Anyone Volunteered Abroad?

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sleepyincal

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Hey, have any of you volunteered abroad? What was your experience like and what program did you choose?

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I've volunteered in East Africa three times and down in Mexico once. In East Africa, I worked in hospitals and on mobile clinics, and did a lot of AIDS education and general health education.

http://www.rice.edu/hmo
 
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I shadowed a reconstructive plastic surgeon for a summer in South Korea.

Worked in the OR as a volunteer as well.

Got to see a lot of cool stuff, was a great experience...especially culturally.
 
I volunteered in a hospital in Puerto Rico. I'm really excited to be going back next summer...it was an amazing experience. We didn't go through any program- we set it up ourselves. I really recommend volunteering somewhere that's not in America... the differences are amazing.
 
I went to Nigeria for 2 weeks, with Drs for a United medical mission www.healingdrumm.org and SNMA.
Beautiful experience, we got to do everything, i got to scrub in surgeons in the OR, learn how to make diagnosis, set up an HIV awareness program. Most importantly it showed me just how important teamwork is in medicine and I meet some really cool people
 
I love this forum. If you have worked overseas, please tell me four things: (1) Was language a barrier, and how did you overcome it? (2) How did you pay for the trip? (3) What did you do, and for how long did you do it? (4) How did you make time?
 
PCAndrew said:
I love this forum. If you have worked overseas, please tell me four things: (1) Was language a barrier, and how did you overcome it? (2) How did you pay for the trip? (3) What did you do, and for how long did you do it? (4) How did you make time?

1) I'm Nigerian so generally language wasnt a barrier, but we were in an area that spoke a language that I didnt know, so I needed interpreters sometimes just like everyone else. A lot of people spoke English anyway, its only like the older people in the village. Everyone on my team was fine, just be openminded and not ethnocentric, because they cant speak what ur familiar with doesnt make em dumb.
2) Luckily I'm working this yr and really wanted to do the trip, so I sorta saved up for it. Other friends on the trip had their schls pay for them, or had organizations donate money. I'll explore those options next yr.
3) 2weeks, the students originally went for HIV awareness project with local people and schls, but we were allowed to help out clinically with seeing patients, in the OR, recovery ward and pharmacy. We were allowed to do anything we were comfortable doing. A lot of the 3rd and 4th yr med students did a lot of consulting, and diagnosing, and when in doubt they'd ask one of the doctors. A friend who was a 4th yr spent most of his time in the oR, he starts urology next month, and assisted with so many huge hernia cases, that he is more than set for residency. I got to scrub in several times in the OR myself :) The seeing patients/HIV part lasted for a week, other days included getting there and setting up shop. It was just 2 weeks but it seemed like we were there for ages. What makes a difference is the group you go with, we all got along, and great friendships formed, so that made the experience very enjoyable. Plus i went with my best friend and another friend came along.

4) wasnt enough time. We were up usually by 6am, breakfast at like 7:30am, had to leave for clinic at 8am. Then sometimes we'd be there till 7-8pm, and then people in OR usually stayed till 9pm, and one day they got back at 11pm. Get back, tired(mentally, emotionally and physically drained), take a shower,e at dinner, and then its like 9-10pm, hang out for maybe 2hrs(might go check email/call home) and then go to bed. It was really draining, and its easy to get irritated cause ur away from home, in the company of people u dont really know. You have to remain open minded, and realize what you are there for. It ws a much needed breath of fresh air, and what I needed going into 1st yr in the fall. If this is what the outcome is, then it makes the whole process worth it, cause nothing beats seeing the look of extreme gratitude on a person's face. :thumbup:
 
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