I know someone who served in the Peace Corps before med school. From talking to him and another person (who was not a pre-med) I get the impression that the Peace Corps has a lot of problems, so it can be discouraging and draining. It could be motivating, but I don't get the impression that this happens as much as it probably could. Personally, I would investigate programs for medical students to serve in international programs before I would join the Peace Corps.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/project/content/project/peacecorps/daily/1104voiceag.html
Second, the Peace Corps in the early 1960s, and to this day, continues to send volunteers alone to extremely remote rural areas, often without significant local language capability, usable skills or meaningful support. I have never understood the rationale behind these assignments; they're too dangerous.
Third, the Peace Corps has always had a problem assuring volunteers and itself that the job assignments overseas were real and meaningful. Too often Peace Corps assignments have been marginal and sometimes nearly nonexistent with ill-equipped young people having to fashion a job on the spot under the watchful eyes of local people.
At other times, the Peace Corps has sent "experts" to "help" local people who were more experienced and more expert than they. I can understand how this can happen in the first few years of the Peace Corps; it is difficult to justify four decades later.
Fourth, most Peace Corps volunteers experience serious illnesses, something not understood by the public. The Peace Corps may well be one of the most important experiences of an individuals life, but it exacts a price that the Peace Corps rarely acknowledges. And rarely, if ever, does the Peace Corps follow up with the huge number of volunteers to check on their health.
Fifth, the Peace Corps seems to remain oblivious to the difficulty many volunteers have in returning home. They receive little preparation and little Peace Corps support once they do.
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Proceed with caution and consider alternatives.
1. PC does have a lot of problems but there is a cost-benefit ratio that each individual must weigh.
2. PC has strong rules to ensure volunteer safety. There have actually only been a handful of deaths (less than a dozen I believe) in 40 years with thousands having served. About 6-7000 people are in the field at any given time. I think you are safer in the PC than in Miami. They have a section on safety on their website. Read it.
Some of the rules to ensure volunteer safety include having a phone in the village and the ability for the volunteer and PC staff to communicate at all times. All PC volunteers are covered with good health care which includes medevac-ing.
2.5. The 2 years (for teachers) and 27 months (for specialists) include 3 months of language and skills training. Village and city placements are not decided until the end of training so people with strong(er) skills or backgrounds in different areas go to the best mutually beneficial place. E.g. a nurse gets placed at a nursing school, a polyglot gets placed in an area where he will need to learn 2 languages, etc. I am not saying that the 3 months training is all perfect and well organized but there is some preparation. Part of PC and being a good volunteer is having initiative. Initiative includes figuring things out yourself- learning the language if you want to communicate and integrate (they give you texts and access to more advanced materials)- starting your own project if you are bored. There are resources if you ask for them but no one is going to coddle you.
3. Yes, I think every volunteer feels a little useless at some point. Thats why they call it the easiest job you will ever hate, playing off the real slogan. I felt like living propoganda sometimes. However, see 2.5 and having initiative. PC can be a metaphor for life- are you going to do something or just sit there?
I think the "experts" you are talking about are the specialists, those with a degree or work experience in health, business, environment, community development, or teaching (teacher trainers). If you are not an "expert" then you can only serve as an English teacher.
The way that specialists (and teachers) "help" is by integrating themselves, learning what the locals are doing, and adding their ideas where they are useful. No one (or no one who stays for long) goes in with the mindset that they are in the country to set things straight or to overhaul the local system. The most successful projects and placements are those that have a great deal of community involvement and are in fact managed by the locals. It is not as patronising as you might think. However you might be thinking of the crisis corps, "experts" who are so qualified because they are returned volunteers who go back to their country of service for a short term stint to help in a crisis for which they have the skills to assist in.
4. I dont know where you get the fact that "most" volunteers experience a serious illness. This is simply not true. You have access to medical care 24-7 or ability to speak to a doc who can get it to you within 24 hours. When else in your life will you have your own medical professional on-call for you? There are the aforementioned medevac services, PC will fly (and pay for) a volunteer to get to the nearest PC staffed med facility at a moments notice, you have a medical kit, restocked whenever you want, etc. Sure, there are a lot more opportunities to pick up giardia and to cut yourself when you have to chop your own wood but PC health care is pretty solid. Full physical and dental checks at least every year, beginning before you arrive. And, in order to get your readjustment allowance ($250 per month of service to be paid on return to the US) you have to complete a full physical and dental check. PC also pays for any med care needed for illnesses from service even after you get back. If you get pregnant, they pay for prenatal care while you fatten up stateside.
5. What support should PC give for RPCVs (returned PC volunteers)? You get money, which isnt a lot but is really useful ($5-6K for full service) to restart your US life. They have newsletters, job listings, fellowships, etc. There are strong RPCV networks and resources if you look for them.
My real two cents- Oncocap- if you didnt do it, dont speculate and use hearsay as evidence.
OP- research it, talk to a recruiter, do it if you want.
And yes, I served, came back and applied successfully to med school.
Sorry for the long response.
