regarding the Ebola epidemic)
Overall, this made a huge impact on me and my world views/awareness, which is a start. This is how I portrayed my medical missions.

They actually don't solve anything. Any "impact" you make is very short term and many temporary short term benefits may actually hurt the population there in the long run. See Plane2Doc's link. If a one week trip to another country has impacted your awareness so much, you've lived a pretty sheltered life and that's how it may come off to adcoms.

Considering I had never shadowed a doctor before, I thought it was worth the money. A lot of work went into it and I didn't even get to see any of the country except for driving to our location. But I probably won't do any more.

Which is exactly why most of these mission trips are so useless and possibly detrimental to the populations there. There's usually no follow up whatsoever.

What's more important is what you do with the experience AFTER you get back from the mission trip.

Can you explain?

Here's my response. I went to Peru, for free, putting in a bunch of work pre-, during-, and post-trip. The biggest impact that I got was the kids. We taught them how to brush their teeth (some had never seen a toothbrush in his/her life) as well as provide them with free dental care. That actually struck a chord with me. So when I got back, I immediately started volunteering at a children's hospital in a major city. When I move back to my colleges town, I will be helping little kids in elementary school with schooling and daycare.

OP, if you sell it as "the greatest experience of my life, especially helping X" and do NOTHING after the trip, especially helping X, adcoms will see through your bulls**t.

So basically, you went to another country, saw how bad it was, THEN realized that there are similar problems in our own country…It shouldn't take a trip to another country to realize that there are tons of kids HERE that need help.

 

[Lawpy]

Here's my response. I went to Peru, for free, putting in a bunch of work pre-, during-, and post-trip. The biggest impact that I got was the kids. We taught them how to brush their teeth (some had never seen a toothbrush in his/her life) as well as provide them with free dental care. That actually struck a chord with me. So when I got back, I immediately started volunteering at a children's hospital in a major city. When I move back to my colleges town, I will be helping little kids in elementary school with schooling and daycare.

OP, if you sell it as "the greatest experience of my life, especially helping X" and do NOTHING after the trip, especially helping X, adcoms will see through your bulls**t.

So it took you a country to realize that some kids are living in unfortunate situations even back in US. Lol what a joke.

 

[Mad Jack]

Pretty much every adcom that I've seen chime in on this topic in the past have had the same opinion in regard to one-off trips like this. They aren't significant, because you don't really do much of anything and they show no history of commitment. If you've been doing them for years and are actively and continuously involved with an overseas organization, that's different. One trip is pretty much worthless aside from how it affects you personally, so do it if you want to do it, but don't do it to boost your app.

 

[allantois]

Thinking that going on a one week trip will solve anything for the people in need is so incredibly naive. You will do just as much throwing money out of the window.

It's a shame that it takes people an expensive trip abroad to realize that they can be of service to their own communities.

 

[About28]

I've done several, but I basically feel that they were not an excellent use of my time/resources, and - for medical admissions purposes - seem to be something of a non-starter:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-medical-mission-trip-question.1052640/#post-14841552

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/medical-mission-trip-worth-it.1046808/#post-14733386

From the second link:

First one is my thread haha.

As for the OP, I went on two trips and stayed active in the group between trips, so I feel that added weight to what I said. Having said that, a) I could be wrong, b) I have other experiences I think were a lot better. The opinion I've formed of these trips are that they are eye opening and a nice addition to your app, but they should in no way be a centerpiece. But then again, I am a simple, humble and naïve premed.

 

[Pisiform]

All these medical missions are bull****. What do you do there? Take history, make some emotional/awareness posters using crayons, help place couple of bricks for a new clinic? Rest of the time is spent drinking, hiking, selfies for Facebook etc and adcoms know that.

And the best part is that how those kids who come out of this experience say "how life changing it was". Sure it was

 

[FutureSurgical]

So basically, you went to another country, saw how bad it was, THEN realized that there are similar problems in our own country…It shouldn't take a trip to another country to realize that there are tons of kids HERE that need help.

So I can't be inspired to help kids in the US after being exposed to health care in another country? I want to work in an underserved area in a small town in the state I am studying in. Many don't have insurance, which is what I was exposed to in Peru. I made connections to the children in Peru and in the U.S. The only difference is that if what the children in the U.S. went through half of what children are going through in Peru, they would be taken away from their parents.

