Abroad Hands On?

[Javohn Dyer]

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I've been searching for programs that allow medical students looking for opportunities to work hands on (surgically) in developing or poor countries.

My hope is to find a program that allows me to get early hands on experience that i woulsnt get in medical school and help people in need in the process.
I've heard stories of people who have done this but I can't seem to find anything . Can someone point me in the right direction and give me some information regarding these opportunities ? Also I don't care how grimy or dingy it is I just want to help people .

 

[massmocha]

Don't you think it would be more helpful to these people if someone with surgical training were doing the surgery?

 

[Javohn Dyer]

Don't you think it would be more helpful to these people if someone with surgical training were doing the surgery?

Your right , that's why I'm looking for programs that are short on people

 

[orthojuniorfaculty]

I don't know of any, but the question by massmocha is one you'd certainly get asked at every interview and would need a solid answer for. Short term medical missions abroad are not without ethical tightropes. And while you might be more hands on, I'd question whether you'd be nailing femurs pretty much anywhere around the world... or if you were, that you would be learning how to do it properly. If you are looking to develop/demonstrate orthopaedic-specific surgical skills, then in addition to getting folks to teach you proper knot tying (and then practicing to excess), depending on where you live I'd find ways to practice and demonstrate good tool usage. I've seen that the University of Arizona program has some papers and whatnot on low tech surgical skills training that are good. I had more than a few places ask me about the last thing I'd built and how I did it, and looking back think that is a fair question. Obviously don't know your specific background - you could be a licensed carpenter former collegiate athlete for all I know. And if not, you'd could help people and build things through Habitat for Humanity without leaving and country or perhaps even your state. This might not be answering your question - but I think there are ways to test and build applicable skills outside the OR, and you'll have 30+ years to be hands on with patients. If there is something more specific you want to get out the experience feel free to reply and maybe an idea will come to mind.

 

[Handinhand]

While it seems very heroic to go abroad and help people in 3rd world countries by performing surgery on them, if there is not good infrastructure built up then you are actually doing them very little good by doing so. There has long been an issue in global health of the american doctor coming in to an underdeveloped country, treating people, and then leaving without any long term follow up for the patient. If you nail someone's femur, fix their pelvis, correct some congenital deformity, or do some scoli case on some poor child, but they have no local physicians to handle long term care of these patients, it's all for naught. A bigger movement in international health now is not to be the one to ride in to "save the day", but instead to help build up infrastructure for medical & surgical care in these developing areas, and help train local physicians in westernized advancements, that's really going to go along way to improving healthcare in these areas. It just so happens that before you step foot into medical school you can help do this through many different organizations. It's certainly not as sexy as going to Africa and saying you operated in a bunch of derelict operating rooms with a half functioning c-arm; however, if your primary goal is to help people in developing countries, it will do far more good.