You are traveling to a foreign country and the people and their customs will be different from your own. When my classmates and I were applying for our visas to India, we were specifically told not to put “mission trip” as the purpose for our visit because this was more likely to be rejected. It is important to use the proper terminology not only with the people you will be caring for, but also prior to your arrival in that country. This may cause easily avoidable problems with the country or organization you are working with. The term “mission trip” implies that you are coming into a country to spread your religion and convert the native people. This clarifies some ambiguity about the purpose of your trip. For future students soon to embark on the first trips, here are five things I learned on my medical outreach trip:ĭid you catch that from the first paragraph? I keep referring to it as a medical outreach trip rather than a medical mission trip. Overall I had a great experience and was able to pick up some helpful insight into trips like this along the way. Furthermore, the lessons students learn and the perspective they gain from their time abroad is unparalleled. Most students have to wait until their third year of medical school for these same opportunities. Medical outreach trips are an excellent experience for medical students still in their pre-clinical years because they allow you to see firsthand the information you are learning and apply skills you have been taught. We traveled to the state of Gujrat in India and treated patients from a very rural population. To be able to continue to provide this type of holistic care to the patients we now serve and the many more we would love to serve, we need your continued prayers and financial support.I recently returned from a medical outreach trip I went on with other students from my school. The mission continues to be life transformation for every man, woman, and child-we believe that one of the ways this is strategically done is through the Medical Outreach Program. Most importantly, during the weekly patient visits, the team is intentional to focus on spiritual discipleship, council and support, and connecting the patient with the local church. A part of the process is getting patients sponsored and enrolled in school, doing focused specific education by providers and nurses to a patient, and even facilitating and connecting patient with job opportunities to potentially give her or him the freedom to support themselves and their family’s needs independently. We strive to provide a comprehensive educational plan that empowers each patient to take control of their health, manage their medical needs through the gaining of information about their current illness, and gain financial stability so that they can provide. We also have been able to raise funds and facilitate surgical care for patient's needing operations such as a colostomy reversal, hydrocephalus treatment, insertion of suprapubic catheter, amputation of lower extremity, eye surgery, and rectal surgery. Coordinating and providing transport for follow up care.Coordinating and providing transportation to patients' hospital appointments and specialized doctor visits.Taking severely malnourished babies and children to a nutrition program to receive highly caloric protein packs supporting weight gain.Picking up amputee patients to receive care at the Mission of Hope Prosthetics Lab.Purchasing and delivering blood pressure medications for numerous patients with hypertension.Delivering insulin to diabetics who otherwise couldn’t afford this medication or the monthly cost of a clinic visit.Delivering seizure medication to a precious 12-year-old patient with hydrocephalus.Some of the current weekly activities for the MOPs team include: During this time, they can facilitate provider visits, deliver medication, provide continuing education specific to a patient’s needs, drop off nutritional supplies, and provide other specific services related to a patient’s needs. Several days each week, a member of the Haitian MOPs team makes rounds and visits the patients. The MOPs program allows the team to develop individualized long term care plans as well as build relationships with patients and their families. The Medical Outreach Program (MOPs) was developed as an avenue to better serve patients with chronic illness, surgical needs, and acute medical concerns who could not otherwise be treated in a one-time visit by our mobile health care teams or The Clinic of Hope.
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