So it took you a country to realize that some kids are living in unfortunate situations even back in US. Lol what a joke.

So volunteering in another country and help build infrastructure and help build free clinics is detrimental to the community? Likewise, volunteering in another country because you honestly care about global health and want to make an impact is detrimental to your application? Get real. You sound just like a non-premed that thinks that all premeds volunteer in the community just to check a box on the med school application.

 

[bsmd14]

Can you explain?

Certainly! What I noticed from peers who went on the service trips, they completed the one week and when they returned it seemed that they did not really apply what they learned to their lives. If a service trip does what it's intended to do (impact the student's perspectives while of course contributing, though minimally, to a community), then I believe the student should participate in activities back home to reflect that gained knowledge. For example, after seeing a lack of healthcare access in X country, a student might start a student organization on campus to send medical supplies to that country (etc). In other words, the impact of the service trip should not be contained to just the week; it should be an experience to START with to learn about global healthcare concerns and then the student should apply what he/she learned in his/her undergraduate career!

 

[Aerus]

So I can't be inspired to help kids in the US after being exposed to health care in another country? I want to work in an underserved area in a small town in the state I am studying in. Many don't have insurance, which is what I was exposed to in Peru. I made connections to the children in Peru and in the U.S. The only difference is that if what the children in the U.S. went through half of what children are going through in Peru, they would be taken away from their parents.

Again, being "inspired" to suddenly help kids after going to another country comes off as being sheltered and unaware of actual problems. Why did it take a mission trip for you to realize this? You're avoiding the question.

So volunteering in another country and help build infrastructure and help build free clinics is detrimental to the community? Likewise, volunteering in another country because you honestly care about global health and want to make an impact is detrimental to your application? Get real. You sound just like a non-premed that thinks that all premeds volunteer in the community just to check a box on the med school application.

Let's say you donate a bunch of medical supplies to the community. Now anyone else who is trying to start a business to sell those supplies will be put out of business. Let's say a community now depends on you for that aid. They won't be motivated to try and to enact change themselves. Read Plane2Doc's link that he provided above. They go more in-depth on these issues.

In regards to how it's possibly detrimental to your app, you will be confronted on many of these issues along the interview path. Like why didn't you donate your $2000 plane ticket to that community, so they could hire people (creating jobs), buy supplies on their own (which will help their economy), or get actual professionals (with skills that are far more advanced than a premed's). The answer to this question is usually "because donating money doesn't help my application".

Certainly! What I noticed from peers who went on the service trips, they completed the one week and when they returned it seemed that they did not really apply what they learned to their lives. If a service trip does what it's intended to do (impact the student's perspectives while of course contributing, though minimally, to a community), then I believe the student should participate in activities back home to reflect that gained knowledge. For example, after seeing a lack of healthcare access in X country, a student might start a student organization on campus to send medical supplies to that country (etc). In other words, the impact of the service trip should not be contained to just the week; it should be an experience to START with to learn about global healthcare concerns and then the student should apply what he/she learned in his/her undergraduate career!

As I said above, sending medical supplies to a country is a short term benefit and a long term detriment. It prevents the community from being able to enact long lasting change (starting a business that sells medical supplies). Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. What you're doing is giving a man a fish, preventing other fisherman in the area from selling their own fish.

 

[Lawpy]

So volunteering in another country and help build infrastructure and help build free clinics is detrimental to the community? Likewise, volunteering in another country because you honestly care about global health and want to make an impact is detrimental to your application? Get real. You sound just like a non-premed that thinks that all premeds volunteer in the community just to check a box on the med school application.

It's one thing to help the community and another to straight out exploiting them in their greatest need. What you're doing matches the latter, as with all medical mission trips. Quit trying to embellish or lie about your experiences since anyone can see through the crap.

 

[bsmd14]

As I said above, sending medical supplies to a country is a short term benefit and a long term detriment. It prevents the community from being able to enact long lasting change (starting a business that sells medical supplies). Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. What you're doing is giving a man a fish, preventing other fisherman in the area from selling their own fish.

Was one of many examples if you don't like that one!

