Has anyone here volunteered overseas?

[Rocket3004]

Well, I just finished my 2nd year of undergrad, and apart from volunteering at hospitals, shadowing docotors, and research work, I was really considering traveling overseas, to a 3rd world country, and help with some sort of medical/clinical type work.

The premed advisor at school said he does not know off hand of any programs for undergrads/non degree holding people, and said that most people who approached him about it always found the route on their own.

So, I guess my question is: Has anyone here volunteered overseas? What programs are available for non-degree holding students, who are currently in school, such as myself?

I looked at doctors w/o borders, but they only take doctors, nurses, etc. and their volunteering for someone in my position is only at their offices doing paperwork. Peacecorps sounded like a great oppurtunity, but it also requires 27mos of dedicated service, and do not offer shorter stints.

I am really not looking for something that will require me to go for longer than the summer or for a semester.

Any ideas/leads? Thanks in advance?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[caffeine37]

Well, I just finished my 2nd year of undergrad, and apart from volunteering at hospitals, shadowing docotors, and research work, I was really considering traveling overseas, to a 3rd world country, and help with some sort of medical/clinical type work.

The premed advisor at school said he does not know off hand of any programs for undergrads/non degree holding people, and said that most people who approached him about it always found the route on their own.

So, I guess my question is: Has anyone here volunteered overseas? What programs are available for non-degree holding students, who are currently in school, such as myself?

I looked at doctors w/o borders, but they only take doctors, nurses, etc. and their volunteering for someone in my position is only at their offices doing paperwork. Peacecorps sounded like a great oppurtunity, but it also requires 27mos of dedicated service, and do not offer shorter stints.

I am really not looking for something that will require me to go for longer than the summer or for a semester.

Any ideas/leads? Thanks in advance?

Good for you! I'm really happy that you decided to pursue this. I think its a great way to help others while still a pre-med, and it is an experience you will always remember.

I've had two great experiences, in Nicaragua and Honduras. They helped me decide to attend medical school, and gave me a lot of stuff to talk about in my application. I was able to work in a variety of health clinics and have hands on experience.

For my first experience, I literally found the organization through web research. I remember typing in "volunteer Latin America" in Google. That being said, I think it is important to be very careful about which organization you ultimately go to. Make sure there is a US partner agency, maybe certified by the BBB, respond well to emails, have a good health plan for accidents in-country and hopefully are affiliated with a US University.

I volunteered for 3 months with the Honduran Red Cross through Amigos de las Americas, specifically designed to be a pre-med program. Unfortunately, I don't think they are partnering anymore, but Amigos has health education programs in other countries (http://www.amigoslink.org). I worked in a hospital with a British girl who went through a program called I to I, and she lived in a nice house in town with an English-speaking doctor, while I lived in a mud hut, a 40 minute bus ride from the hospital.

I also volunteered for 2 weeks through Foundations for Sustainable Development (http://www.fsdinternational.org), which has a variety of internships of different lengths in Latin America, Asia and Africa. They are focused on college students and recent college graduates. I have a lot of respect for this program, since they work mainly with grass-roots organizations.

 

[caffeine37]

Good for you! I'm really happy that you decided to pursue this. I think its a great way to help others while still a pre-med, and it is an experience you will always remember.

I've had two great experiences, in Nicaragua and Honduras. They helped me decide to attend medical school, and gave me a lot of stuff to talk about in my application. I was able to work in a variety of health clinics and have hands on experience.

For my first experience, I literally found the organization through web research. I remember typing in "volunteer Latin America" in Google. That being said, I think it is important to be very careful about which organization you ultimately go to. Make sure there is a US partner agency, maybe certified by the BBB, respond well to emails, have a good health plan for accidents in-country and hopefully are affiliated with a US University.

I volunteered for 3 months with the Honduran Red Cross through Amigos de las Americas, specifically designed to be a pre-med program. Unfortunately, I don't think they are partnering anymore, but Amigos has health education programs in other countries (http://www.amigoslink.org). I worked in a hospital with a British girl who went through a program called I to I, and she lived in a nice house in town with an English-speaking doctor, while I lived in a mud hut, a 40 minute bus ride from the hospital.

I also volunteered for 2 weeks through Foundations for Sustainable Development (http://www.fsdinternational.org), which has a variety of internships of different lengths in Latin America, Asia and Africa. They are focused on college students and recent college graduates. I have a lot of respect for this program, since they work mainly with grass-roots organizations.

I found a website for I to I : http://www.i-to-i.com/

You can also pm me with any questions!

 

[Rocket3004]

Wow, thanks, that is exactly the kind of information I was looking for! Thanks alot!

So, are you fluent in spanish? I took several years of spanish (including AP) in highschool, but haven spoken it in a while. I am sure I can pick it up quickly though.

The only bummer is that a lot of the programs require quite a bit as far as money goes, so I am wondering if there are programs that you can apply for and award a scholarship to attend? I also wonder if any scholarship money from school can be used for this trip?

If I did participate, it would be in the upcomming summer (next year), the same year as I take my MCAT, so I would have to take it in April (i was still debating before) and take off in the summer.

I have a ton more questions, but am a little busy at the moment, I will def. post some more up/PM you later.

thanks again!

 

[TheMightyAngus]

Wow, thanks, that is exactly the kind of information I was looking for! Thanks alot!

So, are you fluent in spanish? I took several years of spanish (including AP) in highschool, but haven spoken it in a while. I am sure I can pick it up quickly though.

