Volunteering in India/finding a research position

[NeeleshD]

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Hey!
I'm a pre-med student trying to stay competitive with my fellow classmates at the university I attend. Many of them have traveled to other countries where there's a dearth of healthcare. There, they were able to assist physicians in diagnosis and small tasks, which in turn helped the patients the physicians saw. I want to do the same but the programs are ridiculously expensive. I do plan on traveling to India next summer and was wondering if anyone knew of any good volunteer programs in which I could participate. Even better, I'd like to intern or participate in a program at a medical college in India. Hopefully I will be able to volunteer at my university hospital between now and next summer and also take a Hindi/Urdu course. I do speak and understand some Hindi but I want to become fluent and also learn to write the language. Anyways, I'll probably stay somewhere in Delhi as I have some family in that area, but let me know about any of the programs you know of! I'd be willing to relocate. I'd really like to be able to help out less fortunate communities in the area. Sorry for the lengthy post! Thanks!

 

[NeeleshD]

Oh and also, it would be great to get some help on finding a research position at my university. I'm trying to land any type of research position to build a resume while gaining some experience. Thanks!

 

[Illinois2012]

http://twitter.com/#!/UMichMedAdmiss/status/88565424643506176

http://twitter.com/#!/UMichMedAdmiss/status/88710182900731905

 

[EsseQuamVideri]

Hey!
I'm a pre-med student trying to stay competitive with my fellow classmates at the university I attend. Many of them have traveled to other countries where there's a dearth of healthcare. There, they were able to assist physicians in diagnosis and small tasks, which in turn helped the patients the physicians saw. I want to do the same but the programs are ridiculously expensive. I do plan on traveling to India next summer and was wondering if anyone knew of any good volunteer programs in which I could participate. Even better, I'd like to intern or participate in a program at a medical college in India. Hopefully I will be able to volunteer at my university hospital between now and next summer and also take a Hindi/Urdu course. I do speak and understand some Hindi but I want to become fluent and also learn to write the language. Anyways, I'll probably stay somewhere in Delhi as I have some family in that area, but let me know about any of the programs you know of! I'd be willing to relocate. I'd really like to be able to help out less fortunate communities in the area. Sorry for the lengthy post! Thanks!

I, too, tried to follow this path back when I was trying to be a "good premed." It makes sense to want to help people, especially when you become informed about the healthcare situation in some lesser LDCs (less dev. count.). However, Illinois2012 is right in referring you to the ethical debate. With global health as an exploding area of interest in the past several years, more attention has been brought to "why did you have to go to a country where the laws are more lax to get an authentic clinical experience?" Think about it: does one, as an undergrad with no professional healthcare skills, have anything to offer aside from patient shuttling, paper pushing, and shadowing? Why couldn't this be done in the US and what might you risk in the way of peoples' health if you weren't being watched by our "overprotective" health care laws?

If you want to travel, do it and see if you can shadow or just educate yourself on the system while you're there. If you want to help before your MD, get an EMT license.

The programs are usually very expensive because they are providing you a service (travel and experience) whereas you aren't really offering any skills in return.

 

[gujuDoc]

Hey!
I'm a pre-med student trying to stay competitive with my fellow classmates at the university I attend. Many of them have traveled to other countries where there's a dearth of healthcare. There, they were able to assist physicians in diagnosis and small tasks, which in turn helped the patients the physicians saw. I want to do the same but the programs are ridiculously expensive. I do plan on traveling to India next summer and was wondering if anyone knew of any good volunteer programs in which I could participate. Even better, I'd like to intern or participate in a program at a medical college in India. Hopefully I will be able to volunteer at my university hospital between now and next summer and also take a Hindi/Urdu course. I do speak and understand some Hindi but I want to become fluent and also learn to write the language. Anyways, I'll probably stay somewhere in Delhi as I have some family in that area, but let me know about any of the programs you know of! I'd be willing to relocate. I'd really like to be able to help out less fortunate communities in the area. Sorry for the lengthy post! Thanks!

Look up the organization called CFHI http://www.cfhi.org/web/index.php

Or the organization called projects abroad

The cfhi org has stuff in rural india in northern india and something at a mumbai infectious disease hospital. The projects abroad programs have programs in south india in andhra pradesh.