Also, if there are no local fishermen, then I think any fish at all is welcome

 

[cupcakesandcadavers]

They actually don't solve anything. Any "impact" you make is very short term and many temporary short term benefits may actually hurt the population there in the long run. See Plane2Doc's link. If a one week trip to another country has impacted your awareness so much, you've lived a pretty sheltered life and that's how it may come off to adcoms.



Which is exactly why most of these mission trips are so useless and possibly detrimental to the populations there. There's usually no follow up whatsoever.



Can you explain?



So basically, you went to another country, saw how bad it was, THEN realized that there are similar problems in our own country…It shouldn't take a trip to another country to realize that there are tons of kids HERE that need help.

we are all never going to agree. some may think it is a waste of time/money and thats fine. for me, the brigades changed my life and brought out a passion for public and global health. i raised the money all on my own for both of my brigades and i hope to go back as an MD to treat the same communities i volunteered in as an undergrad.
i also learned a lot about cultural sensitivity and patience when faced with a lingual barrier. these are real life situations that physicians deal with in the US.
if done the right way, aka you knowing your boundaries and NEVER laying a hand on a patient for a procedure if you are not qualified to do so, the trips can be really inspiring and meaningful. thats just me. i wrote about it in secondaries and meaningful experiences.
ive had a physician who interviews for top 10 med schools encourage me to write about my experiences. as long as you explain it the right way, its okay.

 

[Aerus]

Was one of many examples if you don't like that one!

Unless the benefits are long lasting and the change isn't transient, it will be just the same.

 

[bsmd14]

Unless the benefits are long lasting and the change isn't transient, it will be just the same.

Great, then I look forward to hearing your solution! But let's not derail this thread. I think that if someone can show the service trip had an impact on his/her life, then it is an important activity.

 

[Aerus]

we are all never going to agree. some may think it is a waste of time/money and thats fine. for me, the brigades changed my life and brought out a passion for public and global health. i raised the money all on my own for both of my brigades and i hope to go back as an MD to treat the same communities i volunteered in as an undergrad.
i also learned a lot about cultural sensitivity and patience when faced with a lingual barrier. these are real life situations that physicians deal with in the US.
if done the right way, aka you knowing your boundaries and NEVER laying a hand on a patient for a procedure if you are not qualified to do so, the trips can be really inspiring and meaningful. thats just me. i wrote about it in secondaries and meaningful experiences.
ive had a physician who interviews for top 10 med schools encourage me to write about my experiences. as long as you explain it the right way, its okay.

We are never going to agree because, while I directly addressed the points you bring up, you completely ignore mine out of stubbornness. It's really a one sided conversation.

 

[Aerus]

Was one of many examples if you don't like that one!

Also, if there are no local fishermen, then I think any fish at all is welcome

So why isn't the focus of these trips to encourage new fishermen to start fishing? Because that would take too long and premeds typically aren't interested enough to spend that much time on a cause. Medical missions are much easier, shorter, and more convenient. It's mostly "fake passion".

Great, then I look forward to hearing your solution! But let's not derail this thread. I think that if someone can show the service trip had an impact on his/her life, then it is an important activity.

This whole thread is discussing the significance of one week medical missions. This is directly on topic. And you haven't provided any alternatives other than short term benefits. If you have run out of counter points, that's fine. There aren't any stakes in this discussion lol.

 

[Lawpy]

We are never going to agree because, while I directly addressed the points you bring up, you completely ignore mine out of stubbornness. It's really a one sided conversation.

You're just arguing with people who can't think of an original response. Tbh, if this were at least a 3 month trip overseas with active volunteering, it carries some positive a weight. A life changing experience from exploiting people in dire need for a week or two is just nonsense

 

[bsmd14]

It's not that premeds are not interested enough to (though I'm sure some don't care about it), but often time premeds don't have the resources and time (as students) to commit to a cause like that. If we all could save the world without an education, none of us would waste time in school.


You have not provided any realistic alternatives either and are derailing this thread. You're welcome to drop me a message to my inbox to carry on this conversation, but you have already spoken your opinion about the original post.

