Anyone ever join a medical mission trip?!

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello. I'm not sure where to post this-but I will be going on a 3 week medical/nursing mission trip to the Himalayan region of Northwestern India/Tibet border next summer and am very excited as I have never done anything like this before. We will be traveling to numerous remote villages in the area, setting up 1-2 day medical clinics and treating the people who come to our clinics. I'm also a little nervous since I have never done this before and don't know anyone who is going, but I really want to do this and am excited! Has anyone gone on a medical mission trip before? Where did you go and what did you do there? Hope to hear from all of you! :) Thanks. Oh, and the trip is just 2 days after I graduate from my NP program too! :) It's going to be a very busy time of year for me.

Specializes in PICU, surgical post-op.
Also, Mercy Ships does medical missions, but they require a more longer-term commitment.

Mercy Ships requires a minimum of 2 weeks, I think, as an RN. Although I'm not so sure of the minimum, I know the max as a short-term volunteer is one year. Which is what I'm going to be doing starting in February! I can't wait. I've done one other trip to Africa where I worked in a bush hospital in Zambia instead of doing my externship after third year of nursing school.

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When you go on these missions do you have to pay ? Where can I get more information? I would like to know more about it, I have many questions, Can Lpns go also or do you have to be an RN? I know you are volunteering but do you have to pay for your stay there and food?? How does it work?? If any one has any answers for me I would really appreciate it. I have been thinking about this for so long but havent made any plans because of the fear. I just want to go ahead and make the plans and go. I know that it will be a life changing experience and would love the opportunity. Thanks so much!

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Check out Doctors Without Borders. Also, Mercy Ships does medical missions, but they require a more longer-term commitment. Many churches also send doctors & nurses on medical mission trips.

MSF (Doctors without Borders) requires your first mission to be at least 6 months. I'm in the middle of reading "Hope in Hell" and that's what they say although it may or may not be old info.

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Specializes in CCU/ED.

I haven't joined a medical mission trip but I'm currently looking for one. Does anyone know of any trips to sites in the US?

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Specializes in ACNP-BC.

How funny the way things turn out. I am the one who originally posted this thread and said I was going to go on the mission trip to India/Tibet this June. Well, that fell through, and I was so incredibly sad and disappointed....and then I found out that a group of medical students from my school (I am an NP student in the Graduate School of Nursing) were planning a trip to Guatemala and were happy to have a few of us NP students to come along with them. So I went, and just got back a couple weeks ago. I am so glad I went! :) It was so hard to see people living in such poor conditions, and I felt very frustrated because even though we collected sooooo many medications and supplies to donate to them, I felt like we could have done a lot more. I helped examine around 50 + patients (side by side with MDs from Guatemala), and I learned how and actually got to put stitches in someone's finger...that was exciting for me! :) We also gave vaccinations, did Pap smears, handed out free meds, etc. We know next time, if we or another group go back, what they really need: soap, toilet paper, pillows, sunscreen, Multi vitamins, and of course the usual OTC meds, maybe some hand sanitizer. It was so sad, I helped this one patient who just gave birth walk over to the bathroom, and I saw that most of the faucets weren't working, there was no soap, and no toilet paper....anywhere!!!Luckily, I had some hand sanitizer in my pocket-so I gave her some, but I kept thinking how easy it is for them to get infections, and get really sick due to lack of basic things such as soap. :( Also, the rooms in the hospitals there cram in like up to 25 patients into one big room. There is about 6 inches in between the beds, so there is no privacy, and of course, talk about infection control issues. Also, that same hospital (one of the main ones, in a large city) had no washing machine, so they were hand washing all the linens!!!! Oh my God!!! So we are trying to raise some money to donate to them, so they can get a new machine. So it was very hard for me when I got back home and went to work, when I would heard people complaining about really trivial things here. Anyhow, it was a really great experience for me, and I would love to go on other medical mission trips in the future. :)

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Hi

Im interested to join a mission trip in a few mos. Can you please send me more info? Name of org? websites?

thanks!

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Hello,

I am a senior nursing student & am very interested to join a mission trip after grad. Any suggestions where? organization to contact?

Thanks!

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Specializes in Emergency.

I know this is an old post of yours.....but I was looking for posts form people who have volunteered in Romania in a nursing capacity. I have been to Romania 5 times, but just as a volunteer who helped with children's programs, handing out aide, etc. But now that I am almost done with BSN and RN I would love to return with nursing skill. What organization did you go through?

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I have been to Cambodia twice and China once with a church group. I would like to go as a nurse though. Do you know of any groups going to Tibette this year? I have been a nurse for 10 yrs with med surge, oncology and neuro experience. What kind of experience is needed to participate? Thank you.

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Hello sealed7

Welcome to Allnurses and the Volunteer Nsg Forum.

:wlcmggrp:

Hopefully someone will post some helpful information for you.

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Specializes in SICU, EMS, Home Health, School Nursing.
I have been to Cambodia twice and China once with a church group. I would like to go as a nurse though. Do you know of any groups going to Tibette this year? I have been a nurse for 10 yrs with med surge, oncology and neuro experience. What kind of experience is needed to participate? Thank you.

I don't know of any going there, you can research different missions online and see if you can find any information. On my medical trips, as long as you know how to do basic triage, give immunizations, etc you are set! It all depends on the type of medical trip you are going on because some do clinics, some go to provide surgeries to those who can't afford it, etc. We did clinics for different villages and worked with an organization that has hundreds of orphans and we helped get their medical records up to date and provide immunizations, etc. If I remember correctly, we did over 800 immunizations in just over 2 weeks time!

I also have been to Cambodia... what part of Cambodia were you in?

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