Volunteering Abroad, Yay or Nay???

I have volunteered on three overseas two-week medical missions as a physician providing primary care. I traveled to Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, felt safe, and stayed in dormatory-like accomodations which were not luxurious. A cook hired by the organization and trained in American hygiene expectations was fantastic. On each trip there might be surgeons, dentists, oculists, pre-med and medical students, residents and fellows, RNs or nurse practitioners. A portable pharmacy came with the team. Each day a primary care clinic was set up in a different church or school. Surgeons had their own team that utilized the facilities of a local hospital. Local Peace Corp workers or high school students provided translation services if needed.

On my last trip my translator was an American pre-med student. She worked with me the entire two weeks, translated the history, assisted with the physical, then translated the diagnosis and directions for treatment, finding her high school Spanish adequate to the task with a few prompts. She saw a wide variety of conditions and was intimately involved in providing care. This surely was a good experience for shadowing, volunteering, and clinical exposure.

Five other pre-meds came on the same trip as "general helpers". This meant ferrying students about the make-shift clinic, assisting in the pharmacy counting pills, assisting the dentist with extractions and sterilizing his equipment, assisting in health education, etc. wherever they were needed. Some of them found this boring. Some did not tolerate the unhygenic conditions, lack of flushable toilets, electricity, & running potable water, heat, and insects. Several were disappointed they were not allowed to witness surgical procedures. Conscious of this fact, the clinicians made an effort to call the pre-meds/med students/residents over to see or hear discussed any particularly interesting condition.

Obviously, I would do it again, and I heard my translator returned to the same country this year for another two-week volunteer experience. Med students, by the way, were allowed to see patients on their own, reporting to a doctor who then co-signed their notes.

There are a number of organizations that provide short-term missions like this. Mine was religion-based, but open to any faith, and goes to many countries around the world.

check out International Service Learning. I went to Costa Rica and Nicaragua with them for two weeks. It even fit into my break, so no missed school. it was amazing.

Do you guys mind sharing the cost for attending these programs?

Hey Catalystik,

I've heard really good things about Christian-based programs, but I can't seem to find anything reliable online. Which program were you in?

OddyXoX09 said:

Hey Catalystik,

I'm heard really good things about Christian-based programs, but I can't seem to find anything reliable online. What program were you in?

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See this website: http://www.mmint.org/

Total cost for two weeks, including airfare from the midwest 17 months ago, was $1248.

On the topic of Christian-based programs, often times they are cheaper through your own church/youth center/whatever. I did one like this and about half the cost was subsidized from an initial cost akin that listed above this post.

And by the way, you should definitely do this. I thought it was the least noteworthy thing on my application, but it's all anyone wants to hear about in interviews. And another thing: it doesn't have to be medically related. In fact, it might be better if it isn't since everyone else does that.

resounding yes!

For winter break I went on a trip to Peru. I met some amazing docs, students, saw some amazing surgeries, got to do more things than I would be able to do in America, saw the reality of life in a 3rd world country and gained a new perspective on life.

For my application, I barely had room on the paper to talk about my experiences. At the interview, I could tell my interviewer was very impressed by these experiences as it seemed to be the focal point of the interview: end result is I get into med school a yr early w/o needing a min score on MCAT and me being very happy. 🙂

bruinboy310 said:

I don't want to lessen your good EC experience but I've volunteered oversea for 3 months 😀 Also, mine was not religious affilated - it makes it more like I did it because I thought it was worthwhile not because of some religious belief, requirement, etc

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I might be wrong here, but you seem to be implying a religious conscience or spiritual conviction is a bad thing on a medical school application? Just because it's part of religious affiliation does not technically mean it's religiously based. I honestly believe that any adcom will see philantrophy as being a good sign no matter where it originates. If anything, religiousness can be projected as a sign of personal integrity if the person is not too dogmatic or intolerant.