 

[cupcakesandcadavers]

We are never going to agree because, while I directly addressed the points you bring up, you completely ignore mine out of stubbornness. It's really a one sided conversation.

i picked my organization out of its sustainability. from the research I've done, it does not hurt the community like you said before. some may, but the one i picked, from what i can tell, does not. we also bring local physicians from the urban areas of that country to come with us to the rural areas which are usually inaccessible. some of these physicians do almost 10 or more brigades a year. (to address your point on not being sustainable)
sheltered life= i grew up 20 minutes away from one of the largest cities in the US/world. my dad grew up in a very poor area of the US. the city i am in for college has a very wide health disparity. i am pretty aware of the screwed up situation we live in as US citizens. i did not need this brigade to know we have issues in the world, but i wanted to see how a healthcare system works in another country that is underserved. i think the awareness is important and having family that was discriminated against and did not receive proper health living in another country, it was important to me to see how i can change this and learn about social justice. why should i ignore the issues in other countries? the best way to learn about global health is experiencing it yourself. i want to become a doctor so that i can dedicate a good amount of my life hopefully doing doctors without borders. i did not have this goal until after these brigades.
i hope this elucidates my intentions/answers your questions. it really is good discussion and interesting to see what other people think.

 

[FutureSurgical]

Again, being "inspired" to suddenly help kids after going to another country comes off as being sheltered and unaware of actual problems. Why did it take a mission trip for you to realize this? You're avoiding the question.

Seeing my friend go through cancer and seeing doctors try to save his life inspired me to be a doctor. Do I have to go through cancer to be inspired by what oncologists do to save peoples lives? No. Can seeing what others go through in other countries inspire you to prevent that from happening in your own country? I don't see why not. I have talked to adcoms about these trips and they do share a consensus about not doing anything afterwards will look like fluff on your app. However, if you do things to help support your reasons for going and support why you were inspired by the trip, then it can be a real positive.

Let's say you donate a bunch of medical supplies to the community. Now anyone else who is trying to start a business to sell those supplies will be put out of business. Let's say a community now depends on you for that aid. They won't be motivated to try and to enact change themselves. Read Plane2Doc's link that he provided above. They go more in-depth on these issues.

In regards to how it's possibly detrimental to your app, you will be confronted on many of these issues along the interview path. Like why didn't you donate your $2000 plane ticket to that community, so they could hire people (creating jobs), buy supplies on their own (which will help their economy), or get actual professionals (with skills that are far more advanced than a premed's).

The money we raised was a 50:50 campaign. We raised a total of $5500 dollars. Half went to help send people the other half was spent on building a clinic to hire physicians and nurses to give free healthcare to the less fortunate people of Peru. The organization sends people every week. This includes doctors, nurses, nursing students, medical students, and undergraduates (premed, education, and engineering majors) to help people not only in Peru, but in Africa, India, and Central America.

I don't think you know how Peruvian hospitals work. The only 24/7 hospitals are in Lima. No insurance? They won't spend the money to stabilize you. What if you do have insurance? They will look to see how much money you have. If you're a middle class citizen, then they will see how much money you make through paperwork. If they have a wealthy businessman waiting, even if you have been waiting 2 hours before he walked in, the businessman will be seen first. Free clinics used to be sponsored by private hospitals and private businesses, but the economy in Peru is in a recovery period. Right now, the only people sponsoring free clinics is foreign aid.

Lastly, I would love to know how much time it takes to be inspired. A month? Year? Entire undergraduate term? Do I need a bachelor's degree to have inspiration? I mean, what if medical students spend a rotation during 3rd year out of the country? Are they just doing it to have a better application too?

 

[Kochanie]

In one week, you will not do anything to help many people and it will not help you get into medical school, but programs where they are constantly rotating people every week for months/years can have a large effect. Also, most of these trips are about getting awareness out. The tribes I visited to had free health care a bus away, but none of them valued their health enough to do it so they only visit a doctor when they come to them.

 

[Aerus]

Seeing my friend go through cancer and seeing doctors try to save his life inspired me to be a doctor. Do I have to go through cancer to be inspired by what oncologists do to save peoples lives? No. Can seeing what others go through in other countries inspire you to prevent that from happening in your own country? I don't see why not. I have talked to adcoms about these trips and they do share a consensus about not doing anything afterwards will look like fluff on your app. However, if you do things to help support your reasons for going and support why you were inspired by the trip, then it can be a real positive.

