out of country experiences?

[Dulcina]

Hi,
Has anyone done any out of country programs that were really fun? I'm interested in travelling to Mexico/South America (any Spanish speaking country) to do a language immersion + hospital experience.

Also, must be reasonably priced 😛 thanks!

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[scrubsrfun]

Hi there, I travelled to India via a program known as Child Family Health Services (CFHI, their website is cfhi.org). They also have programs to South America and Africa as well so it's worth checking out. It was a great experience, I got to see how varied the healthcare is in a developing nation. As for pricing, I'm not sure how much the South America trips are but its worth checking out on the website...good luck!

 

[illixir]

I just got back from a 2-month Public Health study abroad program in Mexico city that was pretty cool. I lived with a host family and took four classes, spanish, mexican culture, mexican public health, and another that was a epidemological research project concerning pediatric oncology, there was also alot of shadowing at an advanced unit specifically designed for infants and neonates with complex disorders that couldn't be treated by clinics in surrounding areas

The program was really structured and accommodating to those without much spanish background, if you're trying to take classes as well you can definately find programs like this either through your own school or applying to other universities' programs using a google search

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

I went to Argentina to do a church plant, I went to South Africa and Mozambique to work with schools and orphanages, then I went on study abroad last summer to Germany, Nethlands, and Czech Republic to study the holocaust. Next summer I am considering going to Kenya and Uganda on a medical trip for 3 weeks through ISLonline.org the trip isn't cheap though about $3000 then a plane ticket (another $2000)... but I am really considering it

 

[diosa428]

Hi there, I travelled to India via a program known as Child Family Health Services (CFHI, their website is cfhi.org). They also have programs to South America and Africa as well so it's worth checking out. It was a great experience, I got to see how varied the healthcare is in a developing nation. As for pricing, I'm not sure how much the South America trips are but its worth checking out on the website...good luck!

I went to Ecuador with CFHI. I thought it was a great experience, but you will mostly be shadowing - don't expect to be doing much. With that said, it exposed me to a lot of areas of medicine I hadn't previously been exposed to (I hadn't done much shadowing) and I got to take Spanish lessons. Ecuador is beautiful and traveling on the weekends was also fun. The trip is somewhere around $1800 for a month, plus you have to buy a plane ticket, so it's not super cheap, but I don't think you're going to find any that are.

 

[riceman04]

I went to Argentina to do a church plant, I went to South Africa and Mozambique to work with schools and orphanages, then I went on study abroad last summer to Germany, Nethlands, and Czech Republic to study the holocaust. Next summer I am considering going to Kenya and Uganda on a medical trip for 3 weeks through ISLonline.org the trip isn't cheap though about $3000 then a plane ticket (another $2000)... but I am really considering it

I am assuming acquiring $$$ is not a problem for you.

Not hating on you at all...I'm just making an observation

 

[Inuranic]

Ugh. Reading this makes me sad.

I look to do stuff like this and then I realize I'm poor. I curse my parents for not being financial juggernauts.

 

[scrubsrfun]

Ugh. Reading this makes me sad.

I look to do stuff like this and then I realize I'm poor. I curse my parents for not being financial juggernauts.

well keep your head up! many students on my trip were med students whose schools had given them a grant to go on the trip. the rest of the money they got out of their loans. in fact, all the other undergrads used loan money to pay for the whole trip...but anyways my point is don't be sad! you can do something like this once youre in med school! 🙂 good luck to you!

 

[luckycharms08]

I went to India with CFHI as well. It's mostly shadowing but definitely very rewarding. They have a number of programs in South America I'm pretty sure.

 

[futuredrcrawfor]

I am assuming acquiring $$$ is not a problem for you.

Not hating on you at all...I'm just making an observation

actually money has been an issue but i have been very blessed- my church paid some of the cost for Argentina so I only had to raise a lil... and Truett Cathy the CEO of Chick-fil-a paid most of my Africa trip because I went with his daughter after working at a summer camp he runs in GA... then Study abroad I did do a loan but since my undergrad is full-scholarhip (state school living at home) it was minute compared to if I had gone to one of the more affluent schools I was accepted at.

Going to Africa again is a dream of mine and I am debating what I want to do about money for it- I am also contemplating a trip to Belize to study Oceanography... If i do a trip to Africa for missions and medicine you can get community support as well as sending out support letters to people you know.

Honestly no one else in my family has left the country- I have a passion for international travel and I have an amazing God who has helped me get to do all my goals up to date!