OddyXoX09 said:

I might be wrong here, but you seem to be implying a religious conscience or spiritual conviction is a bad thing on a medical school application? Just because it's part of religious affiliation does not technically mean it's religiously based. I honestly believe that any adcom will see philantrophy as being a good sign no matter where it originates. If anything, religiousness can be projected as a sign of personal integrity if the person is not too dogmatic or intolerant.

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He's a troll.

Hello all!

I would be very thankful if those who went on a mission could please direct me to possible sources of funding/sponsors or organizations who might have helped? Thanks so much!

BigRedPremed said:

He's a troll.

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Yay.

I'm a troll? For saying what I think is true? Okay. I sure hope that wasn't aimed at me.

Many of you may be interested in volunteering with Unite For Sight during Winter, Spring, and Summer vacations. Volunteers make an immediate, tangible impact in the lives of thousands of patients, and the eye clinics where they participate are so grateful for each volunteer's dedication and efforts.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN AFRICA AND ASIA

What Do Volunteers Do?: Unite For Sight's volunteers range from undergraduate and medical students, educators, nurses, and public health professionals to optometrists and ophthalmologists. The volunteers serve as interns at eye clinics in Africa and Asia. The eye clinic's eye doctors and Unite For Sight volunteers jointly participate on community-based screening programs. The clinic's eye doctors diagnose and treat eye disease in the field, and surgical patients are brought to the eye clinic for surgery. Unite For Sight funds the surgeries for those patients unable to afford eye care.

How Do I Get More Information and Apply? The application as well as complete details about Unite For Sight's international opportunities are available online: http://www.uniteforsight.org/intl_volunteer/

When Are Programs Available? Unite For Sight operates its programs year-round. Volunteers may participate for 10-day periods up to 1-year or more. All program dates and locations are listed online http://www.uniteforsight.org/intl_volunteer/ Unite For Sight is currently accepting applications for December '06 through next Fall '07.

What Do Volunteers Say?: "This experience literally changed my life. It was one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences I have ever had. If given the chance, I would do it all over again and for longer (maybe this experience is to be continued……..). I learned so much about Ghana and myself. I learned that I would seriously like to consider optometry, especially so that I could come back to places like Ghana and help develop the eye care system (which lacks enough support). I am actually continuing my work as an officer in the Unite for Sight Chapter on campus. I will never forget this trip! You have no idea how much this memory means to me and what it has inspired me to do and be!"--Hafeezah Omar, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Student, Unite For Sight Volunteer in Accra, Ghana

"If I could sum up my volunteer experience in Chennai in one word I would say "amazing". It was without a doubt one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences I have ever had, and is probably the only thing I have done in my life that has made a real difference to the lives of hundreds of people.

In Chennai, I was working with a fantastic team of optometrists, clinic managers and doctors from the Uma Eye Clinic, as well as 7 other very committed Unite for Sight volunteers. On camp days, the clinic bus would take the volunteers to a rural village or school where we would set up the screening facilities for that day's camp. We managed to screen over a hundred people per camp, providing many of them with glasses. We would often find people in the village with such severe cataracts that their world must have been nothing more than a ‘blur'. These patients would be brought to the Hande Hospital where they would be operated on by the clinic doctors. A week later we would visit the patients in their villages to check how they were doing. The reception we received from the villagers was amazing- a crowd of people would start following the bus from the moment we entered the village and by the time we reached the village hall the entire village would be gathered outside!

I saw more eye pathology in 3 weeks in Chennai than I would ever have seen in the UK. But the thing that struck me most was that these were preventable and curable causes of blindness, and through something as simple as a pair of glasses or a 20 minute cataract operation we could give someone the gift of sight.