Your cancer analogy doesn't hold, though. Cancer can be one reason that pushes people towards medicine because it's a very personal reason. The difference here is you needed to GO TO ANOTHER COUNTRY FOR A WEEK in order to be "inspired enough" to help kids here. That's the main difference. I'm not saying these trips can't be spun to sound good.

The money we raised was a 50:50 campaign. We raised a total of $5500 dollars. Half went to help send people the other half was spent on building a clinic to hire physicians and nurses to give free healthcare to the less fortunate people of Peru. The organization sends people every week. This includes doctors, nurses, nursing students, medical students, and undergraduates (premed, education, and engineering majors) to help people not only in Peru, but in Africa, India, and Central America.

I don't think you know how Peruvian hospitals work. The only 24/7 hospitals are in Lima. No insurance? They won't spend the money to stabilize you. What if you do have insurance? They will look to see how much money you have. If you're a middle class citizen, then they will see how much money you make through paperwork. If they have a wealthy businessman waiting, even if you have been waiting 2 hours before he walked in, the businessman will be seen first. Free clinics used to be sponsored by private hospitals and private businesses, but the economy in Peru is in a recovery period. Right now, the only people sponsoring free clinics is foreign aid.

Lastly, I would love to know how much time it takes to be inspired. A month? Year? Entire undergraduate term? Do I need a bachelor's degree to have inspiration? I mean, what if medical students spend a rotation during 3rd year out of the country? Are they just doing it to have a better application too?

Why was the money used to send premeds that don't really have any skills to offer instead used to hire more doctors? More nurses? I'm not saying foreign aid is all bad and there is no benefit whatsoever. I'm arguing about the fact that many premeds are saying that what they did themselves was beneficial and a good opportunity cost vs. a real professional. Premeds CAN make a difference, if they are there long term, but being there for a week doesn't do anything.

Nice assumptions you're making there. I definitely am aware of how things work in other countries. I'll bite. I've been on these "mission trips" too. It was during high school and I was there for a lot longer than a week. I actually had skills to apply (I was a teacher), and I didn't ever put a spin that it "changed my life". I was aware of these issues already and wanted to act on it. I also followed up on it after going there (even after I started college). To this day, that community still has the support it gained and none of it would encourage RELYING on foreign aid.

Regarding your last point, I'd say trips that are longer than a month would actually outweigh the plane ticket it cost to send a premed with very little skills to offer overseas. At least you'd be able to use your labor there on something more substantial.

 

[Goro]

We view them as "medical tourism" and discount them accordingly. For the people who are genuinely inspired by them, that's a good thing. Unfortunately, too many people really use them as excuses to either take a vacation or go visit Ajima/Nana/Abuela/奶奶 in the old country.

 

[FutureSurgical]

At this point, it really is just a subjective definition of what "inspire" means. My definition is that it makes you consider something you wouldn't have before. Before the trip, I never considered volunteering with children. I didn't want to. I thought I would be a bad role model and could never relate. After the trip, I really wanted to work with children, especially with those that don't get to see his/her parents at the hospital because the parents are too busy working to pay the medical bills. So now I volunteer at a hospital that caters to them and assists in paying medical bills.

If your definition of inspire involves a life-changing event, then no. I don't think a week-long trip constitutes that.

And I do agree with 90% of what's being said here. Some people I went with really did this because they saw it as a "golden ticket" into Medical school. One guy I talked to said before he went on the trip, he just wanted to become an Anesthesiologist like his father. After the trip (had to hold a meeting as a the trip coordinator), he wanted to get a dual MD/MPH degree and help people without healthcare in and out of the U.S. Will he stick to it? Perhaps (I'd like to think so), but at the same time, he could change his mind or not get in to any dual programs and go for them separately.

 

[Lawpy]

Go @Aerus. You're on fire dude!

Glad to see @Goro shares our opinion. There's nothing significant in such a short timespan except exploiting people in time of need, which imo is very infuriating and the applicant should be punished accordingly.

Now a 3-month or longer active experience? You got me interested as i know you're genuine from that point on given the circumstances

 

[Danbo1957]

Anything that you do, anywhere, that helps people in need is great. Good for you. But, you'll still need that 3.75+ GPA and 35+ MCAT too...