ISL Experiences? Good/Bad?

[Projectx]

Hey, I was currently interested in the oppurtunities that http://www.islonline.org/ offers. Anyone here have any positive/negative experiences with this organization? Their website seemed a bit weird, just wanted to make sure this isn't a fraud or anything.

Suggestions on other volunteer abroad organizations that are premed friendly are welcome.

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[Hkoser]

I went on the Costa Rica & Nicaragua trip last summer and it was a great experience. They have their own staff in whichever country you go to- from bus drivers to doctors. The only thing i didn't like (asides from the humidity) was its so structured i never felt like i was in a 3rd world country because restaurants where chosen for me and transportation provided- i suppose it's safer that way but i felt kinda babied. On an up note- playing doctor is fun and I learned tons. There are also a few fun days at the end. I also made a lot of great friends. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Projectx]

Thanks for the feedback, anyone else?

 

[Senor Fish]

I have mixed reviews of ISL. I've gone on two international missions, one with the Timmy Foundation and the other with ISL.

Things I liked about ISL- the other students were great, the local guides were great, organization was pretty good (and that says a lot for 3rd world) and we got a fair amount of hands on.
Things I didn't like: It felt like a company that was there to make money rather than an organization that is trying to help as many people as possible. The main issue is that we only had one local doctor for each clinic. This essentially meant we waited for an average of 1/2 hour after seeing our patient for the doctor to come and for us to present the case. This was a huge amount of wasted time, and if the organization could have shelled out more money to have more physicians, we could have seen two to three times the number of people. I also would only recommend ISL if you speak spanish (which I do, but the folks that didn't got very frustrated).

I would recommend looking at the Timmy Foundation. They are typically associated with universities, but not always. Check Timmyfoundation.org (that is off the top of my head so I can't promise that is correct). We had a team of six american doctors, from all different specialties. So we say tons of patients, really felt like we made a difference and you had the bonus of getting to know a bunch of docs and being able to talk to them about their lives/experiences.

Opps- I'm late to go tutor! Let me know if you have more questions.

SF

 

[nazdar]

I was skeptical too at first, but a friend went on the Costa Rica/Nicaragua trip a couple years ago and she had a great time. She got tons of clinical experience, but her trip was a little unorganized and she did get giardiasis ...although that's pretty common

I still think it's a bit over-priced, but she convinced me to plan a trip with them. Don't let the questionable website scare you away

 

[Richspiders07]

I'd recommend the trips (i've been on two)... especially if you haven't travelled much. Its great to get the medical volunteer experiences with the added perks of learning about a different culture/society... and most trips you go somewhere most people dont normally go on vacation. It's a great way to lose weight too!

 

[BeanerMD]

I also went on an ISL trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua a few years ago. The landscape was beautiful, clinical experience was phenomenal, but moreover, the individuals you work with and your peers teach you SO MUCH about humanity. Regardless if you do ISL or go through another organization, I highly recommend these trips. You're right in being skeptical about shadiness- but this organization is seemingly not (I personally had no issues). If you want more details on my specific trip or pictures, just PM me

 

[yahoo123]

Hey, I was currently interested in the oppurtunities that http://www.islonline.org/ offers. Anyone here have any positive/negative experiences with this organization? Their website seemed a bit weird, just wanted to make sure this isn't a fraud or anything.

Suggestions on other volunteer abroad organizations that are premed friendly are welcome.

I went on the Belize trip and thought it was amazing, you get a ton of experience, although as one other poster said Id def brush up on the Spanish. Even though Belize's official language is English, the villagers only speak Spanish. From prior experience, if you go there bring TONS of Diabetes medications and be aware that the guides can be a bit Overtly Christianly. To the point where they ask you to go to mass every Sunday, say grace before meals and refute the fact that evolution exists. (We went to the Belizean zoo, and they asked me whether they thought I was cousins to the monkey and I replied in a way yes and they said well I was wrong) Haha, they were extremely kind people but our beliefs definitely clashed.

 

[Senor Fish]

I'm curious from some of the others that went on the ISL trips:

Was there more than one physician at your clincs? Was that an issue for you?

SF

 

[Richspiders07]

I'm curious from some of the others that went on the ISL trips:

Was there more than one physician at your clincs? Was that an issue for you?

SF

I had one physician on the days we went out and set up temporary clinics, but it wasn't an issue. Our job was to take patient history, vitals, etc.. then from what we learned come up with our own diagnosis/prognosis and then report to the doctor for approval/advice. There wasn't any more than 5minutes of lag time while waiting to speak with the Dr.

Besides, the fewer doctors, the more responsibility you have and more opportunities... otherwise it just turns into a typical shadowing experience, but just in a developing country.

 

[leahmaria]

I went on an ISL trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua this past spring break for two weeks and I really loved it. I would highly recommend it, and I plan on going again this March.

We brought a doctor with our team, and there were doctors provided by ISL. ISL has a really close working relationship with my university (Valparaiso). We didn't have much lag time waiting for the doctor, either. We also had many staff people working as translators that were phenomonal.

I have found that many people going on these trips do get sick, compared to other volunteer trips (Habitat for Humanity) that I've been on to Central America. I didn't get sick...but perhaps their education about staying clear of water supplies is lacking? I've had friends come back with giardia, amoebas and more. So, this shouldn't deter you from going--just be careful what you put near your mouth!!

If you have any questions about them, ask! I would be happy to send you pics or tell you more. Also--if you're able to be in touch with the people in the country you're going to and not the people in the US office...the US office seems kind of slow and unorganized to me....though the people in Central American are most likely really busy too.

I thougt that the whole experience was great.

 

[112258]

I went to CR/Nicaragua for the new year last year for 2 weeks and loved it. You learn so much and get to do so much more than you can here. I got to give patients shots of Novocain, etc....you also learn a LOT about the medical system/education in other countries. Its a great confidence booster too. Plus you get to do fun things like a canopy tour. It is expensive, but definitely worth it. The people that work there are so nice and helpful!

The clinic in CR we had 2 doctors, the clinics in Nicaragua we had 1 doctor.

PM me if you want to know more details or see pics of my trip, too! Good luck!