Medical Is this a volun-tourism EC?

[Question]

Hi! Thanking you for reading this message. There's a club at my school that's year round that raises money for a foreign country in need of aid. I'm interested in learning the ways in which they have grown. They have been recognized by that country's embassy and by international financial intuitions for their efforts and have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid, supporting any international groups (so indirectly) that are attempting to give aid . The problem is that every year (some but not all students) travel there and try to physically "help" albeit in non-medical ways. This is not the only volunteering that I plan to do, but how much would this seem like voluntourism?

— Experts please respond to this post —

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[Goro]

No, it's fundraising. Voluntourism is you going to Mexico for a week to help administer antibiotics and stitch people up.

 

[GoSpursGo]

So, I think there is nothing wrong with doing it. If it’s something that would be fun and you would like to explore, go for it. But be aware that it isn’t going to be some major crowning achievement on your application—I would continue to accrue hours domestically as if it wasn’t on your app.

 

[Doodledog]

Hi! Thanking you for reading this message. There's a club at my school that's year round that raises money for a foreign country in need of aid. I'm interested in learning the ways in which they have grown. They have been recognized by that country's embassy and by international financial intuitions for their efforts and have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid, supporting any international groups (so indirectly) that are attempting to give aid . The problem is that every year (some but not all students) travel there and try to physically "help" albeit in non-medical ways. This is not the only volunteering that I plan to do, but how much would this seem like voluntourism?

— Experts please respond to this post —

A couple of thoughts from someone who does a lot of global education and research. First, if you want to travel internationally, do it, but recognize that the the trip, even if it includes building toilets, etc, is still much more about you than about the place you go to. Don't write essays using the "poor people of X" as your motivation for medicine. Do use the trip to learn about cultures and about how sustainable interventions can occur. Whether you mention the trip on an application depends on what you learn out of it and can avoid making sweeping generalizations about helping the poor overseas.

As you know, above all, do not do ANYTHING internationally you are not fully trained or certified to do, whether it is medically related or anything else.

It is generally preferred these days to volunteer closer to home to avoid these pitfalls, but there is no compelling reason not to see other countries as long as you are clear that this is a trip for you, not them.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

Do it if you are interested. It may be something interesting to talk about in your interviews. Saying that, I would not count what you do in any type of hour calculation for ECs.

 

[PerioDont]

Do it if you are interested. It may be something interesting to talk about in your interviews. Saying that, I would not count what you do in any type of hour calculation for ECs.

Agreed. This could be a beneficial experience for you and could be a good talking point if worded correctly.

I would not not do it for the sake of looking like a voluntourist