Medical Brigade FAQ
Q: I’m a pre-med, or I am interested in learning more about what it means to pursue a career in medicine. Can the Global Medical Brigade help me?
A: If you’re a pre-med and you’re interested in studying a degree in medicine, you’re getting your medical degree, Global Medical Brigades is an amazing offer in leadership opportunity for you to mobilize your peers and travel abroad, and get practical medical experience abroad in rural communities in Central America. Our one-week medical brigade allows students the opportunity to shadow local Hondurian and Panamanian doctors, work in the pharmacies, work in triage — all aspects of a mobile medical clinic — and get hands-on fieldwork in the field of international medicine. The experience is both very uplifting professional experience and envisioned to personal — large amount of personal growth that will be best — very well utilized on essays into med schools, and as a résumé item for your professional development.
Q: Can you tell me more about what I would be doing if I volunteered as a pre-med for a medical brigade?
A: As a pre-med volunteering on a medical brigade, you would travel to Central America to set up one-week medical brigade clinics in remote villages that don’t have access to health care otherwise. Global Medical Brigades — the program allows for the student volunteers to perform all the — and to be in involved in all the activities of the mobile medical clinic. This includes helping take triage and vital signs, intake patient complaint, sitting alongside licensed doctors and professionals to hear and learn about how to get consultation in addition to working in the pharmacy to prescribe the medicines that the doctors prescribed. And lastly, they’d also get to work in establishing public health workshops to teach preventative medicine practices for the people in the community. If you don’t speak Spanish, it is okay. We provide translators throughout all the activities. Anybody is welcome to participate in the program and can be very useful on the medical brigade.
Q: Will I be able to actually work directly with patients? I want more patient contact.
A: If you want more patient contact, this may be one of the only opportunities as a pre-med undergraduate that you’d have to get hands-on tangible work with patients in communities. The communities we work with are very impoverished, less than a dollar a day mostly, and without access to medicine otherwise or a doctor within a 30-, 40-mile radius. The students will be able to shadow licensed medical professionals in the field to give full consultations and be with the doctors as they prescribe the medicines for the patient.
Q: I want to do more than just watch a doctor. Will I actually be able to participate in the examination and discuss potential diagnosis with the doctor?
A: Depending on the brigade — many of the doctors have been trained beforehand to create an inclusive and collaborative environment with the students, and a learning environment for them to be able to better diagnose and learn about treatments and various international or illnesses in the communities that we’d been working in. So it is a very hands-on approach, and the doctors often will, depending on the doctors, they will often work with the students in every aspect of their consultation and have them included in the diagnosis. Q: How is the Global Brigade different from other pre-medical volunteering programs I’ve heard about? A: Global Brigade segments are differentiates itself by being a [inaudible] and empowering movement and offering a holistic model to sustainable healthcare in the communities we serve. We’re one of the few organizations that offer pre-med students the opportunity to lead themselves and mobilize themselves to develop and perform a medical brigade abroad in a community that does not have access otherwise. Unlike other organizations, we both not only support the students who are mobilizing, but also have an on-the-ground team that works with the communities to perpetuate the health care between the brigades. We also offer other programs such as clean water, public health and dental program so that we offer the communities that we work in with a holistic model for sustainable healthcare. And I’ve had constant communication with the community leaders to perpetuate the health care when the groups aren’t volunteering.
Q: If I am a medical student and I want to participate in Brigade, how do I do that?
A: If you’d like to participate in Brigade, I would first find out if there’s already a Global Medical Brigade on your campus. If not, you’ll have the opportunity to start your own brigade and have an amazing leadership opportunity to distinguish yourself as a candidate. All you’d have to do is contact [email protected].
Q: If I’m currently a doctor in a residency program and I want to participate in Brigade, how do I do that?
A: If you’re currently a doctor in a residency program and you’d like to participate in a medical brigade, we have a list of current medical brigades that are going down to Honduras on our website that you can join. Throughout the year, thousands of students from university campuses across the United States, Canada and the UK participate in our medical brigade programming. They are currently looking for residents and doctors to join them on their brigade to provide health care in the communities they are serving. If you as a resident would like to start a — if there aren’t any schools available in your area and you’d like your residency program to initiate a brigade, we also offer program — medical — we can also conduct our medical brigade program with your peers within your residency program. Again, Medicalbrigades.org offers all the step-by-step instructions on how to initiate a medical brigade in your institution.
Q: Is it safe?
A: There is risk associated with any international travel and community work. Risk experts within the international volunteer industry approximate that an organization may experience one catastrophic incidence such as death or permanent injury for every 100,000 volunteer months spent in-country. Most common are from car accidents and or extra-curricular activities participated in outside of programming. Each Global Brigades grantee entity in Honduras, Panama and Ghana have a strong track for risk practices and do regular staff meetings to ensure emergency policies are known by every coordinator.
Q: Have there been any major incidences?
A: The most common ailment on a brigade is upset stomach, experiencing cold/flu like symptoms, or sprained body parts. In the last five years, there have been a few cases where Global Brigades volunteers have broken body parts and contracted malaria or other tropical diseases. There is one report of a permanent injury. There have been two reported incidents of female volunteers being advanced on unwillingly by a community member and one hired bus driver from a contracted vendor (which was fired immediately). No rape cases have been reported. Global Brigades urges all volunteers to remain in their groups at ALL times and only participate in activities that are a part of the program itself. Global Brigades will continue to make safety and risk management its top priority for all its volunteers and although every participant is an adult (over 18), every volunteers’ cooperation when given instruction by their coordinators will reduce risk.
