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10 Best Medical Mission Trips For Pre-Med Students

  • March 6, 2023

Do you want to gain international work experience on a short-term medical mission?

As a pre-med student, do you have the passion to intern in local communities with limited or no access to medical/health care services? Then a medical mission trip is what you need.

One fact about a medical mission trip is that they are mostly short-term trips done for a few weeks. And you’d have more to gain if you embark on it than what you’d lose.

You get to meet new people, this includes those that’d be on the trip with you and the people you’d meet in the community you are going to.

You will also learn a new language. This depends on where you are going and how fast you can learn. It’s also going to be a totally new cultural atmosphere and exposure to lots of cuisines and ways of life.

But most importantly, you’d be doing a great service to humanity – and what greater way to kickstart one’s career?

Table of contents

Medical Mission Trip

A medical mission trip is a trip embarked on by medical practitioners to provide/improve medical services to underprivileged/local communities in developing countries, which have limited or no access to proper/good medical services. A medical mission trip is also a good way of gaining vast experience, especially for pre-med students.

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What Do You Do On A Medical Mission?

One thing is certain when you embark on a medical mission, ‘Hope’. You will be giving hope to many underprivileged people with your service.

As a pre-med student, besides gaining experience, there are many activities you can do on medical trips which include:

  • Working with medical professionals/personnel in your host mission community
  • Engage in building health facilities
  • Educating the locals on all they need to know concerning their health, importance of good hygiene, creating awareness, and disseminating information on disease such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, etc. through seminars, workshops, and live sessions
  • Involving in activities such as pediatrics, general surgeries, dental care, consultations, HIV awareness, general treatments such as wound/injury cleaning, physiology, and others.

How Much Do Medical Mission Trips Cost?

No man embarks on a journey without planning the cost. In as much as you want to go out there to serve and gain experience, it is mandatory to know how much it will cost you on a medical mission trip and this may depend on the country you intend to visit, the Volunteer abroad program you are registering with, etc.

Cost to consider includes flight tickets, housing fees, meals, clean water, transportation fees, etc. these costs could also be estimated by the volunteer program to cover your basic needs. So, do proper research before signing up for any volunteer program.

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Are Medical Mission Trips Worth It?

Yes! Though it is not easy as pictures make it look. Fact is, you may likely get frustrated if you are going on a medical mission trip for all the wrong reasons like the paparazzi. Yeah! Pictures are good, but you may likely not pull through with such a mindset.

As a pre-med ask yourself “why exactly do I want to go on a medical mission trip?” then weigh your pros and cons before leaving your comfort zone to volunteer in an impoverished environment.

Do I Need to Learn a Language Before Going On A Medical Mission Trip?

It depends. While it will be amazing to be able to speak the local language of your host community to be able to communicate effectively with the locals who can’t speak English, sometimes you may just be lucky to have a host community with English as the general language. Getting a translator could still be of great help if the need arises.

List of 10 Best Medical Mission Trips

Below is a compiled list in no order, of the 10 best medical mission trips for pre-med students;

  1. Peru medical mission volunteer program
  2. Tanzania Medical mission volunteer program
  3. Healthcare volunteer program in Costa Rica
  4. Guatemala Medical mission volunteer program
  5. Nepal medical mission volunteer program
  6. Vietnam mission volunteering program
  7. India medical mission volunteer program
  8. Medical volunteering program in Cambodia
  9. Medical volunteering program in Uganda
  10. Medical volunteering program in Kenya

Peru Medical Mission Volunteer Program

Peru’s healthcare program is designed not only to be suitable for medical students and professionals alone, but also for pre-med students who are looking forward to gaining experience in the medical field.

Knowing how to speak Spanish is necessary as Spanish is the official language in Peru and it will also make it easier to delegate tasks to you since you can communicate effectively with the locals in Spanish. Tasks delegated to you may include suturing, vaccinations, wound cleaning, assisting medical professionals, etc.

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Tanzania Medical Mission Volunteer Program

The Tanzania medical mission volunteer program offers pre-med a first-hand experience as they are assigned to work with local doctors giving them the opportunities to watch closely how things are done and asking questions to help them in their medical career.

Health Care Volunteer Program In Costa Rica

As a pre-med, volunteering in Costa Rica is a perfect way to understand the healthcare system of developing countries, you get to work and assist in organizing health campaigns to reach out and create awareness on common diseases, their prevention, and control.

Guetemela Medical Mission Volunteer Program

Guatemala is a country with one of the highest levels of poverty worldwide and it is also known to be prone to multiple natural disasters such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, etc. this leads to a high need for volunteers to assist medical personnel in combating outbreaks of common disease such as pneumonia, cholera, tuberculosis and many other preventable common diseases.

Due to the high mortality rate which occurs in birth in Guatemala, as a pre-med student, you will need to assist medical doctors in educating and disseminating information on women and children’s health care.

Nepal Medical Mission Volunteer Program

Nepal is also one of the developing countries where medical volunteers are also needed and welcome. You can decide to visit Nepal to work with medical personnel and gain vast hands-on experience by saving lives, as a pre-med student, flex your skill, meet new people and keep learning.

Vietnam Mission Volunteering Program

The Vietnam mission volunteering program offers pre-med students the opportunity to work with medical professionals in different areas of specialization such as orthopedics, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, etc. Pre-meds also get to work with children and adults suffering from congenital motor system deformity, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, etc.

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India Medical Mission V PROGRAM

Due to the high population rate in India, volunteers are welcome to assist in providing health care/ medical services to the underprivileged with limited or no access to good health services. As a pre-med student or volunteer, you will gain vast experience volunteering in India by assisting medical professionals in tasks such as taking vitals, educating locals on the importance of hygiene, ill-effects of tobacco, etc.

Medical Volunteering Program In Cambodia

Just like other medical missions, Cambodia offers pre-med students a first-hand experience by working and assisting the medical professionals in taking care and disseminating health information to the host community.

Medical Volunteering Program In Uganda

You will learn vast experience by working with medical professionals from different areas of specialization, assisting them in creating health campaigns, and also enriching and being a beacon of light and hope through service.

Medical Volunteering Program In Kenya

Kenya is a developing country with some places still lacking access to good medical and health services. Volunteers are appreciated to help combat common diseases. Volunteers or pre-med students also assist in educating the host community on the importance of adopting good health hygiene and practices. They also help in the improvement of health facilities.

Conclusion

Though not easy as it may seem, due to many known and unknown reasons, a Medical mission trip is something that you should consider embarking on as a pre-med. It is a good way to gain vast experience, discover the world in a new light, help impoverished societies, educate, and even in finding fulfillment/purpose.

References

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