VCOM medical missions program

[Rickybobby]

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Anyone have further information on the quality of VCOM's medical mission program? Anyone else interested?

RB

 

[Natatiap]

I'm interested in doing a medical mission for VCOM. They talked a little bit about it at the Open House and on Interview Day but I dont remember many details. They have lots of possibilities and they all seem interesting.

 

[psychbender]

The international missions, or the rural missions? Rural missions are handled via the Virginia Rural Health Association (with VCOM having the only student chapter). VRHA participates with RAM missions to rural Virginia (and, I hope, some of the RAM sites in Tennessee), and organize the events without the aide of the school (we convince faculty to come with us, but that's about the extent of school involvement). International missions thus far have been handled through one faculty member's religious mission organization. Eventually, VCOM is supposed to open school-affiliated rotation and mission sites, but this has not yet occured. The Dean loves to advertise the international mission work (but isn't our mandate to provide healthcare to rural and underserved areas in Appalachia?), despite the fact that nothing is currently available to the students through the school itself.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Anyone have further information on the quality of VCOM's medical mission program? Anyone else interested?

RB

I might be interested depending on the area they go to and what precisely they are working on.....

 

[Rickybobby]

I agree, it does seem odd that they advertise an international mission program but the school's mission is to provide medical care to appalachia? I am from rural VA and it certainly needs medical expertise, especially emergency medicine.

I will be applying there either 2008 or 2009 and am just trying to gather information. If anyone has any further info on this program let me know.

Thanks,
RB

 

[Sarikate]

When I went for my interview, this is what I took back from it:

One of the physicians there is a member of a faith-based organization that takes mission trips (think he's the founder, actually) to several developing countries throughout the year. Students are welcome to go and can do some fundraising, etc. to raise money to pay for their trips. VCOM itself has no formal affiliation with that organization.

There are trips to underserved parts of Virginia as well, and this rural health outreach is affiliated with the school. I didn't hear as much about this, but one of the students who talked about it said it was kind of a bummer that they would go to the area, do some work, and then leave - leaving the people with no continuity of care because there's no clinic around and no physicians. This is a problem all over the world. I hear 'em loud and clear.