Ever since I decided I wanted to go into medicine sometime around the fifth grade, I knew that I wanted to use medicine as vehicle to get involved with international development and relief work. In high school, once the concept of traveling abroad to do volunteer work became more tangible, I found myself growing increasingly frustrated at the prospects of my international volunteering opportunities. Most organized programs came with a hefty price tag and without even a high school diploma, I didn't know how much good I could do. (Definitely didn't want to be that annoying American pre-med who spent $1,500 and two days getting to Nepal, only to stand in on an operation without even knowing how to read vitals.) Then, in planning the summer after my first year of medical school, I knew that I wanted to work abroad in some capacity and yet again, became overwhelmed with the opportunities and need, but frustrated with what I thought was my limited capacity to help.
For all the years that I knew that I wanted to serve abroad, but asked myself "how?" I have compiled a series of ways just about anyone, including the pre-clinical medical student, can get involved.
1. Just go. Whatever language skill you might have, whatever region of the world you may be interested in, find a reputable organization and go. Even if you think there's nothing you can do, once you become immersed in an underserved community, the need will present itself. And from my experience the summer after my M1 year in Yantalo, Peru, I found that just being in an underserved community allowed me to gain an understanding of their health and social structure as well as the role of volunteers. This is a highly valuable first step a student can take as part of a lifelong commitment to global health.
2. Educate yourself and spread the word. Make use of resources like the World Health Organization and World Health Report to keep up to date on global health issues. Why don't you mosey on over to http://www.who.int/en/ right now and make that your homepage? And, you know you post at least 18x a day on Facebook. Why don't you make at least one of those postings a week on a global health topic? I find that even for myself, I don't go through the news and journals as thoroughly as I would like, but when someone posts an article with interesting title on Facebook, I do go ahead and take a look.
3. Seek out foreign students and/or other students with interest in global health. Whether it's just learning about the needs of communities abroad or maybe hearing about your friend's uncle's neighbor who runs an NGO in Uganda, global health networking is an invaluable asset to learning about and becoming involved in global health efforts.
4. If you're at a place in your life where going abroad simply isn't an option, look to the need in your own backyard. Some Chicago neighborhoods have just as much or greater need than third world nations. If you are unable to go abroad for the next one, two, three or however many years, don't let the circumstances stop you from making strides. Start local, and you will definitely gain skills that you will be apply to apply in any health setting. For example, if you learn how health care is delivered in a local low-resource settings, you will undoubtedly be able to apply those same principles to providing care in low-resource communities abroad once you are able to leave the city limits.
I think my point here is- stop thinking and start doing. Your commitment to global health doesn't have to start with eradicating world hunger. Don't get too carried away and start now...even if it is just on Facebook.
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