Clinical Volunteering Abroad

[Valtun]

I've heard very very mixed reviews on how schools view applicants that have these volunteer trips to third world countries (Global Brigades etc.)

My pre-professional adviser told me that if you have just that, it shows that you're just buying your way to volunteer with under served people and doesn't look good. However, she said that if you have a good amount of other volunteering opportunities working with under served people in or around your area and then on top of that have these trips, it will strengthen your application and won't look bad.

I have volunteering with undeserved people (quite a bit of it actually) and would love the opportunity to go on a trip like this. My school is organizing a trip to Nicaragua this December for a little over a week for clinical/non clinical volunteering and want to go but don't want to do it if it'll affect my chances at medical school.

What do you guys think? Is my adviser right? Should I just forget this trip overall?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

Hi Valtun,

I don't think going will hurt your application. If anything, it will help. The big gripe we have on SDN about it... is spending $2000-3000 to go and volunteer/shadow abroad when you can do it at your undergrad for FREE! If you want to go, GO! It'll be fun and a unique experience. But if you want to go to gain shadowing and hope it'll help you application, then you're going to pay A LOT of money for that one resume booster. I've always wanted to do an abroad clinical service but because they wanted me to pay $$$$, I never went. Hopefully other people chime in to give their opinions.

 

[Valtun]

This is what medical schools say about clinical experiences according to an AAMC survey, including international settings

• Member schools expressed significant concern with regards to premedical students engaging in unsupervised clinical activities in international settings [emphasis added]. In particular, 45-50% of those schools completing the survey described applicant involvement in invasive procedures in international settings as either harmful to, or of no value to, their application. Examples of such invasive procedures include giving vaccinations, suturing an injury, pulling teeth, and delivering a baby. This concern of admissions officers persisted, albeit at lower levels (35-40% of respondents), when the students were supervised by a health professional while performing such invasive procedures in international settings.

So basically, don't do it. lol |:

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

You could always just go travel for the sake of traveling instead of volunteering?

 

[3toedsloth]

Go if you really feel you need to. But don't list it on your app.

 

[bluella]

One school I interviewed at plainly stated that premeds doing clinical procedures abroad is unethical. Best to avoid the association with programs like that.

 

[dillydilly2]

I think it entirely depends on the program you attend. I went with Project Medishare Haiti and apparently it is the same program Emory works with to send their medical students abroad. Didn't know that at the time. Granted, pre-med students engaging in patient care could be seen as negligible if they are not properly trained/certified. This program required me be EMT certified with experience and they only accept other licensed healthcare providers.

 

[MedicalDoge]

I believe your adviser's advice is sound. I will reiterate what I have posted on other threads, as I am a big proponent of international volunteering as PART of your application.

Both of my international clinical trips were received very well by my interviewers. I think the key is to not talk/write about these trips like you are saving the country. If you treat it like you are lending a helping hand and being exposed to a new population, then it is received very positively in my personal experience. GO if you have the funds, these were truly life changing experiences for me, and they really show you what else is going on in the world.

Also, obviously, as mentioned above, do not take part in unethical clinical procedures while abroad... Just help with check-in and general stuff. Nothing invasive.