Third World Emergency Medicine

[Smilemaker100]

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Hello there,

I normally don`t post in this particular forum. I wanted to know if there were any ER doctors who have volunteered abroad in developing countries and if so, which organizations those volunteer projects were affiliated with.

I, myself, am looking forward to devoting some time to volunteer as a dentist abroad and working with a multidisciplinary team (involving surgeons, ER docs, nurses, optometrists, dieticians, teachers etc.) . Hopefully, if all goes well, I will be headed somewhere within the next year. It will be a dream come true for me!

Thanks!

 

[MD Dreams]

I know that doctors without borders is always looking for EM Docs. I'm not sure if that if what you are looking for however. I think if you Google it you should be able to find some useful stuff.

 

[Koko]

Hello there,

I normally don`t post in this particular forum. I wanted to know if there were any ER doctors who have volunteered abroad in developing countries and if so, which organizations those volunteer projects were affiliated with.

I, myself, am looking forward to devoting some time to volunteer as a dentist abroad and working with a multidisciplinary team (involving surgeons, ER docs, nurses, optometrists, dieticians, teachers etc.) . Hopefully, if all goes well, I will be headed somewhere within the next year. It will be a dream come true for me!

Thanks!

As an MSIV, I recently did some work in St. Lucia at St. Jude Hospital. This hospital uses many international volunteers to supplement their staff, and there were two dentists from Canada volunteering while I was there. Good, clean, safe housing, edible food and a fun group of people. Plus the island is beautiful.

In my previous life I worked for an international medical relief NGO, doing many projects (disaster, on-going relief, educational, etc.) and worked with all sorts of docs, including EM docs. Feel free to ask specific questions and I'd be happy to answer what I can. I went most everywhere, except for the Far East/SE Asia.

 

[southerndoc]

I will be spending 6 weeks in Zambia in 2007 under the Yale/Johnson & Johnson Physician Scholars Program.

There are many international medicine fellowships available. Probably half the EM residencies in the country have active international components, and nearly all offer some sort of international rotation.

I was wanting to spend time in Uganda, but the political instability makes this an uncertainty. One of our attendings is the son of Liberian President Sirleaf, and he is in the process of establishing medical rotations there for residents and attending physicians.

 

[cardyjones]

Wow KOKO!,

I spent three seperate one month stints at living near St Jude's as a child in the mid 80s (age 5, 7, 9) while my father (an internist) volunteered at the hospital. I spent a lot of time wandering around the hospital and we took most of our meals at the cafeteria (beans and franks). Is Il Pirata still around?
What is View Fort like? I can't believe you were there!

I'm finishing up third year and planning to go into EM; I just got back from Punta Gorda, Belize where I volunteered in a family med clinic and surely plan on volunteering as an EM physician. They are needed around the world. Wow, I mean I seriously got chills when I read that you hand been to St. Jude's. Awesome, dude.

Cardy

 

[Koko]

Wow KOKO!,

I spent three seperate one month stints at living near St Jude's as a child in the mid 80s (age 5, 7, 9) while my father (an internist) volunteered at the hospital. I spent a lot of time wandering around the hospital and we took most of our meals at the cafeteria (beans and franks). Is Il Pirata still around?
What is View Fort like? I can't believe you were there!

I'm finishing up third year and planning to go into EM; I just got back from Punta Gorda, Belize where I volunteered in a family med clinic and surely plan on volunteering as an EM physician. They are needed around the world. Wow, I mean I seriously got chills when I read that you hand been to St. Jude's. Awesome, dude.

Cardy

Hey Cardy,

Small world isn't it? The food supposedly has gotten better over the years according to those who have been going for awhile, although it's still cafeteria fare. Not sure who Il Pirata is - I'm gussing he/she's not there since the name doesn't ring a bell. I went down with an EM attending and 3rd year EM resident. We had a blast. I worked in the ED most days and did some teaching as well. There were several volunteers from all over (med students from US, England, Egypt, Ireland, the dentists, an Ob/Gyn, internist, peds resident, FP and three orthopods). Vieux Fort has a small downtown area with a grocery store and shops, including a KFC. The beaches are beautiful and much less crowded than Castries/up north. There were some European vacationers and kite sailing is pretty big. We traveled all over the island and had fun at night with the locals and other volunteers.

How was Belize? I hear it's gorgeous. Lots of great opportunities for EPs around the world in all sorts of settings. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you like. Only have intermittent internet access these days, though.

 

[SoCuteMD]

I will be spending 6 weeks in Zambia in 2007 under the Yale/Johnson & Johnson Physician Scholars Program.

And southerndoc doesn't know it yet, but I'll be stowing myself in his suitcase in an effort to return to Zambia 🙂.

I spent 6 weeks in Zambia between my junior and senior years in college. I was in the Western Province, the most sparsely-populated province in Zambia. I believe the population density at that time was somewhere around 11 people/square km!!!!! In any case, I was at the only hospital for 50 km (to the West) and 160 km (to the East) and about 100 km (to the North). South of us was Uganda, so I'm not sure where the nearest hospital there was! 2 doctors (one who had just given birth!), 5000 people, no indoor plumbing or electricity (except in the hospital). This doctor was EVERYTHING: Ob, gyn, primary care, SURGEON, anesthesiologist. I honestly can't think of a skill set that would have been more appropriate for a visiting physician than Emergency Medicine. With that said, I'm not sure that when I go back in 10 years or so I'll be jumping at the opportunity to perform surgery.

 

[southerndoc]

I was wanting a rotation in Uganda, but I got my second choice. The Yale/J&J directors said the political environment in Uganda is too uncertain right now to allow the rotation.