I will never forget my time in India. There are so many memories. The excitement on the faces of the school children when they saw their picture on our digital cameras for the first time; the smile on the villagers faces when they put on a pair of glasses and saw clearly for the first time in years; the lasting friendships I made with the other volunteers through sharing such an incredible experience; the hospitality and gratitude of the villagers. It was a privilege to volunteer in India!"--Naz Qureshi, Medical Student, St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine, Queen Mary, University of London, Unite For Sight Volunteer in Chennai, India

"My experience volunteering in Tamale this summer was both inspiring and rewarding. Dr. Wanye and the ophthalmic nurses that I worked with were incredible individuals who were dedicated to helping the people in their region. The other volunteers in my group were great teammates, and together we were able to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of individuals. The Ghanaian people that we worked with in the villages and the clinic were kind and gracious and openly welcomed us into their lives. Personally, it was one of the best experiences of my life, and I am thankful that I was able to do something that really made a difference. Unite for Sight gives you the opportunity to help fund and support dozens of surgeries that restore vision to hundreds of people every year. During the two months that I was in Tamale, I learned the benefits of volunteer work, and I was inspired by the acts of kindness that I witnessed. Now more then ever, I realize the difference that the gift of sight can make in the life of another."--Joseph Bergsten, University of New Mexico Student, Unite For Sight Volunteer in Tamale, Ghana

"When I went to India this past summer, I had a life changing experience with Unite For Sight.

Our days were carefully planned by Uma Eye Clinic. Our hotel was about 10 minutes from the clinic, and we were picked up by the van that was provided by Unite For Sight at about 8:30 am on the morning of the camps. The camps were mostly in villages about 1-3 hours away from the Chennai area, and seemed like an entirely different world from Chennai city. As we drove down the narrow road, we were greeted by a crowd of people at the entrance of each village, eagerly awaiting our arrival. We started our camps at around 10:00 am. On most occasions, there wouldn't be electricity in the villages, so the ophthalmologists were unable to use their advanced equipment, and had to use flashlights to diagnose cataracts and other eye diseases. The volunteers and optometrists worked like an assembly line. First, the patients would register with the Uma Eye Clinic representative, and then receive their medical diagnosis from the optometrists and ophthalmologist. After they were given their prescription, we volunteers were responsible for fitting them with the right prescription glasses. It was an amazing experience to see the reactions of the patients who were able to escape their hazy vision and see with clarity for the first time. Their look of gratitude will forever be etched in my mind. Four days a week, we traveled to villages, orphanages, schools and nursing homes and would screen about 100 people daily and fit them with eyeglasses that we had collected diligently over the last year.

My learning experiences with Unite For Sight and Uma Eye Clinic are priceless. I don't think I would have had the opportunity anywhere else to perform phacoemulsification on a goat's eye, or to work with eye doctors to examine patients for cataracts and refractive complications. I came home with experiences that even medical students dream about. Uma Eye Clinic provided the finest teachers and doctors that enhanced my knowledge about ophthalmology. After each eye camp, about 5 patients would travel back with us in the van for cataract surgery. We the interns were able to participate in every step of the patient's journey-the screening process, patient histories, preparation for the surgery that included a myriad of clinical tests and a thorough analysis of the eyes, the surgery process, and finally watching the patient's reaction as he or she regained their vision.

I feel that I have grown tremendously over this past summer, not only in the knowledge that I acquired from the physicians at Uma Eye Clinic, but my interactions with people in the villages and children in the schools. I am deeply indebted to Unite for Sight for giving me this opportunity to volunteer and learn about international medicine and health care."--Prachi Mayenkar, University of Missouri-Columbia BA/MD Candidate, Unite for Sight Volunteer in Chennai, India

What Do Eye Clinics Say?: "I must say that Unite for Sight volunteers have come to give hope to the people of Tamale and Northern Region, and all of us appreciate the wonderful work these volunteers are doing for these poor and vulnerable people who otherwise would not have access to quality eye care services.