The only bummer is that a lot of the programs require quite a bit as far as money goes, so I am wondering if there are programs that you can apply for and award a scholarship to attend? I also wonder if any scholarship money from school can be used for this trip?

If I did participate, it would be in the upcomming summer (next year), the same year as I take my MCAT, so I would have to take it in April (i was still debating before) and take off in the summer.

I have a ton more questions, but am a little busy at the moment, I will def. post some more up/PM you later.

thanks again!

After graduation, I headed over to Asia to try to get some international volunteer experience. I didnt want to go through any agency asking for money or anything government-run, i.e. peace corps. I didnt find any work for six months but in a twist of fate, I met an Australian guy at a bar who worked for an AIDS NGO, I got talking to him and weaseled my way into a internship/teaching position for a Cambodian organization. I basically had to assess the project and think of my own way to contribute, which was extremely difficult because hardly anyone spoke English, I didnt speak Cambodian, and had no experience. In the end, it worked out for me, but I was extremely lucky. Most of these jobs are extremely difficult to get if you don't have an advanced degree or certifiable training. Usually they only hire internally and through reference.

I think you're gonna have to suck it up and pay an organization like i-to-i cause it's pretty much impossible to find anything on short notice. I dont know much about these companies, it seems like a lot of $$$ gets put into overhead, and the kind of work you're doing is minimal. On the other hand, Volunteers in Asia run by Stanford and Princeton in Asia are legit programs run by legit universities, but they are very selective. You're other option is to win a Fulbright or Marshall scholarship. Most students I met overseas working were Fulbright scholars. Check with the study abroad office at your university.

 

[gujuDoc]

http://www.amsa.org/global/ih/ihopps.cfm

Go to this link from the AMSA webpage on global health. Then you'll see a link at the bottom where you can put the classification of what you are looking for. You would search by saying premed, and then whether its volunteer, summer coursework, etc that you are looking for.

Its real good.

Also, a friend does something in haiti called Rome Foundation

http://www.romefoundation.org
So if you are interested in haiti, that might be worthwhile.

 

[Hook17]

I volunteered for the redcross/red crescent in palestine over 2 summers. However, I dont think its the type of place you're thinking about.

 

[dopaminophile]

I'm currently volunteering overseas and have spent about 3 1/2 months in the past year in SE Asia doing volunteer medical relief work.

If you're interested in this sort of thing, I highly recommend www.imva.org. It's a fairly comprehensive list of international medical volunteer programs. If you can't find something there that suits you, you're a tough cookie to please.

A lot of people go to Latin America from the US. Not that it's bad or anything, but if you want something a little different, I recommend central and eastern Asia. I'd like to go to Africa too, but I haven't been there so I can't attest to its appeal.

Good luck!

-dope-

 

[unfrozencaveman]

CHFI (www.cfhi.org) is also another popular one. I know people find paying to volunteer hard to swallow, but my experience, volunteering in South Africa was more like school than volunteering. You get a LOT of clinical experience- but while you were learning, the doctors and nurses could be doing what you're doing a lot faster. I found that aspect frustrating- that I wasn't actually helping anyone but myself (an exaggeration yes, but had been further along in my medical education, I would have been a more valuable asset there). But with these programs you do get a lot of invaluable clinical experience, and in my case, it was an incredibly eye opening look into another healthcare system.

 

[DeadorAlive]

I volunteered for a year in Eastern Europe, but it was more clinical research than clinical field work. PM me if this is more up your alley and I can give you more info! I will second TheMightyAngus' thought that the Fulbright can help you fund the experience. I would have been unable to pay to volunteer, and find it psychologically difficult to do so, but can give you more info on fellowships, etc. if you need - good luck!

 

[RisingSun]

If you want to live overseas for a semester and _also_ get some kind of clinical experience, why not go though some exchange program at your school and when you are there use your free time to do something meaningful. If you want to go to Latin America to volunteer, and presumably in the future work as a physician who speaks Spanish (or whatever) and have patients of that population, I think just spending time volunteering with an agency all day long treating problems specific to people _in that country_ would actually be less helpful to you as an asipiring physician than spending time in the country learning the language, interacting with the people and getting a grasp on their viewpoints on life in general and health care in particular. I mean, why not spend a semester studying spanish somewhere overseas while also on your own time volunteering and making a difference in people's lives?

BTW, I lived in Japan for almost six years and volunteered in a hospital there for the last two - the most important things that I learned from those experiences were how relate to Japanese in a meaningful way about their health problems and _what those problems meant for them and their families_. Fact is, people from different countries have different perceptions with regard to health care and what they expect when the see a health care provider. Why not learn the language, learn about the culture, and let the volunteer thing take care of itself if you are so inclined.

RisingSun

 

[aumed22]

I'm going to Quito, Ecuador on Saturday with CFHI. I'll be there for the month of July, we'll see how it goes.

 

[2003Applicant]

Unite For Sight (www.uniteforsight.org) is another organization with international opportunities for 2 weeks to 1 year or more. They don't have any program fee, so you can focus your energies on helping the community instead of paying a lot of money.

 

[MackieDog]

Another good organization in Honduras:

Mountain Movers Missions International
website:

http://www.geocities.com/clinica_eya/

The director Kathy Rubio is very nice and it was a great experience, lots of hands on medical work in the clinic and local hospital - highly recommended!