However, that said........... I do agree with the person that posted twitter posts from Umich med.

I would advise that you get involved with free clinics here esp. if you know spanish and can help translate. That will allow you to do some heavy shadowing stuff while being useful.

I would also advise you to email professors who you are interested in doing research with and finding out if they can take u on.

Also want to do something abroad?? Look at projects abroad non healthcare options like teaching english. That will set u apart too, but then again you can do that with the poor here too.

 

[NeeleshD]

Well I am definitely not trying to overstep any boundaries as far as patient care goes. I am not saying I want to take advantage of the lax healthcare laws that other countries may have. I do not plan on treating patients without the proper education and experience. I realize I am only a student and will focus on observing the physician in his treatment of his patients. The students that I mentioned in my first post underwent training before departing on their trip and from my knowledge, did not do anything that would be regarded unethical. They did not diagnose patients of course, and I may be wrong in saying they even assisted in diagnosis. I'm just trying to lend a hand where I can, and since I'm going to India next summer, why not volunteer and gain some type of experience and knowledge about global health (or at least, the healthcare system in India)? My goal here is not to gain some clinical experience I wouldn't be able to receive in the States. Other pre-med students will probably pursue their own volunteering or interning ventures in the United States, since I will be going to India, why can't I do the same? Thanks a lot for showing me how much controversy was involved in international volunteering. I had no idea. But anyways, at the university I attend I doubt many professors will reply to any e-mails about research as they are probably annoyed by the mass of e-mails they receive on that same subject. I'll give it a shot nonetheless. It's hard to land a position and it sucks that those who received work-study grants practically had them handed over to them. So does anyone else know about any other REPUTABLE and RESPONSIBLE programs that I could partake in while in India? Thanks to all of you guys for the information.

 

[ash914]

Well I am definitely not trying to overstep any boundaries as far as patient care goes. I am not saying I want to take advantage of the lax healthcare laws that other countries may have. I do not plan on treating patients without the proper education and experience. I realize I am only a student and will focus on observing the physician in his treatment of his patients. The students that I mentioned in my first post underwent training before departing on their trip and from my knowledge, did not do anything that would be regarded unethical. They did not diagnose patients of course, and I may be wrong in saying they even assisted in diagnosis. I'm just trying to lend a hand where I can, and since I'm going to India next summer, why not volunteer and gain some type of experience and knowledge about global health (or at least, the healthcare system in India)? My goal here is not to gain some clinical experience I wouldn't be able to receive in the States. Other pre-med students will probably pursue their own volunteering or interning ventures in the United States, since I will be going to India, why can't I do the same? Thanks a lot for showing me how much controversy was involved in international volunteering. I had no idea. But anyways, at the university I attend I doubt many professors will reply to any e-mails about research as they are probably annoyed by the mass of e-mails they receive on that same subject. I'll give it a shot nonetheless. It's hard to land a position and it sucks that those who received work-study grants practically had them handed over to them. So does anyone else know about any other REPUTABLE and RESPONSIBLE programs that I could partake in while in India? Thanks to all of you guys for the information.

As far as your research situation, make sure your emails aren't simply "Do you have space in your lab?" There's plenty of topics on how to get research positions (in labs at your university), but some key points:

- Get familiar with the professor's work. Read through at least a few abstracts and mention in your email why specifically it got your interest.
- Mention your background coursework and other experiences. You might want to include a resume, but you need to make the relevent parts clear in your email.
- Make it clear what your goals are, and ask if you would have the oppurtunity of doing your own project or get your name on a publication down the line, but keep in mind that takes time
- Be nice. A courteous email is much less likely to annoy the professor in the way you mention
- At a lot of universities, during the year you will not be paid. During the summer, most positions I've seen have nothing to do with work study. You might be lucky enough to find a paid research position during the summer, but even then you will probably be volunteering/getting course credit until you build some experience.


As far as the India thing goes. The medical system there is a lot different, and shadowing and such won't carry over, since medical schools want to make sure you know what you are getting into here. However, if you are going to be there regardless, you might be able to do some grunt work, though you need to keep in mind it's not the same as any clinical experience you would get here. The formal programs people will direct you to usually are for students going from here for a short time and what they offer isn't something that makes you an amazing applicant.