God bless you for your good works, and we hope you would continue to offer your services even more as we struggle with the almost nonexistent resources both human and material in an attempt to give the poor people of Northern Region the Right to Sight. We need you more than ever to be able to achieve the VISION 2020 goal of the Right to Sight for all by the year 2020."--Dr. Seth Wanye, Ophthalmologist, Eye Clinic of Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana

"So many people tell me to thank you and your family each day for the help you have given by giving sight to the poor. Our desire to serve and poor patients desire to see would not have been possible without the help and support of Unite For Sight." --Dr. Ajit Sinha, Director, A.B. Eye Institute; President, All India Ophthalmological Society

"It is a great pleasure to work with Unite For Sight in Ghana to achieve the goals of Vision2020, the Right to Sight global initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). Unite For Sight's high quality programs are very very useful and greatly valued in Ghana. Unite For Sight has touched the lives of so many people in Ghana and reduced the suffering of mankind. The question I have always asked myself is 'what would have happened to all these people who have benefited from Unite For Sight programs had the organization not come to their aid?' It is likely that many would have perished in their agony." --Dr. James Clarke, Ophthalmologist and Medical Director, Crystal Eye Clinic, Ghana

bruinboy310 said:

I don't want to lessen your good EC experience but I've volunteered oversea for 3 months 😀 Also, mine was not religious affilated - it makes it more like I did it because I thought it was worthwhile not because of some religious belief, requirement, etc

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Bruinboy, as constructive criticism for you to take or leave: your posts tend to always have a "here's why I'm better than you" one-upsmanship, sense of arrogance and entitlement. You may not be like this in person, but if you are, I'd really recommend toning it down during the application process as it just doesn't play well in interviews.

OddyXoX09 said:

I'm a troll? For saying what I think is true? Okay. I sure hope that wasn't aimed at me.

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Maybe it was directed to bruinboy310 cuz some of his posts come off as inane. I think your post didn't sound trollish and was actually reasonable and rational in thought.

gujuDoc said:

Maybe it was directed to bruinboy310 cuz some of his posts come off as inane. I think your post didn't sound trollish and was actually reasonable and rational in thought.

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If that's the case, I'm sorry for the last post. To be honest, I don't even know what being a troll means. Haha.

I've gone on a few ISL trips myself and thought they were amazing. I think it's also a great way to volunteer and travel (if you haven't been fortunate enough to go abroad, etc). Some of my interviewers were glad to see that I've taken time to expose myself to a variety of cultures and appreciate diverse lifestyles. Depending on the trip, it's also a good way to confirm whether or not you really want to be a physician. One of those "if i can survive a worse case scenario and leave empowered, I should be able to hack it as a doctor" on an emotional and physical level, etc.

for those of you who have been on ISL (intern'l service learning) or other medical trips - would you mind sharing if you happen to have found any business or organization to help with funding? I'm looking to go, but have a hard time with sponsorship/funding. thanks for your suggestions. any resources would help!

Richspiders07 said:

I've gone on a few ISL trips myself and thought they were amazing. I think it's also a great way to volunteer and travel (if you haven't been fortunate enough to go abroad, etc). Some of my interviewers were glad to see that I've taken time to expose myself to a variety of cultures and appreciate diverse lifestyles. Depending on the trip, it's also a good way to confirm whether or not you really want to be a physician. One of those "if i can survive a worse case scenario and leave empowered, I should be able to hack it as a doctor" on an emotional and physical level, etc.

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anyone? bump. thanks!

Inessa said:

for those of you who have been on ISL (intern'l service learning) or other medical trips - would you mind sharing if you happen to have found any business or organization to help with funding? I'm looking to go, but have a hard time with sponsorship/funding. thanks for your suggestions. any resources would help!

