Volunteering Abroad

[Ryanjingle]

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Are there any programs or opportunities that would allow one who doesn't have a bachelors yet to volunteer? Sort of like Mercyships or MSF but without the qualifications obviously:/
I would love to go to an underdeveloped country and help out anyway I can (I suppose it doesn't have to be exactly medical related) Anything guys? I'm an Anthropology major btw in case that means anything
Thank you

 

[gyngyn]

Medical volunteering in another country without skills is not recommended.
Even raw labor is likely taking work away from a local who really needs the job.

 

[JeSuisUnDoc]

There are many places close to you that need your help. Don’t spend thousands to volunteer couple weeks when you could do it for free here. If you want something meaningful abroad then peace corps but that’s real and requires 2 years.


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[RNtoMD87]

Anyone that can do mercy ships, I think that is great. If I'm ever in a position where I can afford to, I'd love to.

 

[Ryanjingle]

well ok then nevermind. @gyngyn

 

[RNtoMD87]

Mercyships require skillsets to be onboard such able seaman, cook, etc. there are concerns by medical schools about overseas volunteer as noted below

https://www.aamc.org/download/474346/data/clinicalexperiencesshadowingsurvey.pdf

• Member schools expressed significant concern with regards to premedical students engaging in unsupervised clinical activities in international settings. In particular, 45- 50% of those schools completing the survey described applicant involvement in invasive procedures in international settings as either harmful to, or of no value to, their application. Examples of such invasive procedures include giving vaccinations, suturing an injury, pulling teeth, and delivering a baby. This concern of admissions officers persisted, albeit at lower levels (35-40% of respondents), when the students were supervised by a health professional while performing such invasive procedures in international settings.

How about people that are already healthcare professionals and working within their scope of practice?

 

[Wahed]

Volunteering internationally is never the most effective way to help a situation, and as others have said is often more harmful than helpful. If you really want to help, raise money and send it.

That said, the experience of going can be really rewarding, and can be done in a way that is somewhat helpful (even if not maximally helpful, i.e. sending money). I volunteered in a refugee camp for a month. If I hadn't been there, no one would have done it. Nothing I did put anyone else at risk. Essentially I was there to distribute supplies, which is actually sort of a hard thing to do because the tendency in the camp I visited was towards the development of angry mobs. I don't know how much good I did for the situation, but I did some, and I learned a ton about the issues refugees face, and about trying to organize aid in that kind of setting. If I was gonna do it over, I would have spent months beforehand on some kind of fundraising activity, and then gone over there to purchase and distribute supplies.

Invariably, unskilled people who volunteer overseas walk away with much more than they give. The exchange is always fairly one sided. You just being there won't be very helpful, but it'll be somewhat helpful, and you'll learn a lot.

If you're interested, start researching NGOs that do that kind of work. Many will not take volunteers under the age of 25. Do a lot of research. Know the situation and what you're walking into. If you go, do NOT treat it like a vacation.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

Are there any programs or opportunities that would allow one who doesn't have a bachelors yet to volunteer? Sort of like Mercyships or MSF but without the qualifications obviously:/
I would love to go to an underdeveloped country and help out anyway I can (I suppose it doesn't have to be exactly medical related) Anything guys? I'm an Anthropology major btw in case that means anything
Thank you

Check out IVHQ, Projects Abroad, and UNICEF! I did 2/3 with only minor qualifications and an on-going bachelors

 

[vrazzles]

Just gonna jump in here and stump for Peace Corps! We need more teachers in Tanzania.

It's 2 years though and can be miserable so don't do it just for your app.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

Just gonna jump in here and stump for Peace Corps! We need more teachers in Tanzania.

It's 2 years though and can be miserable so don't do it just for your app.

I went to Tz with one of the programs i listed. For OP, I 100% recommend against Peace Corps. PeaceCorps and Americorps take a special breed of people (ones who don’t mind physically torturing themselves for the next two years). I loved Tz, but i don’t think I could do teaching there.

 

[URHere]

I recommend reading the book Toxic Charity. It's a fast read and it is a very thorough discussion of the types of problems that stem from international volunteering.

Even as a resident nearing the end of training, in a program specifically geared towards global health...I still have a very contentious relationship with international medical work. The more I see, the more I believe that long-term programs in severely understaffed areas (like those through MSF) and programs that help local communities build their own medical resources (like the peace corps' global health service partnership) are the only programs not actively damaging the communities involved. You have no role at your level of training. If you want to help, wait until you are fully trained and then join one of the programs I listed above.