 

[gujuDoc]

Well I am definitely not trying to overstep any boundaries as far as patient care goes. I am not saying I want to take advantage of the lax healthcare laws that other countries may have. I do not plan on treating patients without the proper education and experience. I realize I am only a student and will focus on observing the physician in his treatment of his patients. The students that I mentioned in my first post underwent training before departing on their trip and from my knowledge, did not do anything that would be regarded unethical. They did not diagnose patients of course, and I may be wrong in saying they even assisted in diagnosis. I'm just trying to lend a hand where I can, and since I'm going to India next summer, why not volunteer and gain some type of experience and knowledge about global health (or at least, the healthcare system in India)? My goal here is not to gain some clinical experience I wouldn't be able to receive in the States. Other pre-med students will probably pursue their own volunteering or interning ventures in the United States, since I will be going to India, why can't I do the same? Thanks a lot for showing me how much controversy was involved in international volunteering. I had no idea. But anyways, at the university I attend I doubt many professors will reply to any e-mails about research as they are probably annoyed by the mass of e-mails they receive on that same subject. I'll give it a shot nonetheless. It's hard to land a position and it sucks that those who received work-study grants practically had them handed over to them. So does anyone else know about any other REPUTABLE and RESPONSIBLE programs that I could partake in while in India? Thanks to all of you guys for the information.

If you read my post at all you'd have seen I gave you the name of two reputable programs. CFHI is mostly based out of north India and Mumbai and Maharastra. They have a sight in Pune which is also in Maharastra.

The Projectsabroad.org people are based out of south east india.

Where in India are you going exactly??? One of the CFHI sites is in New Dehli and another in Mumbai.

If you tell me where you are going I may be able to help you more. You can also try to look on the amsa national website. there's a link for international opportunities on there.

 

[EsseQuamVideri]

Well I am definitely not trying to overstep any boundaries as far as patient care goes. I am not saying I want to take advantage of the lax healthcare laws that other countries may have. I do not plan on treating patients without the proper education and experience. I realize I am only a student and will focus on observing the physician in his treatment of his patients. The students that I mentioned in my first post underwent training before departing on their trip and from my knowledge, did not do anything that would be regarded unethical. They did not diagnose patients of course, and I may be wrong in saying they even assisted in diagnosis. I'm just trying to lend a hand where I can, and since I'm going to India next summer, why not volunteer and gain some type of experience and knowledge about global health (or at least, the healthcare system in India)? My goal here is not to gain some clinical experience I wouldn't be able to receive in the States. Other pre-med students will probably pursue their own volunteering or interning ventures in the United States, since I will be going to India, why can't I do the same? Thanks a lot for showing me how much controversy was involved in international volunteering. I had no idea. But anyways, at the university I attend I doubt many professors will reply to any e-mails about research as they are probably annoyed by the mass of e-mails they receive on that same subject. I'll give it a shot nonetheless. It's hard to land a position and it sucks that those who received work-study grants practically had them handed over to them. So does anyone else know about any other REPUTABLE and RESPONSIBLE programs that I could partake in while in India? Thanks to all of you guys for the information.

You gotta want it more than the others. Professors need students even if it's just to run gels and clean glassware. Get top grades, read research papers, think about your project and develop new ideas; these things make you stand out and will get you more responsibility in the lab.

Himalayan Health Exchange (HHE) may be another org to investigate. I also read about a study abroad semester focusing on global health that studied health systems around several countries. I forgot the name but I'm sure google could help you out there. It was kind of expensive for a semester program though.

There are a lot of great programs that involve healthcare indirectly. If you go to a community of lower caste individuals (caste does in fact still exist in India) who are affected by their economic status, try working on a project to improve sanitary water delivery or build sustainable pit latrines. In fact, they did this in Haiti at a displacement camp after the earthquake to separate urine and feces. The fecal matter was then used to fertilize their farms to increase crop yields and profits. Regardless of your choice, make it interesting to yourself and helpful to others and you can't go wrong 👍

 

[NeeleshD]

Sorry gujuDoc for overlooking your earlier post. I meant in no way to call the groups you mentioned irresponsible, I just simply began posting without looking at all the replies. CFHI looks interesting, I'll look into it! And I didn't know the AMSA site posted international opportunities, that will be a great help. Thank you very much!

