Mission Trip to Nicaragua - Page 2

You are so right. There are PLENTY of places right here that need our help. I also volunteer for our state medical assistance team. I am the Lead Clinical Nurse for the OR portion of our mobile hospital. We deploy during disasters here in the Southeast, and we spent a great deal of time serving the people of Waveland, MS when Katrina hit.

It is very honorable to feel the way that you do, and I completely understand.

I work with a surgeon that goes bi-annually to Jinotega for this mission trip. He asked me to join his team many times. I had to really think about it, because I did feel just the way you feel. After the third time he asked me to go, I finally shared my feelings with him. He listened patiently, and then told me that I had very valid points.

He explained that while we have plenty of people here who need our help just as much, that the people in third world countries face a much more looming battle. There are few government sponsored programs...and not just in healthcare. There isn't even a formal sanitation program in place; the people must incinerate their trash. People don't have the freedom to voice their opinions the way we can here. Violence is a way of life in many third world countries. Law enforcement is largely non-visible. Women and children don't have many choices, and there aren't programs to help them get back on their feet.

The people live by a set of rules that we can't possibly comprehend unless we have witnessed it ourselves. I was ill prepared for the injustices I saw.

Our main focus was to TEACH the surgeons and the nurses basic skills such as sterility, infectious disease prevention, surgical techniques that have the best outcomes with the least amount of trauma to tissue, and post-operative interventions to increase healing rates. We had very little resources and few supplies; all the while dealing with a language barrier. We were forced to think 'outside the box' constantly. A friend of mine who has gone on many mission trips to many countries told me that we are "teaching the people HOW to fish". I kept that in the back of my mind at all times, and it kept me focused.

This kind of experience is very helpful to foster your creative thinking skills as a nurse. It sure did for me.

You don't have to have any special experience. Keep in mind that the kind of care needed in a disaster/mission setting is BASIC care. If you know how to triage, know how to treat wounds, and can organize a make-shift unit, you are golden! We have nurses from every specialty. Some of our volunteers are not even medical, but they are logistical volunteers. We need people who can build things, have knowledge regarding computers, and can organize donated supplies in a manner that is easy to work from. We need people who know how to drive forklifts and bulldozers. As long as you are able bodied and don't mind getting dirty, you are WELCOME!!!

Don't ever think that you won't be of much use. If you want to volunteer, there are plenty of things that you can do. The best thing to do is to join a volunteer agency and learn the roles. When you feel comfortable with what you learn, you can then in turn teach others who wish to volunteer.

Kudos to you for wanting to volunteer. You will LOVE what volunteering gives back to your soul.