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for ISL i did not find any funding. it was pretty expensive. it was a little over $2000 b/c my plane ticket ended up being almost $700 b/c the holiday season. sorry i can't help more. 🙁

panda. you rule.

i believe it is sad to see people making fun of the dire situation in africa, refugee camps, and other desperate communities. if you met these people in africa who wanted nothing more than to eat, or see, or go to school, you would have a more mature outlook. i desperately hope that medical schools weed out people who go to africa for their applications and not for humanitarian reasons.

i think this mindset stems from all these holiday vacation companies where you pay thousands of dollars for 2 weeks to tour the country take pictures and pretend youre helping by sitting and "talking" to an orphan for a day. it makes people feel good and the companies stress how much you help by talking or teaching english for a week. this doesn't do anything for the community or the country. you take your pictures bring back your stories and the communities go on without you and without education, food, health services

you need to get involved in a real cause that makes a difference thru development. the only organization that wants students that i ever found that does this is UNITE FOR SIGHT. you support eye clinics in all possible ways. the clinics are understaffed underfunded and not supported by the health ministries in their country. they NEED help and WANT help desperately and welcome unite for sight volunteers with such warmth and happiness. you know that you are making a difference and not there to pretend youre making a difference. and youre not there to travel and pretend youre doing something to write it on your application.

if you really want to make a difference you need to volunteer with unite for sight. there is nothing like the feeling of knowing that youre making a difference and are appreciated by the doctors and clinics. and you know that all those people who are going from totally blind to good vision would still be blind without you. they would still be sitting in their houses dependent on other family members and that is if they were lucky to have family to help them.

so go to http://www.uniteforsight.org/intl_volunteer if you really do want to make a difference

Definitely yes.

I went to Swaziland last summer to volunteer at an HIV/AIDS clinic. Way more expsure and hands-on experience than you will get here. Also, everything is so practical and you learn so much that way. There is a language barrier, but you tend to pick up a little bit as you go along...especially medical terms.

Also, the experience is completely mind-altering if you have never experienced something like this before...like I hadn't. You get a completely new perspective of how the world actually is. I remember from my sociology class that people who are affluent or not marginalized never see the world as it really is. I think this is generally true. You never realize how bad somethings are. For example, I met a mother of three who made the equivalent in a month my sister made in a day working at an accounting firm this summer...and she hasn't even graduated university.

But, the downside is that is very expensive. My parents are certainly not rich...I'm just well-funded...so going away was easy for me. However, there are a lot of fundraising/sponsorship avenues you can go - especially the relgious organizations. Mine wasn't religious, but I know you can do that. I seriously recommend it...and not just cause you want to put it on a med. school application...because you will be disappointed. You never fully understand the importance of the experience until after you leave.

Sounds like an ad to me... quit trolling the program please.

if you really want to make a difference you need to volunteer with unite for sight. there is nothing like the feeling of knowing that youre making a difference and are appreciated by the doctors and clinics. and you know that all those people who are going from totally blind to good vision would still be blind without you. they would still be sitting in their houses dependent on other family members and that is if they were lucky to have family to help them.

so go to http://www.uniteforsight.org/intl_volunteer if you really do want to make a difference[/QUOTE]

OP, I'm spending the year working as an intern at an international hosptial in Shanghai, it's not volunteering but they covered airfare, my living accomodations and a small stipend, plus I'm getting a really unique opportunity to see all the behind the scene aspects of how a hospital is run... the program I'm doing is normally run through the University of Maryland MPH program (and is for summers) but I know there are other programs like this one...

As far as the experience is concerned, it's been amazing so far, the city is by far the safest I've ever lived in and I've already had the opportunity to travel around China and to Vietnam (with more trips planned later in the year.)

PM me if you have any specific questions about China or the program I'm doing... regardless of location, I've never met anyone who regretted doing an international program; if you get the opportunity, jump on it.

well, ihatescience- I'm a 2x soon to be 3x volunteer with the program so i speak from experience. im not "trolling". im sharing my experience to benefit others and saying that people should go to africa to make a real differenc and not for a volunteer vacation where they pretend to help for the benefit of their applications. pretending to help does nothing to benefit anyone except the volunteer vacation company that charges thousands of dollars to pay for the staff salaries. you need to help by signing up with a nonprofit that makes a difference so your time and money is not a waste and so the africa communitys time is not a waste. my 2 unite for sight experiences were beyond everything i thought could be done by a charity. i dont even have words that could adequately describe my experience. its everything and more than i dreamed.