 

[NeeleshD]

You gotta want it more than the others. Professors need students even if it's just to run gels and clean glassware. Get top grades, read research papers, think about your project and develop new ideas; these things make you stand out and will get you more responsibility in the lab.

Himalayan Health Exchange (HHE) may be another org to investigate. I also read about a study abroad semester focusing on global health that studied health systems around several countries. I forgot the name but I'm sure google could help you out there. It was kind of expensive for a semester program though.

There are a lot of great programs that involve healthcare indirectly. If you go to a community of lower caste individuals (caste does in fact still exist in India) who are affected by their economic status, try working on a project to improve sanitary water delivery or build sustainable pit latrines. In fact, they did this in Haiti at a displacement camp after the earthquake to separate urine and feces. The fecal matter was then used to fertilize their farms to increase crop yields and profits. Regardless of your choice, make it interesting to yourself and helpful to others and you can't go wrong 👍

I would love to do something like that! That's a great idea. About the research position: I'll have to get to reading some papers! But I'll definitely reach out to some professors and show them it's something I really want.

 

[NeeleshD]

As far as your research situation, make sure your emails aren't simply "Do you have space in your lab?" There's plenty of topics on how to get research positions (in labs at your university), but some key points:

- Get familiar with the professor's work. Read through at least a few abstracts and mention in your email why specifically it got your interest.
- Mention your background coursework and other experiences. You might want to include a resume, but you need to make the relevent parts clear in your email.
- Make it clear what your goals are, and ask if you would have the oppurtunity of doing your own project or get your name on a publication down the line, but keep in mind that takes time
- Be nice. A courteous email is much less likely to annoy the professor in the way you mention
- At a lot of universities, during the year you will not be paid. During the summer, most positions I've seen have nothing to do with work study. You might be lucky enough to find a paid research position during the summer, but even then you will probably be volunteering/getting course credit until you build some experience.


As far as the India thing goes. The medical system there is a lot different, and shadowing and such won't carry over, since medical schools want to make sure you know what you are getting into here. However, if you are going to be there regardless, you might be able to do some grunt work, though you need to keep in mind it's not the same as any clinical experience you would get here. The formal programs people will direct you to usually are for students going from here for a short time and what they offer isn't something that makes you an amazing applicant.

Thanks ash, I'll definitely take all of that into account. You guys/gals have been helpful. Thanks a lot, I really mean it.

 

[gujuDoc]

Sorry gujuDoc for overlooking your earlier post. I meant in no way to call the groups you mentioned irresponsible, I just simply began posting without looking at all the replies. CFHI looks interesting, I'll look into it! And I didn't know the AMSA site posted international opportunities, that will be a great help. Thank you very much!

No problema. And as others have said, get stuff there but get stuff here too and you should be good.

GOOD LUCK! 😀

 

[r1012]

Hey!
I'm a pre-med student trying to stay competitive with my fellow classmates at the university I attend. Many of them have traveled to other countries where there's a dearth of healthcare. There, they were able to assist physicians in diagnosis and small tasks, which in turn helped the patients the physicians saw. I want to do the same but the programs are ridiculously expensive. I do plan on traveling to India next summer and was wondering if anyone knew of any good volunteer programs in which I could participate. Even better, I'd like to intern or participate in a program at a medical college in India. Hopefully I will be able to volunteer at my university hospital between now and next summer and also take a Hindi/Urdu course. I do speak and understand some Hindi but I want to become fluent and also learn to write the language. Anyways, I'll probably stay somewhere in Delhi as I have some family in that area, but let me know about any of the programs you know of! I'd be willing to relocate. I'd really like to be able to help out less fortunate communities in the area. Sorry for the lengthy post! Thanks!

Look into AIF (American India Foundation) - they have a few programs that encompass development in India (if you want to take a year off after college, the W.J. Clinton fellowship is great). Even if you don't expressly help at an organization dealing with health care, it's not hard to find a clinic or mobile clinic to volunteer with on your own time/weekends. To avoid the ethical debate - don't do anything you think you wouldn't be allowed to do in America /would feel unqualified/uncomfortable doing. Especially if you want to become fluent, I say go to India. You can also look into grant funding for your own project if you think you want to design your own project. Enjoy!