2012-2013 Medical Mission Trip

This is just the beginning but I'm getting pretty excited about the possibility of going to Costa Rica or Nicaragua on a Medical Mission Trip with my university's Pre-Medicine Club.  If I do end up going I think it'd be pretty cool to keep everyone updated with pictures and what I'm doing while I'm gone.

VIDA is the host group and I've spent the day checking out their website.  This seems like really good hands on experience and a real eye-popper on a resume.  The following is directly from http://vidavolunteertravel.org/

Volunteers will actively participate in the following areas with an emphasis on hands-on experience (via interpreters as needed):

 Conducting patient interviews along with a thorough patient history.
 Taking patient vital signs.
 Performing basic physical exams and assessments. (May include blood sugar monitoring and urinalysis).
 Volunteers may assist with pre-natal wellness checkups on expectant mothers.
 Volunteers may assist in wound care, dressing changes and sutures.
 Present patient information to professional medical staff along with differential diagnosis and proposed treatment plan recommendations.
 Working in our pharmacy.
 Performing public health screenings and community education discussions to help promote public awareness.

Some of the most common diseases that we will encounter are the following:

 Parasites.
 Gastritis.
 Muscle-Skeletal pains.
 UTI
 Upper respiratory infections.
 Pneumonia.
 Cold/Cough.
 Fungal infections.
 Scabies.
 Diabetes.
 Heart disease.
 Malnutrition.
 Skin Infections.

Medical Orientation

VIDA offers one full day of orientation to prepare volunteers for a truly hands on clinical experience, which covers the following topics:

 Introduction to tropical medicine and common diseases.
 Basic physical exams, vital signs and social histories.
 Review of medical instruments and equipment; proper care and handling of medical equipment.
 Differences between health care systems of host country and U.S./Canada/Europe.
 Importance of community education/public health.
 Review of standard precaution practices.
 Basic medical Spanish (allows participants more independence).
 Review of field clinic setup and processes; such as the intake form.
 Pharmacology.
     Overview of medications and prescription procedures.
     Review of pharmacy setup and procedures.

Academic Activities:

 Case presentations and discussions after every 2 days of clinic.
 Study assignments between clinic days (throughout the whole trip).
 General control questions about each case reviewed with the local physicians.

I'll try to keep this updated as I learn more about the trip : )