Disaster relief/international work?

[gozes]

So after doing some research I'm really interested in disaster relief medicine abroad the U.S. as a career. I feel like it's really cool work, but I can't know for sure until I see it for myself. I am currently a first year medical student and just began a few weeks ago, so I'm jumping the gun a bit atm (and procrastinating lol).

I was wondering if anyone found a way to shadow/volunteer in this kind of setting between the summer of their first and second year? If so how how did you go about it? While I would love to do disaster volunteering abroad, even getting my foot in to disaster relief in the U.S. works as well. Just any exposure would be nice.

And if anyone reading this didn't do disaster related things, but did a program where they could do medical work internationally in under-deserved areas, I would love to hear your stories and how you got involved with those as well.

Need something to look forward to and keep the wheel's turning here 😉

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[Pacna]

A friend of mine found an international-underserved research gig with a local ER doc. He's part of an effort to help a third world community develop ambulance services. His method: cold call (email) ER docs around and ask if they had 10 minutes to share what they did over the phone. Eventually he got a call from somebody who had a cool idea.

 

[loris]

Here’s a pretty good documentary about several physicians working with Medecins Sans Frontieres


Here’s a short list of a few opportunities related to Public Health, Rural Medicine, Wilderness Medicine, and Disaster Response. They’re not all strictly medical, some are much more competitive than others, and some have educational or professional requirements. You might be able to contact these institutions, agencies, and organizations and as well as others and ask if they would be able to put you in contact with any physicians or programs that would be willing to work with you.

Association of American Medical Colleges

• Global Health Learning Opportunities (GHLO) is “an international program of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), comprised of a network of institutions in over 36 countries, with nearly 2,000 clinical, public health, and research opportunities. GHLO makes it easier for final year medical and public health students to pursue electives outside their home countries.”

American Red Cross

• Disaster Volunteer Opportunities
• Paid and Unpaid Internships in US

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Non-funded Epidemiology Elective Program for Senior Medical and Veterinary Students at a CDC or IHS site in the US
• Funded James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program at various sites in US
• Funded CDC-Hubert Global Health Fellowship in the field in a developing country
• Licensed health professionals can apply for a two year fellowship in the Epidemic Intelligence Service

Division of the Civilian Volunteer Medical Reserve Corps

• Volunteer with one of many Medical Reserve Corps Units in the US

Federal Emergency Management Agency

• Community Emergency Response Teams

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

• Paid Internships in US and abroad

List of Wilderness Electives for Medical Students Compiled by the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association

• Various locations

List of International EM Rotations & Electives Compiled by the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association

• Various locations

Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)

• Office Volunteer Opportunities
• Paid Internships in New York, NY

Peace Corps

• Licensed health professionals can apply for the Global Health Service Partnership for one year of clinical work in Tanzania, Malawi, or Uganda
• Licensed health professionals, medical educators, and others with 10 years of experience in their field can apply for short term Peace Corps Response Volunteer positions

US Department of Health and Human Services: Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service

• Paid Junior Commissioned Officer Student Training and Extern Program (JRCOSTEP) at various operating divisions of the US Department of Health and Human Services (e.g., Food and Drug Administration, Indian Health Service, National Institutes of Health) and other federal agencies

World Health Organization

• Unpaid Internships in Geneva, Switzerland and other regional centers worldwide

 

[joploose1098]

I'm a little late, but what about companies that specialize in emergency preparedness or mobile work instead of just the government? Maybe you could reach out to them and gets some exposure, places like Blu-Med or Oduilair?