 

[boodthedog]

Antigua, Guatemala has a ton of language schools and a public hospital that's always looking for volunteers. Most of the schools can arrange homestays with a family. I went last summer and really enjoyed it.

 

[Dulcina]

Antigua, Guatemala has a ton of language schools and a public hospital that's always looking for volunteers. Most of the schools can arrange homestays with a family. I went last summer and really enjoyed it.

what was the name of the program?

and for the other responses, thanks so much. I'm definitely going to check out CFHI. I was hoping to keep it considerably under $1000/month, but it looks pretty unlikely at this point.

 

[Dulcina]

yikes, these things are looking like $1800/4 weeks.

Has anyone found anything closer to $1000, or even lower? I can't afford these 🙁

 

[ChiDoc27]

Next summer (so I guess I haven't done it yet, but still) I'm going to Ghana with Volunteer Visions. They don't have a language program because Ghana is an English-speaking country, but it looks pretty awesome! It's really inexpensive... ~ $1700 for three months, under 1000 for one month. I'm going to be doing volunteering and field research there. If you incorporate some independent research and state a desire to write a thesis on it, your school might help fund it. I am going to do a big research project using the knowledge I gain there, so my school's office of undergraduate research grants gave me some money for it. Definately look into that if money is an issue! Good luck!! Here is the site of Volunteer Visions- http://www.volunteervisions.org/projects/pip_ghana_health.html

 

[Dulcina]

Next summer (so I guess I haven't done it yet, but still) I'm going to Ghana with Volunteer Visions. They don't have a language program because Ghana is an English-speaking country, but it looks pretty awesome! It's really inexpensive... ~ $1700 for three months, under 1000 for one month. I'm going to be doing volunteering and field research there. If you incorporate some independent research and state a desire to write a thesis on it, your school might help fund it. I am going to do a big research project using the knowledge I gain there, so my school's office of undergraduate research grants gave me some money for it. Definately look into that if money is an issue! Good luck!! Here is the site of Volunteer Visions- http://www.volunteervisions.org/projects/pip_ghana_health.html

wow this is great, thanks!! 795 for 4 weeks! unfortunately the school thing isnt an option, as i've already graduated. But yeah, i got $3000 from my school to do research that turned into my thesis 😀 it was AWESOME

 

[Dulcina]

uh oh..... "Our volunteers must be medical students, doctors, or nurses. If possible, please send us a doctor’s certificate by email. "

 

[DocHeart]

next summer: Sri lanka or Africa. They both cost about 5k. plus plane ticket

 

[mtlpremed]

I've also been looking at medical volunteer programs in Latin America. I don't have any personal experience with these programs (yet), but here are a couple good ones I've found:

Salud Guatemala

$1635 (all prices are per month including homestay, I think)

Cachamsi.com
$1489

Pop Wuj
$950

U of Guadalajara SOM
$1440

CFHI.org
~$2000

 

[Dulcina]

hey, the pop wuj is the best i've seen yet for non doctors! thanks =)

does shadowing a doctor in an international program really look any better than just doing it in the US? I am soooo interested in international travel, but the prices are just so high =(

 

[AlexMorph]

Ugh. Reading this makes me sad.

I look to do stuff like this and then I realize I'm poor. I curse my parents for not being financial juggernauts.

lol, i am with you a 100%

 

[Dulcina]

Ugh. Reading this makes me sad.

I look to do stuff like this and then I realize I'm poor. I curse my parents for not being financial juggernauts.

hehe, my parents ARE financial juggernauts, but my money =/= their money

 

[Sir Buckethead]

There are many ways to raise support outside your parents, and many volunteers are using them ways.

 

[es255305]

hi,
If anyone is still looking for international volunteer ideas, I went to Peru with Cross Cultural Solutions. It was a really life-changing experience, I worked at Mother's Theresa's hospice for the Dying and Destitute, a fancy title which just means it is a care home for mentally and physically disabled childrens and men. It was a great experience with lots of hands-on health care work (I even got to shadow their free-clinic physician, and wow there were some things you'd NEVER see in the US, it was really sad but clinically interesting).

 

[DropkickMurphy]

uh oh..... "Our volunteers must be medical students, doctors, or nurses. If possible, please send us a doctor’s certificate by email. "

Ah hahahahahahaha! Too bad for all of you......guess you'll have to wait until you actually have some form of usable skill. 🙄

 

[premeder]

unite for sight is the best experiences of my life. http://www.uniteforsight.org/intl_volunteer/

you dont just shadow. you help the doctors make a real difference in peoples lives.