panda bear that is the point of my post. volunteer vacations do nothing and benefit no one. youve got to work with an organization that actually does something where you are actually helpful. going to africa to hold a baby and take a picture is plain dumb.

im quite sure medical schools know when people do something for their application versus for humanitarianism. going somewhere for a week to talk to orphans for their application is clearly for the applications. going somewhere to really help for a month or six months shows that you really care. and helping is not talking to orphans or sitting for photos or "delivering babies" by standing at the bedside and holding a woman's hand while the doctor delivers the baby and there is no need for you except as a squeezable hand. helping means that you go where people never see doctors and you get them to a doctor. you save their sight or their life or do something that really has meaning. and you know that you are helping because the doctors you help are so happy that you are there and say that they need and want you.

but panda bear i don't agree with you that you shouldnt go to medical school if you want to help. doctoring is a helping profession. there are not enough doctors to begin with.

i think everyone hopes that doctors will be more globally aware in the future if they volunteer while young. maybe 5% of the people who go abroad now will go abroad for a year and help when they are trained doctors. they can work with these clinics we work with now as students and do actual medical care with new students under the wings and helping at the clinics in the same way that we did.

people who dont go abroad as students usually dont start as doctors.

people who have been in africa and seen the needs and gone with a program that is needed and helpful know that they cannot ignore the needs any longer. you need to see things in person to have a true and mature view. i dont think volunteer vacation companies give you true views. its like sitting at a mcdonalds in harlem and watching people who cant afford to get food anywhere else and say that youre helping them by watching them come in and eat. youre just an observer and do nothing. you need to go with nonprofit charities that do something and need you to help them do something.

Panda Bear said:

If you really want to help, why go to medical school? It makes no sense unless you plan on living in the Sudan doctoring the oppressed as a career, something that 99.9 percent of medical school graduates do not do.

I don't understand why admission committee members get so excited about somebody spending a few week in Africa doing nothing that really makes any difference. You held some African babies. Well la de friggin' da.

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First of all, the refugee camps are generally not in Sudan, as they are fleeing sudan. There are around 250000 and growing refugees camped in Chad, in the east. There are 12 refugee camps. Two which have been raided by Janjaweed who are crossing the border into chad. (plus chad is having it's own problems and likes to walk on the brink of civil war/genocide itself).

So, I've been in Chad for 4 months now. I was evacuated for a week to cameroon when the instability reached a peak two week ago, but it's calmed down now. So anyhow, about volunteering, or working abroad, or building up your CV, or challenging yourself to the brink of your own capacity - none are mutually exclusive. Sure working in Chad looks good on my CV, but hell no could anyone handle it if it was just for their CV. I think something most commonly over-looked in doing work abroad is its intellectual, emotional, and physical challenges. Once a rich wife of a plastic surgeon told me, "oh, you like to help the needy." But it's not about that, it's about problem-solving, learning, challenging yourself, building community, being humble over and over again, and being exposed to the realities of the world.

I've done health-related work in 9 countries (bosnia, bulgaria, el salvador, haiti, mexico, france, lesotho, chad and cameroon). I've worked with religious organisations, secular organisations, government organisations, and each provide their different challenges. The best volunteering I did was through professors I met and working on their projects abroad. However, there are paid programs that are really great - like Operation Crossroads Africa, which I did my sophomore summer of college.

People come out of each abroad experience differently, some proud, some uber depressed, some angry, some addicted to the thrill and/or challenge of it. My recommendation to anyone who wants to work/volunteer abroad is to find a map, pick a country/conflict/culture that you want to work in and then search online for all UN-affiliated organizations, any NGOs (www.idealist.org, or reliefweb), and keep contacting people/organisations and the such until you find something that fits. It's 100% about being proactive. I interned at UNESCO in Paris because I emailed 5 different branches my CV and told them I'd work for cheap 🙂.

I don't know if I've been of any help whatsoever, but there's my two cents, or 10 francs from central africa. Good luck to abroad-ers.