Doctors abroad

[Shallos]

I was wondering if doctors abroad (a branch of doctors without borders) would look good on a residency application if I take a absence of leave between M2 and M3?

Of course I am planning to do other things as well.

What are your guys opinions?

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[Psai]

Go abroad as a medical student with barely any clinical experience? I'm sure your patients will thank you for teaching them about electron transport chains and the na/ca exchanger.

 

[Shallos]

Go abroad as a medical student with barely any clinical experience? I'm sure your patients will thank you for teaching them about electron transport chains and the na/ca exchanger.

I should clarify. The name of the program is 'projects abroad' and are specific for medical/pre-medical STUDENTS to help and learn at the same time under supervision.

 

[Psai]

You know what looks good on a residency application? Not taking time off during medical school unless you're doing something significant like a solid research project.

 

[lymphocyte]

I should clarify. The name of the program is 'projects abroad' and are specific for medical/pre-medical STUDENTS to help and learn at the same time under supervision.

1. Don't be a voluntourist.
2. Don't practice or be put into a position where you might practice medicine above your competency (which as a MS2 will be exactly diddly).
3. A lot of these programs are frankly exploitative. They often do more harm than good. Why learn on the poor?
4. Why not save the money from this trip and buy some mosquito nets? That would save waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more lives than you'll ever likely save in your entire career as a doctor.
5. Why not do something to help all the poor people in the US? They need your help too. You already know the language, the resources, the culture, and some would argue the lower Mississippi Delta or parts of the Appalachian are almost as under-resourced as some developing nations.

Edit: I Googled "Projects Abroad." Here's its pitch, "Voluntourism allows you to engage in tourism while doing meaningful work as a volunteer." Frankly not impressive on any residency application.

 

[xffan624]

I was wondering if doctors abroad (a branch of doctors without borders) would look good on a residency application if I take a absence of leave between M2 and M3?

Of course I am planning to do other things as well.

What are your guys opinions?

Nowhere on the site does it indicate that it is associated with doctors without borders. It clearly states that it is "alternative to doctors without borders" (in completely disingenuous manner, I think). From all appearances, it's a voluntourism program with a medical slant. I echo @Psai, looking much better on a residency application is not taking an LOA at all and if one does have to at least do something substantial during it. This is not it.

 

[Shallos]

Could you at least pretend like you care about doing good, which would be admirable though naïve?

You specifically asked "would it look good on a residency application." Having been born in a developing African nation and working for field-operations like MSF, we all not-so-secretly hate your guts.

1. Don't be a voluntourist.
2. Don't practice or be put into a position where you might practice medicine above your competency (which as a MS2 will be exactly diddly.)
3. A lot of these programs are frankly exploitative. They often do more harm than good.
4. Why not save the money from this trip and buy some mosquito nets? That would literally save waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more lives than you'll ever likely save in your entire career as a doctor.
5. Why not do something to help all the poor people in the US? They need your help too. You already know the language, the resources, the culture, and some would argue the lower Mississippi Delta or parts of the Appalachian are almost as under-resourced as some developing nations.

Edit: Guess what? I Googled "Projects Abroad." Here's its pitch, "Voluntourism allows you to engage in tourism while doing meaningful work as a volunteer." Frankly not impressive on any residency application.

Thanks for the advice. I understand what you are saying but frankly you assume too much. No where in my question did I state I was a US citizen or even attend medical school in the US. I was also born in a developing country and raised in several (5+ over a span of 18 years). English is but one of the cultures and languages I know.

Nowhere on the site does it indicate that it is associated with doctors without borders. It clearly states that it is "alternative to doctors without borders" (in completely disingenuous manner, I think). From all appearances, it's a voluntourism program with a medical slant. I echo @Psai, looking much better on a residency application is not taking an LOA at all and if one does have to at least do something substantial during it. This is not it.

Thanks I thought I did read that they were a branch of doctors without borders somewhere, I must've been mistaken.

It's not that I want to be a voluntourist, it's just that the region where I am doesn't provide as many true research/volunteering opportunities. So I am currently trying to find some that atleast accept international students. As to what Psai said. I know that LOA isn't generally smiled upon but it's not in my hands, it's on a personal level (family issues) that I MUST take a year off I just don't want the year to be empty.

Am I inherently not a good person? Maybe, maybe not but I do have self-interest.

 

[lymphocyte]

Thanks for the advice. I understand what you are saying but frankly you assume too much. No where in my question did I state I was a US citizen or even attend medical school in the US.

I assumed nothing other than what you wrote. I edited my post to make it less confrontational, because:

I know that LOA isn't generally smiled upon but it's not in my hands, it's on a personal level (family issues) that I MUST take a year off I just don't want the year to be empty.

Now we're talking! This is something I can help with. Send me a PM. I had to take a LOA as an IMG too, and based on a lots of feedback from PDs, it might not hurt as much as you think it does. And there are other options as well.

 

[TheFutureFatMan]

Go abroad as a medical student with barely any clinical experience? I'm sure your patients will thank you for teaching them about electron transport chains and the na/ca exchanger.

LOL.

 

[Brahnold Bloodaxe]

Go abroad as a medical student with barely any clinical experience? I'm sure your patients will thank you for teaching them about electron transport chains and the na/ca exchanger.

LOL.

What's so funny about that? I certainly wish somebody taught me this when I was a patient, that way I wouldn't have to be cramming this stuff now in medical school

 

[sliceofbread136]

If you have to take the year off anyway I say just do it if you really want to. I did a week abroad as an ms1 with absolutely zero clinical knowledge and was able to help with various simple tasks and information gathering. Sure I wasn't the most helpful person in the world, but I was better than nothing and did learn some useful things.

A better alternative would be a research year, but atleast for me personally I would get pretty bored doing research for a year...