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The following stories are from current or past medical students who have participated in health related service projects.
I went to Cusco, Peru the summer between my 1st and 2nd years of medical school.
I spent six weeks volunteering and two weeks sightseeing. I stayed with a
host family for the six weeks I volunteered so I could better learn about the
Spanish language and culture. I celebrated my birthday, Peruvian independence
day, and religious holidays with them. I volunteered in a children's home for
kids with disabilities in the mornings where I gained experience with everything
from seeing them with the doctors to helping them eat breakfast and get ready
for school. In the afternoons, I saw patients at a hospital clinic attached to
the children's home. When the hospital and children's home had to shut its
doors to volunteers due to rapidly spreading H1N1 flu, I worked in a women's
clinic and got hands-on experience doing pelvic exams and looking at swabs
under the microscope. This experience gave me the opportunity to learn about
other cultures, practice medical skills, and study rare diseases.
Mallory Miller
mmiller2@siumed.edu
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