CRNA and Medical Mission Trips

[beachbumRN88]

Recent Grad (less than 1 year), curious if anyone CRNAs have done mission trips.

Medical Missions is why I want to become a CRNA. They seem to have alot of autonomy and choices for mission work.

Can anyone verify this? Whats been your experience as a CRNA on medical missions?

[rededmc]

I volunteered for a three month stint in Guyana with about eighteen months experience and felt a tad overwhelmed. It involved teaching three local nurses the fine art of anesthesia. See one . Do one. Teach one. Fortunately Guyana is an English speaking country. I have many fond memories of that experience. A few years later I was called by the Catholic Medical Mission Board and asked me if I was interested in a two week trip to Haiti. I ended up going every January for two weeks for ten years. Nice escape from NYC winter! I would go with two retired Surgeons who would want to cut every day but Sunday and all day long. No other CRNA or MDA. Very hard work with the most rudimentary equipment. Many cold sweats! Then there was the one trip to Equador with a surgeon who just seemed to be promoting himself and wasting my time with dinners politicians and such. Canceling cases so we could all troop of to lunch with big shot. Don,t waste my time!

Anyway that's my experience at the volunteer game and I highly recommend it. Hope this helps. hope you do it. I've got to get to work. Ed