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I was just wondering if anyone has heard whether or not AZCOM has a DOCARE program? I speak Spanish and would love to go to central/south america and provide free medical care.
DOCARE @ AZCOM?
- Thread starter jhug
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Yes, AZCOM is involved with DOCARE. I will be going to Guatemala in February. Dr. Burdick, Dean of Basic Sciences, is coordinating our trip. Some of our clinical faculty also participate as well as students and clinical faculty at CCOM (our "sister" school). I am so looking forward to the experience.
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tedsadoc2002-- What year are you in school? Can a first year participate? I have worked for 2+ years at a charity clinic where most of our patients are Hispanic and am super excited to do something like DOCARE!!! How much is it and how do you make up any work you might miss while gone? Sorry about the tons of questions 
Thank you for your reply!
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No problem, asking questions is important.
I am a fourth year and will be there (in Guatemala) for 2 weeks in February. I am not sure if first years can participate only because I think you need to be able to do some of the care (histories, physicals,etc.).
Also this may fall during the time that you may be having second quarter finals, which you must be present for.
You can ask Dr. Burdick more direct questions by e-mailing him. If you are unable to find his e-mail address among the mountains of paper they gave you during the interview, send me a private e-mail and I will give it to you. Best wishes and congratulations on your acceptance to AZCOM! (Forgive me if you do send me a private e-mail and it isn't answered stat, I am interviewing right now and may not get to a computer immediately).
I am a fourth year and will be there (in Guatemala) for 2 weeks in February. I am not sure if first years can participate only because I think you need to be able to do some of the care (histories, physicals,etc.).
Also this may fall during the time that you may be having second quarter finals, which you must be present for.
You can ask Dr. Burdick more direct questions by e-mailing him. If you are unable to find his e-mail address among the mountains of paper they gave you during the interview, send me a private e-mail and I will give it to you. Best wishes and congratulations on your acceptance to AZCOM! (Forgive me if you do send me a private e-mail and it isn't answered stat, I am interviewing right now and may not get to a computer immediately).
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Tedsadoc2002- THANK YOU SO MUCH- Best of luck to you on the interviews! do they ever end!!! How has the process been for you? Do you feel AZCOM has put you in the position to do/go wherever you want? I am really interested in surgery and felt through all my interviews that azcom could get me anywhere I put my mind to going- mayo surgery- johns hopkins to name a few (i like to shoot for the stars!) I have a random idea that i'll check back with you on- if you are interested... my dad is a surgeon here in Salt Lake, and somehow is able to find really great medical equipment. He took about $5-10K worth of stuff (suture kits and ab retractors- stuff like that) to Argentina when i lived there. I wonder if he could get some for your group this feb. I can't promise anything but i'll sure ask. Let me know if that sounds like something you might like. Also, how have you liked the clinical rotations at azcom? on paper they sound excellent- the preceptor-idea. Have a super day and hopefully i'll hear from you soon.
How has the process been for you? Do you feel AZCOM has put you in the position to do/go wherever you want? I am really interested in surgery and felt through all my interviews that azcom could get me anywhere I put my mind to going- mayo surgery- johns hopkins to name a few (i like to shoot for the stars!) I have a random idea that i'll check back with you on- if you are interested... my dad is a surgeon here in Salt Lake, and somehow is able to find really great medical equipment. He took about $5-10K worth of stuff (suture kits and ab retractors- stuff like that) to Argentina when i lived there. I wonder if he could get some for your group this feb. I can't promise anything but i'll sure ask. Let me know if that sounds like something you might like. Also, how have you liked the clinical rotations at azcom? on paper they sound excellent- the preceptor-idea. Have a super day and hopefully i'll hear from you soon.- Joined
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Jhug,
I was wondering if you could explain DOCARE? I have never heard of the program, but am very interested. I speak enough spanish to get me in trouble bu that is it. Is it required to know spanish to travel South of the border? I will be attending AZCOM in August I am very interested in spending some time volunteering outside the border during the summer after my first year. Anyway, congrats on your acceptance to AZCOM and I will see you there next year.
I was wondering if you could explain DOCARE? I have never heard of the program, but am very interested. I speak enough spanish to get me in trouble bu that is it. Is it required to know spanish to travel South of the border? I will be attending AZCOM in August I am very interested in spending some time volunteering outside the border during the summer after my first year. Anyway, congrats on your acceptance to AZCOM and I will see you there next year.
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SPORT- docare is amazing! from what i have gathered- and tedsadoc2002 can probably clarify/elaborate much more that i can- docare is a program where students, accompanied by doctors, are able to go to needy/underserved countries and provide free medical attention. Some do surgery, others immunizations/primary care, and sometimes both. It is a super program in which everyone wins- we get the experience & gratification of helping others-- they get the help they desperately need! Being first years we'll all need to push hard to get to go- but if there is enough of us- and we can show that we are qualified enough to do it- i am quite confident we could go! Congrats on the acceptance! What made that decision for you? I love to hear what others have to say it!
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Hi and welcome to AZCOM,
jhug is correct in what DOCARE does, I'm sure there is a website for them, but offhand I cannot recall the address. I'll get back to you on that.
The mission that AZCOM goes on is usually in February (I think it's because of the locale and the weather being more favorable at that time of year. I was told there was no air conditioning so the summer would have been brutal).
