Medical Missions Trips?

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I don't recall seeing this on any of the boards so I hope I am posting it in the right place..........One thing I really want to do, once I am licensed,(just graduated) is go on a medical missions trip somewhere for a short time, maybe a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone on here got to experience this first hand, what you liked or disliked and would you recommend a certain group that was great to go with? Thanks! :)

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
sunnyjohn said:
Hi guys,

A friend of mine sent this to me today. I met when we were tikes during my parents days travelling the world. Her parents were missionaries. I was nodding my head 'cause so many of them fit.

Enjoy

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YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MISSIONARY KID WHEN...

You can't answer the question, "Where are you from?"

You speak two languages, but can't spell either.

You flew before you could walk.

You embarrass yourself by asking what swear words mean.

You have a passport, but no driver's license.

You watch National Geographic specials and recognise

someone.

You have a time zone map next to your telephone.

You don't know how to play Pac-Man.

You would rather eat seaweed than cafeteria food.

Your life story uses the phrase "Then we went to..." five

times.

You speak to different ethnic groups in their own language.

You think in grams, metres, and litres.

You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel.

You send your family peanut butter and Kool-Aid for

Christmas.

You worry about fitting in, and wear a native wrap around

the dorm.

National Geographic makes you homesick.

You have strong opinions about how to cook bugs.

You live at school, work in the tropics, and go home for

vacation.

You don't know where home is.

Strangers say they can remember you when you were "this

tall."

You have friends from or in 29 different countries.

You do your devotions in another language.

You sort your friends by continent.

You keep dreaming of a green Christmas.

You tell people where you're from, and their eyes get big.

You are grateful for the speed and efficiency of any postal

service.

You realise that furlough is not a vacation.

You wince when people mispronounce foreign words.

You've spoken in dozens of churches, but aren't a pastor.

Furlough means that you are stuffed every night... and have

to eat it all to seem polite.

Your parents decline your cousin's offer to let them use his

BMW, and stuff all six of you into an old VW Beetle instead.

You stockpile mangoes.

You know what REAL coffee tastes like.

The majority of your friends don't speak English as a first

language.

Someone brings up the name of a team, and you get the sport

wrong.

You believe vehemently that football is played with a round,

spotted ball.

You know there is no such thing as an international

language.

You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism.

You realise what a small world it is, after all.

You never take anything for granted.

You watch a movie set in a foreign country, and you know

what the nationals are REALLY saying into the camera.

You know how to pack.

All preaching sounds better under a corrugated tin roof.

Having four distinct seasons other than: dry, very dry,

rainy, very rainy, is a new experience.

After a couple of years in one spotm, you're ready to move

again.

You frequently say, "I don't know, I was out of the

country."

You feel uncomfortable in school without a uniform.

School gets cancelled due to flash flooding.

Tropical fruits aren't imported.

Walking miles to and from school is "normal."

If someone asks what school you went to, you reply, "depends

on the year."

You are afraid to ask what you are eating. But munch away,

with a smile on your face.

Reading the above makes me feel as if I've vividly lived the life of a missionary with those of you who have been blessed to have worked in the missions fields. :icon_hug:

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Specializes in Case Management, Acute Care, Missions.

I am really encouraged and blessed to hear that others want to serve in this way also.

I have been blessed to spend over a year in Zimbabwe (spread out over 4 trips - just got back yesterday from my last one) and will be moving there..going into full-time service this spring.

Many of the "smaller" organizations would LOVE to have help... I am just a med-surg nurse and have found my training to be very valuable to those I work with... as far as surgery - our hospital does quite a bit and I have learned along the way what needs to be known. There is often limited resources and help so you will find yourself on a learning curve like never before. If you are interested in short-term... I would encourage you to go whenever you can... and I do agree that you need at least one good year -under your belt before going long-term. You really need to have a solid foundation before... there may be many a time where you are the only health care provider for 100's of miles.

I would love to help you in any way... I have lots of info on the subject - also there is a REALLY good medical missions conference in nov in Kentucky. I would be more than happy to send anyone the link (not sure if posting it here would be against terms...). The workshops are great and will really give you a background of what medical missions is all about and there are over a hundred booths of organizations looking for people to come and work with them along with great resources.

-Lori

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To volunterr with Katrina.....whre do you go? I mean, who do you contact to say you are available to go help?

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jillhall said:
To volunterr with Katrina.....whre do you go? I mean, who do you contact to say you are available to go help?

