Volunteer opportunities for radiologists

[Fireboy]

I know that many of the benefits of radiology have been explained in quite some depth on this forum. However, I was wondering if radiology also offers any opportunities for international volunteering (or domestically for that matter)?

I know that Radiology Mammography International offers missions, but they seem to be very infrequent, and it is the only organization of this kind of which I have heard.

Are there any other such organizations? What are the other volunteer opportunities for radiologists?

Thanks a lot!

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[Docxter]

I know that many of the benefits of radiology have been explained in quite some depth on this forum. However, I was wondering if radiology also offers any opportunities for international volunteering (or domestically for that matter)?

I know that Radiology Mammography International offers missions, but they seem to be very infrequent, and it is the only organization of this kind of which I have heard.

Are there any other such organizations? What are the other volunteer opportunities for radiologists?

Thanks a lot!

Try this:
http://www.rsna.org/International/IROR.cfm

It has a list of some of the resources.

Also, in radiology global outreach, you do not necessarily have to go to a 3rd world country to do good. A lot of resources can and has been made online for others to use. Scores of radiologists have made freely available thousands and thousands of online teaching files for the benefit of anyone around the world. The RSNA MIRC system has also become a teaching resource for many. Another form is equipment and supplies donations which happens on a regular places by many departments and practices. Also, sponsoring trainees or radiologists from third world countries has been done on a routine basis, well at least until recently when the combination of state department, visa, homeland security, HIPAA, State laws, hospital rules committees, etc. have made it near impossible to bring these people here to train for a few months for free. For example the University of Pennsylvania hospitals would bring people from poor african countries for a few months of training or some other hospitals as well, but they stopped doing it a few years ago, because it was so difficult.

 

[f_w]

There is not much need for radiologists in any kind of 'mission medicine' (there is a general question whether 'mission medicine' is a worthwhile pursuit, but that is on a different page).

I have been told that the best contribution a radiologist can make to a 'medical mission' is to contribute 2 weeks of his pre-tax income to bankroll expenses for someone elses project (e.g. paying transportation for ancillary or logistics staff). Typically this is fully expendable on your tax return and has so much more impact than going along and diddling around with some portable ultrasound machine.