Why Should a Nursing Student Go on a Medical Mission Trip?‎
Medical professions students, especially nursing students, often feel a strong ‎desire to not only serve others but to be part of the solution to the global ‎healthcare crisis – more than a billion people do not have reliable access to even ‎basic medical services (source: World Health Organization). If this is YOU, and you ‎are seeking nursing volunteer opportunities, see the “must know” information ‎that follows. More extensive information for global health for nurses is available ‎on the website of Well Child International (WCI).‎
What is a Medical Mission Trip? ‎
Historically, religious groups were often at the forefront of bringing health care to ‎the underserved, hence the term “missions” is often associated with short term ‎efforts to serve globally. WCI is a non-profit NGO providing global health care ‎service teams to all desiring to help those at risk around the world, regardless of ‎religious persuasion. If you desire a faith-based team experience, please let us ‎know. Providers of global health deliver health care services usually utilize teams ‎of U.S. medical professionals and students, often in tandem with local health ‎professionals to provide free medical/dental services in a defined area for a short ‎period of time, usually one to three weeks.‎
What’s Different About WCI?‎
WCI is dedicated to serving the most at-risk segments of global communities ‎including women and children. We provide more extensive and effective help by ‎means of our system by combining in-home visits (assessments) with free clinics in ‎full partnership with local governmental health care agencies. Beware of ‎organizations not using this methodology as U.S. providers are not licensed to ‎practice any form of health care without this essential partnership. ‎
How Can I Afford to do This as a Student?‎
Many organizations provide various forms of “sponsorship” by means of “group ‎funding”, etc. WCI offers additional and very effective financial assistance by ‎simply offering to reduce or eliminate trip costs by offering a trip credit to ‎volunteers who “bring friends” or help us recruit a team from your school or ‎student health organization. ‎
Can I really Make a Difference as a Student?‎
WCI is a leader in “best practices” in providing global health. By being trained by ‎our professionals you can be an effective and appropriate part of the key aspect ‎of determining and addressing community health care needs in at-risk ‎communities because the very most important part of making a longterm ‎difference is our WCI commitment and methodology of in-home assessments and ‎education. In the free clinics we offer, you are able to assist with hands-on help ‎in any area in which you have been trained, even if it is a simple as first aid, CPR, ‎or EMT training. Nursing students are able to be very active in hands-on help due ‎to the hands-on nature of nursing school training at all levels. We can’t provide ‎the help we offer without the appropriate use of students—we don’t have a ‎hundred doctors to go house to house but we can get a hundred nursing or other ‎volunteers! Yes, you can and will make a difference with WCI.‎