Dr. Burdick prefers that those participating have some working knowledge of Spanish, but it is not a prerequisite written in stone. Another faculty member, Mr. Federico Aguilar, often gets students involved in health fairs that are sponsored by ALMA (an association of Latin American physicians). All med students are welcome and these are usually on Saturday mornings or afternoons. The clients are Spanish speaking and it benefits all tremendously to have students like yourselves (enthusiatic and Spanish speaking) participate.
Interviews never seem to end! To answer jhug's other questions, yes, I feel well prepared to meet the challenges of a residency. With all programs and curricula, there are pluses and minuses to everything. I liked the preceptorship based rotations for the following reasons: I had highly qualified and great role models to follow. I not only learned to manage outpatients but I managed their inpatients as well (that depends on what hospitals your preceptors are affiliated with). I would pre-round on inpatients, write notes, and be prepared to discuss orders with the physician when we rounded on patients together. Then, after notes and H&P's were reviewed, we'd go to the clinic, see the outpatients and then round in the evening to see how the inpatients and new admits were. They were busy but wonderful days (for me, at least).
However, I arranged my rotations this year to be primarily inpatient based, so I could get the feel for what it is going to be like during my residency. The teaching is way different. For preceptor based, you must select those who enjoy teaching and are willing to impart that knowledge to you. Hospital based, you get morning report, noon conferences, and, for example, EM and surgery have a day devoted to lectures specifically for the residents and students in that specialty.
Our graduates have been placed in prestigious residencies (Johns-Hopkins, Mayo, etc.) and I don't see why you shouldn't (you've heard this before, your med school experience is what you make of it). Any other questions you want me to answer in a little more detail would be best answered privately.
Your offer is generous, but I would need to know what if any supplies are available and I could talk to Dr. Burdick. Again, thanks for your offer of help. Sorry for the length, I get like this after long flights. Again, my best wishes.
jhug is correct in what DOCARE does, I'm sure there is a website for them, but offhand I cannot recall the address. I'll get back to you on that.
The mission that AZCOM goes on is usually in February (I think it's because of the locale and the weather being more favorable at that time of year. I was told there was no air conditioning so the summer would have been brutal).
Dr. Burdick prefers that those participating have some working knowledge of Spanish, but it is not a prerequisite written in stone. Another faculty member, Mr. Federico Aguilar, often gets students involved in health fairs that are sponsored by ALMA (an association of Latin American physicians). All med students are welcome and these are usually on Saturday mornings or afternoons. The clients are Spanish speaking and it benefits all tremendously to have students like yourselves (enthusiatic and Spanish speaking) participate.
Interviews never seem to end! To answer jhug's other questions, yes, I feel well prepared to meet the challenges of a residency. With all programs and curricula, there are pluses and minuses to everything. I liked the preceptorship based rotations for the following reasons: I had highly qualified and great role models to follow. I not only learned to manage outpatients but I managed their inpatients as well (that depends on what hospitals your preceptors are affiliated with). I would pre-round on inpatients, write notes, and be prepared to discuss orders with the physician when we rounded on patients together. Then, after notes and H&P's were reviewed, we'd go to the clinic, see the outpatients and then round in the evening to see how the inpatients and new admits were. They were busy but wonderful days (for me, at least).
However, I arranged my rotations this year to be primarily inpatient based, so I could get the feel for what it is going to be like during my residency. The teaching is way different. For preceptor based, you must select those who enjoy teaching and are willing to impart that knowledge to you. Hospital based, you get morning report, noon conferences, and, for example, EM and surgery have a day devoted to lectures specifically for the residents and students in that specialty.
Our graduates have been placed in prestigious residencies (Johns-Hopkins, Mayo, etc.) and I don't see why you shouldn't (you've heard this before, your med school experience is what you make of it). Any other questions you want me to answer in a little more detail would be best answered privately.
Your offer is generous, but I would need to know what if any supplies are available and I could talk to Dr. Burdick. Again, thanks for your offer of help. Sorry for the length, I get like this after long flights. Again, my best wishes.
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Ted has mentioned an important point re local clinics. There are quite a few that AZCOM students participate in, I just did one with F. Aguilar this Saturday. It was held in an open air market and all of the people that came to see us were Spanish speaking. We had 2 interpreters there, but it is amazing how far you can get with pidgin Spanish (which is all I know) and when you show your stethoscope and other medical instruments then people understand pretty quickly what you want to do. It was a good experience, as we performed physicals on people from the aged to small infants. Trying to use an otoscope with a squirming, crying infant can be a real challenge! So you can get plenty of good experience without having to travel out of the country. I'm a first year student. Our professor in ICM (intro to clinical med) told us that they are experimenting this year on pushing up the clinical skills even if we have not yet had the applicable anatomy or physiology. Most of our class can do a basic physical exam and we have just finished the first quarter. We will be doing male and female exams as soon as we start back. At AZCOM you are expected to be able to do a very good history and physical by the end of the first year (in contrast to many other schools that don't push these skills until somewhat later). So if you want to get into those skills quickly, you are coming to the right place. You'll have plenty of opportunities to practice these skills as an MS-1. It is up to you as to whether you want to take advantage of them or not. I look forward to seeing all of you in August!
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I promised a web address and here it is:
<a href="http://www.docareintl.org/" target="_blank">http://www.docareintl.org/</a> Enjoy!
<a href="http://www.docareintl.org/" target="_blank">http://www.docareintl.org/</a> Enjoy!
