Medical Mission Trips

Every year, Volunteers for a Smile (V4S) co-organizes a medical mission to a developping country with International Student Learning (ISL), a socially responsible international educational NGO which enlists medical and educational volunteer teams for the provision of services to under-served populations. The goal of the program is to provide access to free health care and medicines to citizens in rural areas, and for students, an opportunity to gain hands on health care experience.

 

To learn more about ISL, please click here

 

Why should you travel with V4S and ISL?

 

We care about your Safety!

 

• We do not travel to politically unstable regions.

• We only work in areas where our full-time staff and their families live and work.

• Our staffs to student ratios are some of the highest in the industry.

• Because we travel with medical professionals, medical services are always available to our students.

• Unlike other international travel organizations, there are no strangers in our programs. From drivers, to cooks and guides, all are part of our ISL / Volunteers for a Smile network.

 

Benefits you gain from this trip with us:

 

• Gain hands-on medical experience, working directly with patients (not   shadowing a doctor).

• Receive letters of reference to enhance your resume or professional school application.

• Bring greatly needed aid to underserved communities in developing countries.

• Enhance your understanding of global health issues.

• Experience other cultures and customs.

• Form lasting friendships with others who share your ideals.

 

What Activities will you be engaging in during your trip?

 

General Medical teams are multi-disciplinary, incorporating medical, nursing, pharmacy, optometry (on larger teams), and public health components. Because this approach allows volunteers to view different facets of health care, it offers a truly holistic approach to patient treatment.

Every team is unique; disciplinary emphasis will vary according to the needs of the service community and the qualifications of our volunteers.

General Medical teams serve both in urban settings and also travel to small towns and villages in ‘outback’ areas to set up field clinics, where patients are assessed and treated.

 

 

Activities include but are not limited to:

 

• Community health work in surrounding poor neighborhoods (accompanied) as a part of an ISL community triage team

• Learning and assisting with vital signs

• Learning and assisting with patient interviews/intake at village triage clinics

• Observing labor and delivery duty (supervised)

• Assisting with administrative procedures

• Monitoring and caring for diabetic patients

• Supervised rotation in any hospital area of interest

• Assisting with vaccinations

• Assisting with pap smears

• Ant parasitic screenings and treatments

• Assist or observe blood and urine testing

• Educational presentations to community

• Observing surgeries, including C-sections (if team work includes hospital time)

• Basic pharmacology training and assisting with pharmacy at clinics

• Natural medicines seminar

• Tropical disease training (malaria, dengue, etc.)

• Basic training for anamnesis

• Assist or observe emergency room duty

• Basic pediatric ear/eye/nose/throat exam

• Basic women’s health – diagnosing/treating vaginal infection, occasional fetal monitoring/observation of births

• Environmental medical surveying

• Practice and history of indigenous medical techniques and medicines.

 

 

Do you need vaccinations?

 

The CDC has set recommendations for proper immunizations and considerations before traveling abroad. Note: Our travel doctor (affiliated with V4S) will determine what we will need, depending on factors such as health and immunization history, areas of the country we will be visiting, and our planned activities.

For more information regarding vaccinations please visit the link below:

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler

 

How your trip schedule will look like?

 

Day one: Travel to destination. V4S will help get flight tickets for the group, ISL covers airfare within the country if needed. Picked up from airport, exchange money, buy phone cards, and settle into hotel.

Day two: Orientation and training at the hotel.

Day three: Village triage/house visits/screenings/health surveying in a community.

Day four: Clinic day in the same community.

Day five: Clinic day in the same community.

Day six: Day for rest and recreation.

Day seven: Share with the community day.

Day eight: travel to a different city.

Day nine: Village triage/house visits/screenings/health surveying in a community.

Day ten: Clinic day in the same community.

Day eleven: Clinic day in the same community.

Day twelve: Day for rest and recreation.

Day thirteen: Fly back to arrival city.

Day fourteen: Travel to airport and fly home.

**The recreation days are optional and the team will discuss participation in such. If the team would rather continue working on those days, then the recreation days will be forgone. 

 

 

Do you need Travel & health insurance?

 

Everyone does. However, as a McGill student, health insurance is included in your tuition. As a result, you do not need to purchase another one. However, if you opted out of this coverage or would like a more extensive coverage, you will have to purchase it on your own. As regards, travel insurance we will make sure every member will get one with his or her airline ticket. There will be no option to opt-out. Same thing applies for health insurance. They are both compulsory for each member of the team.

 

What kind of housing do you stay in?

 

Housing is usually hotels or retreat centers (similar to church camp facilities in the U.S.). You will always have a bed and a shower – we don’t camp out on the ground or the floors of church buildings, as in some programs. Bear in mind, however, that this is not a tourist trip – the housing is basic and the travel schedule is intensive. And since many of our destinations are “off-the-beaten-trail”, high maintenance travelers need not apply!

 

Will you be able to contact family and friends while traveling?

 

Normally, we are able to purchase phone cards and get students to a phone within the first few days of our trips.  Periodic e-mail access is available in the cities.  Outside cities, contact is unpredictable. We always have access for emergency communications, if necessary.

 

What kind of recreation will you be doing on the trip?

 

Recreational activities depend on the country of destination. For example, it may include touring a volcano or archeological sites, snorkeling, visiting the Maya ruins etc.

 

Who is eligible to attend this trip?

 

1. Any participant must be 18 years of age or older at the time of departure. If   you are not 18 by then, you will need parental/guardian consent.

2. The participant cannot have an ailment that the accommodations of a tropical rural village would not support. (I.e. refrigerated medication, dialysis, compromised immune system, etc.).

3. The team member should be able to pay the cost of the trip regardless of money raised during fundraising and sponsorship events organized by V4S.

4. You will be asked to make a payment of $285 within 7 days of acceptance notification to secure your place in the team. Otherwise, your place will be

 

How much this trip will cost you?

 

Travel Expenses:	Cost per person:
Program cost (ISL):	1800 - 2500 $
Flight:	700 – 1200 $
Supplies:	100 $
Uniform *:	200 $
Vaccinations:	50 – 300 $
Administration (V4S):	0 $
Pocket Money:	100 $
Total:	2950 - 4400 $ US

 

* The uniform fee includes 5 scrubs, a T-shirt and a sweater.

** Supplies include a stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and an otoscope.

*** All fees are in US $.