Start with the local chapter of the RED CROSS and your state and city NURSING ASSOCIATIONS!

http://www.redcross.org

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sunnyjohn said:
Start with the local chapter of the RED CROSS and your state and city NURSING ASSOCIATIONS!

http://www.redcross.org

Thank you John, I am checking right now. This is all so sad. I think of all the resources. I live in Utah and I have a big house. All my kids have moved out...marrried or out of the country. I feel like it is such a big wasted space. Thank you for responding so expediantly. wave.gif.f76ccbc7287c56e63c3d7e6d800ab6c

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There is a group of medical professionals locally who go each year to Guatemala and med/surg nurses DO go. It is mostly for surgical repair of cleft palates and such. Immunizations too. It is a two week trip.

Our church supports a medical mission to Vietnam and I would love to go someday.

Here is the website:

http://www.gsmedicalministry.org/

steph

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newflgrad said:
I don't recall seeing this on any of the boards so I hope I am posting it in the right place..........One thing I really want to do, once I am licensed,(just graduated) is go on a medical missions trip somewhere for a short time, maybe a few weeks. I was wondering if anyone on here got to experience this first hand, what you liked or disliked and would you recommend a certain group that was great to go with? Thanks! :)[/quote

Medical Missionaries International is a wonderful organization to go along with on a medical mission trip. I went to Jipi Japa, Ecuador and worked as a Registered Nurse in the OR for 2 weeks. I am not an OR nurse but I sure learned some things fast. At home I was working at our cities county hospital prior to the mission. It certainly did not have all the very nice surroundings the private hospitals had in our city. But I can tell you that our hospital looked and felt like a castle to me when I returned. With MMI you are with a large group of people whom all want to be there. You are given a job by what is needed to be done and what they feel you could do best.

I took my 17 year old daughter along with me. Family members are more than welcome. There are many jobs to do. She got to go out in a bus everyday to all the clinic locations in the country side that were visited. I was very jealous of her! But, she was just as jealous of me working in the hospital! The expierence changed her life and mine forever. I could talk endlessly about it. The nice thing with MMI is that they make sure all the food you eat is prepared especially for you so that you do not get sick. One still gets the local recipes made by someone they have hired for the 2 weeks, but everything is washed with bottled water, cooked with it, etc. I reccomend MMI whole heartedly.

http://www.mmint.org/default.aspx?link=/main_page.aspx

I want to go again next summer....maybe I'll see you there!

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma.

I am so glad I found this post! Medical Missions is the entire reason I'm at school. I want to work in a rural area in a third-world country when I get done with my RN (I'm already an EMT, which I consider an asset). As far as getting experience here in the States before I go, how? and what kind of experience? I mean, is a year in med-surg what I'm going to need? A year in ER in a rural hospital? A year in ER in a big city? A year spent in various depts in the hospital? Any opinions would be appreciated!

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:heartbeat has anyone heard of needs for a nicu nurse when it comes to medical missions?

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Missionary work is my ultimate goal in life. I'm so glad you posted this. I am a new nurse 11months into it. Wanting to do mission work is the prime reason that turned my head towards nursing. Now that I'm in nursing, I'm loving being that compassionate voice to patients.

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Specializes in Pediatric ICU.

Hey all,

I just got back from my trip to Cambodia. We went with Mission of Mercy and a team of 18. It was a wonderful experience and plan to do it again.

We saw over 1100 patients, gave meds, reading glasses and lots of candy and toothbrushes to the kids. We worked hand-in-hand with the missionaries that are permanent there (they're through AOG) and they were great. We will continue to return to the same location to care for these folks. We also support the kids (we, meaning our church) at the AOG/MOM school in Battambang. (yes, that's the city where Angelina Jolie adopted Maddox)

My recommendation to anyone considering this type of thing: look to your church. I think if you ask around, you might be surprised at who has gone, who is actively involved in this or, what your church may be supporting. If your church isn't involved, ask at work. The doc that I worked closely with said that he's been doing "third-world medical trips" for 10 years and no one he works with knows it. I'm sure he'd share it if someone asked.

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Healthcare is so needed in third world countries. I recently returned from Swaziland. Where I worked in an orphanage and started a clinic where I was the only healthcare provider. Many people would walk miles to come to the clinic. There was no other healthcare for miles and miles (besides the witch doctors) I was only a CNA, but realized that it was better than nothing for these people. Much was over my head. I had to look things up alot and I could have greatly used an LPN or RN. I did what I could. I asked appropriate questions, gave out antibiotics for severe infections, treated worms, scabies, bandaged wounds etc. I am now enrolled in an RN program in the states and plan on working for a year or 2 before heading back. I would recomend it to anyone interested. There are so many remote places in Africa and elswhere that desperetely need any healthcare provider.

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