Schools that emphasize service

[Salaam]

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I am interested in learning more about opportunities available for medical students to volunteer through their institutions. For example, UTHSCSA has a free health clinic that medical students can volunteer at.

Also, I am really interested in schools that offer the chance to do rotations overseas.

Does any particular school(s) come to mind?

 

[1289]

look at schools' websites for this kind of info. off the top of my head, GW has a big global health program, and there are a lottttttt of schools that have free clinics like the one you mentioned.

 

[LockDoc]

Creighton. The do a ton of volunteer stuff and have an optional rotation in rural Dominican Republic

 

[LisaFrank]

I am interested in learning more about opportunities available for medical students to volunteer through their institutions. For example, UTHSCSA has a free health clinic that medical students can volunteer at.

Also, I am really interested in schools that offer the chance to do rotations overseas.

Does any particular school(s) come to mind?

Tulane requires a minimum of 15 hours of volunteer work for first year med students, and 10 hours for second year med students. Here's a list of some of the student-run clinics and organizations
http://tulane.edu/som/community_service.cfm

Many Tulane students also earn MPHs, and there are opportunities to do international public health rotations, especially if you're focusing your MPH in global health or tropical medicine.

 

[Go Ducks]

Every school has service opportunities. When you are in school, though, what you'll really want to be doing is studying. If you spend your time doing community service, you'll want to do it whenever works best for YOU and not according to a school's schedule.

I had to do a service project for my school and it was the biggest waste of time ever. Plus it fell during a course that was difficult for me. On the other hand, I did community service on my own with an outside organization every week on a day that worked better for me, and could skip it when I was behind in school.

My point: if your school is in a city, you don't have to worry about whether the school has community service opportunities because community organizations have better opportunities than the schools. The schools have a few important standard projects that are at every med school, plus a few extra projects to make themselves look good but which aren't very important for the community.

Also, for some reason, EVERYONE thinks that their school has the best community service opportunities. They all quote free clinics or trips to the Dominican Republic or a rotation in Haiti. I can assure you that in reality, every school has these things. They are not distinguishing factors.

 

[djolson39]

The University of Minnesota has a pretty extensive list of affiliated international institutions. Here is a link to the International Medical Education and Research Program. I'm not too familiar with the program myself I will just be starting there this fall.
http://www.meded.umn.edu/imer/

 

[mmmcdowe]

I am interested in learning more about opportunities available for medical students to volunteer through their institutions. For example, UTHSCSA has a free health clinic that medical students can volunteer at.

Also, I am really interested in schools that offer the chance to do rotations overseas.

Does any particular school(s) come to mind?

Lots of schools have these things, if not almost all. Columbia has four student clinics, a dental clinic, and about 30 affiliate hospitals in other countries. You can do rotations elsewhere, even if a given school doesn't have a direct affiliate. It just takes more legwork on your part to find a hospital and set it up.