A: If you’re a pre-med and you’re interested in studying a degree in medicine, you’re getting your medical degree, Global Medical Brigades is an amazing offer in leadership opportunity for you to mobilize your peers and travel abroad, and get practical medical experience abroad in rural communities in Central America. Our one-week medical brigade allows students the opportunity to shadow local Hondurian and Panamanian doctors, work in the pharmacies, work in triage — all aspects of a mobile medical clinic — and get hands-on fieldwork in the field of international medicine. The experience is both very uplifting professional experience and envisioned to personal — large amount of personal growth that will be best — very well utilized on essays into med schools, and as a résumé item for your professional development.
Q: Can you tell me more about what I would be doing if I volunteered as a pre-med for a medical brigade?
A: As a pre-med volunteering on a medical brigade, you would travel to Central America to set up one-week medical brigade clinics in remote villages that don’t have access to health care otherwise. Global Medical Brigades — the program allows for the student volunteers to perform all the — and to be in involved in all the activities of the mobile medical clinic. This includes helping take triage and vital signs, intake patient complaint, sitting alongside licensed doctors and professionals to hear and learn about how to get consultation in addition to working in the pharmacy to prescribe the medicines that the doctors prescribed. And lastly, they’d also get to work in establishing public health workshops to teach preventative medicine practices for the people in the community. If you don’t speak Spanish, it is okay. We provide translators throughout all the activities. Anybody is welcome to participate in the program and can be very useful on the medical brigade.
Q: Will I be able to actually work directly with patients? I want more patient contact.
A: If you want more patient contact, this may be one of the only opportunities as a pre-med undergraduate that you’d have to get hands-on tangible work with patients in communities. The communities we work with are very impoverished, less than a dollar a day mostly, and without access to medicine otherwise or a doctor within a 30-, 40-mile radius. The students will be able to shadow licensed medical professionals in the field to give full consultations and be with the doctors as they prescribe the medicines for the patient.
Q: I want to do more than just watch a doctor. Will I actually be able to participate in the examination and discuss potential diagnosis with the doctor?
A: Depending on the brigade — many of the doctors have been trained beforehand to create an inclusive and collaborative environment with the students, and a learning environment for them to be able to better diagnose and learn about treatments and various international or illnesses in the communities that we’d been working in. So it is a very hands-on approach, and the doctors often will, depending on the doctors, they will often work with the students in every aspect of their consultation and have them included in the diagnosis. Q: How is the Global Brigade different from other pre-medical volunteering programs I’ve heard about? A: Global Brigade segments are differentiates itself by being a [inaudible] and empowering movement and offering a holistic model to sustainable healthcare in the communities we serve. We’re one of the few organizations that offer pre-med students the opportunity to lead themselves and mobilize themselves to develop and perform a medical brigade abroad in a community that does not have access otherwise. Unlike other organizations, we both not only support the students who are mobilizing, but also have an on-the-ground team that works with the communities to perpetuate the health care between the brigades. We also offer other programs such as clean water, public health and dental program so that we offer the communities that we work in with a holistic model for sustainable healthcare. And I’ve had constant communication with the community leaders to perpetuate the health care when the groups aren’t volunteering.
Q: If I am a medical student and I want to participate in Brigade, how do I do that?
A: If you’d like to participate in Brigade, I would first find out if there’s already a Global Medical Brigade on your campus. If not, you’ll have the opportunity to start your own brigade and have an amazing leadership opportunity to distinguish yourself as a candidate. All you’d have to do is contact [email protected].
Q: If I’m currently a doctor in a residency program and I want to participate in Brigade, how do I do that?
A: If you’re currently a doctor in a residency program and you’d like to participate in a medical brigade, we have a list of current medical brigades that are going down to Honduras on our website that you can join. Throughout the year, thousands of students from university campuses across the United States, Canada and the UK participate in our medical brigade programming. They are currently looking for residents and doctors to join them on their brigade to provide health care in the communities they are serving. If you as a resident would like to start a — if there aren’t any schools available in your area and you’d like your residency program to initiate a brigade, we also offer program — medical — we can also conduct our medical brigade program with your peers within your residency program. Again, Medicalbrigades.org offers all the step-by-step instructions on how to initiate a medical brigade in your institution.
Q: Is it safe?
A: There is risk associated with any international travel and community work. Risk experts within the international volunteer industry approximate that an organization may experience one catastrophic incidence such as death or permanent injury for every 100,000 volunteer months spent in-country. Most common are from car accidents and or extra-curricular activities participated in outside of programming. Each Global Brigades grantee entity in Honduras, Panama and Ghana have a strong track for risk practices and do regular staff meetings to ensure emergency policies are known by every coordinator.
Q: Have there been any major incidences?
A: The most common ailment on a brigade is upset stomach, experiencing cold/flu like symptoms, or sprained body parts. In the last five years, there have been a few cases where Global Brigades volunteers have broken body parts and contracted malaria or other tropical diseases. There is one report of a permanent injury. There have been two reported incidents of female volunteers being advanced on unwillingly by a community member and one hired bus driver from a contracted vendor (which was fired immediately). No rape cases have been reported. Global Brigades urges all volunteers to remain in their groups at ALL times and only participate in activities that are a part of the program itself. Global Brigades will continue to make safety and risk management its top priority for all its volunteers and although every participant is an adult (over 18), every volunteers’ cooperation when given instruction by their coordinators will reduce risk.