Four of our residents have been to Zambia in the last 2 years, and all speak very highly of the experience with the patients, the people, and the country. I'm really looking forward to it. I was planning a brief trip to Zimbabwe to see the other side of Victoria Falls (I will be staying in a hostel only 5 km from the falls), a trip to Botswana for a photo safari, and a trip to Cape Town, South Africa to get rid of this ghostly white look that I get every winter!

I'm very excited! 🙂

 

[SoCuteMD]

I was wanting a rotation in Uganda, but I got my second choice. The Yale/J&J directors said the political environment in Uganda is too uncertain right now to allow the rotation.

Four of our residents have been to Zambia in the last 2 years, and all speak very highly of the experience with the patients, the people, and the country. I'm really looking forward to it. I was planning a brief trip to Zimbabwe to see the other side of Victoria Falls (I will be staying in a hostel only 5 km from the falls), a trip to Botswana for a photo safari, and a trip to Cape Town, South Africa to get rid of this ghostly white look that I get every winter!

I'm very excited! 🙂

Do the Zimbabwe side.

When you book the safari, choose the company you book it through very carefully (and look at what country they are in!) as we got screwed by an exchange rate snafu. If you want, I can e-mail my old advisor and ask her who she went through most recently (just last June) and how it was. I believe we stayed at the Chobe Lodge (or something similarly named...there were two that had similar names and one was very very expensive, ours was less so). The accomodations were still amazing and slightly off-putting after 6 weeks in rural Zambia!!

Don't forget the helicopter ride over the falls!! Bring American cash (small bills - $1 and $5) to pay for it if you are doing in on the Zimbabwe side - much cheaper and people will be MUCH happier that way!!

Wow...I get excited thinking about OTHER people going to Zambia. I had an amazing time there, not to mention the fact that I had one of those life-affirming "this is why I want to go into medicine" moments as well.

 

[totalbodypain]

Does the dirty county environment qualify as third world emergency medicine? May be able to save you guys some money on travel costs.

 

[mfleur]

As an MSIV, I recently did some work in St. Lucia at St. Jude Hospital. This hospital uses many international volunteers to supplement their staff, and there were two dentists from Canada volunteering while I was there. Good, clean, safe housing, edible food and a fun group of people. Plus the island is beautiful.

In my previous life I worked for an international medical relief NGO, doing many projects (disaster, on-going relief, educational, etc.) and worked with all sorts of docs, including EM docs. Feel free to ask specific questions and I'd be happy to answer what I can. I went most everywhere, except for the Far East/SE Asia.

I checked out the web site but couldnt find any information for medical students...were there any students there on their own?

 

[mysophobe]

What do you eat over there? I've always been kind of interested in doing something like that, but I need food that I am sure probably won't kill me or give me horrible diarrhea.

 

[irrka]

you can always invest in a backpack full of nothing but power bars😀 should last you until you're so sick of them you'll eat any other food methinks? 😉

 

[a_ditchdoc]

Military MRE's from surplus stores have doubtlessly saved me from many unpalatable meals. Although I am not squeamish or picky, I do draw a line at food that is unrefrigerated for long periods, has an offensive odor, or if I cannot recognize the animal it came from... (OMG, I think I ate monkey once...)

 

[irrka]

Military MRE's from surplus stores have doubtlessly saved me from many unpalatable meals. Although I am not squeamish or picky, I do draw a line at food that is unrefrigerated for long periods, has an offensive odor, or if I cannot recognize the animal it came from... (OMG, I think I ate monkey once...)

well, i think offensive order pretty much has everyone covered. except for durien-eaters 😉

 

[a_ditchdoc]

well, i think offensive order pretty much has everyone covered. except for durien-eaters 😉

Well, I suppose it depends on how hungry you get. Once on a trek in Africa I ate some things that were pretty rancid. I only hoped they had been cooked well AFTER they went bad. On other trips, I have resorted to eating pigeon, lung (of god knows what), and mystery meat. It really was not as bad as you think. You just swallow...don't think...just swallow....

 

[irrka]

there's nothing wrong with mystery meat. as long as it's not worms. 🙂 as for organ meats, they eat them in europe too ya kno, and that's 1st world 😛

 

[mysophobe]

Okidokie. I think I'm definitely staying in the US. If'in I go abroad, it'll be for vacation.

 

[SoCuteMD]

Okidokie. I think I'm definitely staying in the US. If'in I go abroad, it'll be for vacation.

There are definitely ways to go that DON'T involve eating mystery meat. While my experience may not have been as "authentic" as some, I also did NOT end up with schistosomiasis or anything of the like. Heck, the group that went to Kenya from my school actually had a cell phone (yeah, I felt that was a bit much, too!).

 

[Koko]

I checked out the web site but couldnt find any information for medical students...were there any students there on their own?

Yes, there were students their on their own. But they had to make arrangements with the hospital prior to arrival. Not sure what that entails since I went with an EM attending and R3. You can start by contacting them to see what you need to do to set it up.

 

[Koko]

What do you eat over there? I've always been kind of interested in doing something like that, but I need food that I am sure probably won't kill me or give me horrible diarrhea.

The caf food is usually quite edible. Soup, stew, rice and other local food. There is always peanut butter and bread, too. Also, there is a grocery store that has a good deal to offer that is walking distance from the hospital. If you get into any of the towns, there are other options, including some good restaurants.

Having been to some pretty inhospitable places and having eaten some challenging foods, this trip was a cake walk: safe, clean, decent food and hot/cold running water.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I went to a rural Mayan Guatemalan village and volunteered in a hospital run by an organization called Pueblo a Pueblo.