Medical Missions for Nurses?????

Nurses General Nursing

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I am a nurse at a top NYC hospital and I am looking to volunteer somewhere abroad for a week or several weeks.

Can anyone out there recommend an organization that I could do a medical mission through? Or at least some info as to where to start? I have googled but there is just so much out there it's hard to weed through all of the different organizations/websites.

Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

-Nurse Julie, NYC

I traveled with IMR (International Medical Relief) if you are new to missions this is an excellent organization that goes to several different countries. They are a bit expensive but you do not have to worry about anything.

Have you looked into Remote Area Medical-check their website. They staff a women's health clinic in Guyana plus, on occasion offer other international opportunities. I've volunteered at their weekend clinics in Tennessee-the group is really well organized, like the SWAT team of health care-they come in, set up, treat, break down and are gone in the night leaving behind good results. I've also volunteered at their main office in Knoxville, TN-an old school they rent for $1/year.

StarinTN, this is totally unrelated to OP's post, but I just wanted to thank you for writing this. After reading your post, I googled RAM, and now, just a couple months later, I'll be traveling to volunteer at one of their Tennessee clinics. (I'm just a student nurse traveling on my own, so I'll only be working in a general support capacity, not providing nursing care...yet!) I am so excited for this opportunity! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of this group. If it wasn't for your post, I would have never even known about RAM.

Specializes in education, school nursing, med-surg, urgent care.

I'm traveling with Refuge International in Oct 2013 to San Raymundo, Guatemala. This will be my first trip with them, but hopefully the first of many. They organize other trips to different locations in Guatemala if you're interested in going there.

To start exploring missions I would contact International Medical Relief, based out of Colorado. They are a very organized and prepared mission organization that goes all over the world. It is a little expensive but it is the perfect way to start.

Oh, I wish I'd known you were coming! I've been to the Bristol and the Knoxville clinics this year. If you come to another RAM clinic in TN, please keep in touch! Who knows, we might be able to have lunch together or next time, if you're still a student, we can get you involved in something a little more medically inclined. Hope you enjoyed your time! Glad you stepped forward and checked out RAM!

If this type of volunteer work really interests you, look for a free or sliding scale clinic in your area-you won't believe how much you will learn even if you don't work on the nursing side of the clinic. One place to start looking is Volunteers in Medicine.

Best of luck and again, thanks for helping us-as you can see, there is a HUGE need!

Star

Oh, I wish I'd known you were coming! I've been to the Bristol and the Knoxville clinics this year. If you come to another RAM clinic in TN, please keep in touch! Who knows, we might be able to have lunch together or next time, if you're still a student, we can get you involved in something a little more medically inclined. Hope you enjoyed your time! Glad you stepped forward and checked out RAM!

If this type of volunteer work really interests you, look for a free or sliding scale clinic in your area-you won't believe how much you will learn even if you don't work on the nursing side of the clinic. One place to start looking is Volunteers in Medicine.

Best of luck and again, thanks for helping us-as you can see, there is a HUGE need!

Star

I had a blast at the RAM clinic! It was completely unlike anything I had ever seen before. Watching a normal high school cafeteria get turned into a fully-functional dental and medical clinic (and then watching it turn back into a high school when the clinic ended) was absolutely surreal. I didn't get to do too much medical stuff because I wasn't part of a student group (no licensed instructor to practice under), but it was still a great experience. In the mornings, I got to talk to patients and collect basic information (name,age, etc.) and then in the afternoon I helped clean dental trays. It was really neat, and I learned a lot. Plus, I had never been to that part of the country before, so it was cool driving through and seeing the scenery. I will definitely be volunteering at another RAM clinic someday. Hopefully I'll see you there sometime! :) I'll check out some more local volunteer opportunities too.

I have been to Haiti twice with an organization called FAME FAME : Partnering in Medical Evangelism. They organize short term medical mission trips to many different countries though contacts with established full time missionaries in the area. They are very organized and they follow the rules and guidelines for pt safety and government regulations. There are many good organizations out there just be sure that they follow the rules and that you can practice in the country you are going to legally. You can still get into legal trouble in a 3rd world country for practicing beyond your scope.

I am so interested in volunteering with RAM! I love the idea of helping less fortunate Americans.

For those interested in upcoming REMOTE AREA MEDICAL (RAM) clinic events, here is the link> Remote Area Medical - Volunteers

Great opportunity next July '15 in South Texas....see you there!

Can you elaborate on IMR? A friend is interested in volunteering and a bit hesitant as he has never been on a mission trip and does not know anything about this organization. Thank you!

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