International Service Learning: Experiential Medical Education

Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone Changed How I See Medicine

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2534345/fan_mail/new] A patient waits weeks with a worsening cough, trying herbal tea because a clinic is hard to reach and a hospital visit can cost an entire day of work. That single reality drives so much of what we explore with Leah, a University of South Carolina neuroscience grad and future DO student who’s served on international medical mission trips in Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, and the Dominican Republic. Her stories aren’t highlight reels. They’re a clear look at what healthcare access actually means when distance, transportation, and time decide whether someone gets help. We talk through what it’s like to move from participant to leader, including the unglamorous parts people don’t warn you about: upset stomachs, food and water precautions, and the responsibility of making sure students stay safe and supported. Leah also breaks down how strong in-country coordination can make clinics run smoothly, and why understanding local pharmacy norms matters, especially in places where antibiotics may be easier to get than they should be. Belize becomes a turning point for mentorship and medical education. Leah shares what she learned alongside fourth-year medical students, what surprised her in hospital shadowing, and how quickly you realize that systems and workflows change when resources are limited. We also dig into interpreters, medical Spanish, cultural humility, and the idea that your most sustainable impact often comes through patient education and respect, not just prescriptions. If global health, international service learning, medical Spanish, osteopathic medicine, and healthcare access are on your mind, this conversation will give you practical insight and honest motivation. Subscribe, share this with a future healthcare professional, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway: what would push you to step outside your comfort zone? I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations.  As a 50+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened. Feel free to check out our website at www.islonline.org, follow us on Instagram @ islmedical, and reach out to me @ DrH@islonline.org [DrH@islonline.org]

Public Health & Service Learning: A Pathway to Internal Medicine

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2534345/fan_mail/new] A four-hour drive should not be the difference between a routine fix and a life-altering outcome, but in many places it is. We sit down with Austin, a graduating medical student about to start internal medicine residency, to talk through the moments that made global health feel real: the patients you cannot “just transfer,” the family decisions shaped by cost and distance, and the quiet skills that matter when resources are limited.  Austin walks us through his training path from the University of South Carolina, where he switched from biology to a public health degree and then earned an MPH. We unpack why public health is more than a nice add-on for premeds: it is a framework for health equity, social determinants of health, and understanding how systems push patients toward or away from care. If you have ever wondered whether you need a specific major to get into medicine, this conversation brings clarity without the hype.  From there, we explore international service learning and experiential medical education through three settings: a first service learning trip to Nicaragua, a Guatemala project studying diabetes prevalence in underserved communities, and a month in Uganda combining clinical learning with quality improvement and capacity building. Austin shares how a teach the teacher mindset turns short rotations into sustainable impact, plus what “MacGyver medicine” looks like when creativity replaces equipment.  If you are weighing an international rotation, we talk honestly about motivations, costs, and what it can and cannot do for your application. Subscribe for more global health and service learning stories, share this with a student who is on the fence, and leave a review if it helped you think differently. What experience has most shaped the kind of clinician you want to become? I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations.  As a 50+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened. Feel free to check out our website at www.islonline.org, follow us on Instagram @ islmedical, and reach out to me @ DrH@islonline.org [DrH@islonline.org]

Safe Care, Far From Home

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2534345/fan_mail/new] Want to help without harming? We sit down with Dr. Patrick Hickey—nurse, educator, author, and veteran leader in international service learning—to map the real work behind ethical global health volunteering. From the first country risk check to the last clinic debrief, we unpack how preparation, cultural humility, and clinical guardrails protect both communities and volunteers while creating powerful growth for early‑career clinicians. We start where most trips should: assessing risk with U.S. Department of State travel advisories, CDC travel health notices, and realistic logistics that prevent problems before they start. Dr. Hickey walks us through the essentials—reliable flights and visas, vetted lodging and food safety, insured transport with seat belts, and written crisis and evacuation plans that are practiced, not just printed. Then we get practical about culture and conduct: confidentiality that travels with you, informed consent for photos, attire that respects norms, and orientation that blends clinical refreshers with local context so teams arrive ready to listen, not impose. Communication and boundaries anchor safe care. You’ll hear how to use the interpreter‑patient‑provider triad, why language access is a legal right in U.S. settings, and how that training turns students into advocates. We dig into scope of practice—what learners can do, what they should only observe—and how those limits actually speed confidence and competence. Dr. Hickey also opens up about emotional resilience: preparing for hard moments, accepting gratitude with grace, and finding meaning in “small” wins like matching donated eyeglasses that change daily life. Along the way, we address parent concerns, first‑time flight jitters, and the career impact that follows when service becomes a habit, not a hashtag. If you’re planning a medical mission, weighing a service learning program, or mentoring students eager to serve, this conversation offers a clear, humane blueprint for doing it right. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s curious about global health, and leave a review telling us the one safety step you’ll add to your checklist. I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations.  As a 50+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened. Feel free to check out our website at www.islonline.org, follow us on Instagram @ islmedical, and reach out to me @ DrH@islonline.org [DrH@islonline.org]

A Fourth Year Medical Student’s Global Health Experience In Belize

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2534345/fan_mail/new] You can feel the moment a clinician realizes the test they want simply doesn’t exist. That’s where our conversation with Rafik goes, and it’s why his reflections on Belize stay with us long after the trip ends. We sit down with Rafik, a fourth-year medical student fresh off Match Day, to talk about choosing internal medicine, navigating the residency match process, and then stepping into a very different kind of classroom: an international service learning clinic in Belize. Our ISL model pairs fourth-year medical students with gap year students, so leadership and mentoring happen alongside real patient care. Rafik walks us through a typical clinic day, the patient flow, and the common problems the teams see, especially diabetes, hypertension, and seasonal cold and flu. If you care about global health, underserved communities, or experiential medical education, you’ll recognize how familiar conditions become challenging when time, supplies, and follow-up are limited. We also dig into what surprised him most: how much overlap exists between protocols in Belize and the United States, and how powerful great teaching can be when attendings make space to debrief and explain their clinical reasoning. Coming home sparks a deeper reflection on medical privilege, technology, and how easily we can lose the art of history taking and physical exam skills when labs and imaging are always within reach. Rafik shares his poem “O The Privilege,” a vivid snapshot of practicing medicine with and without the safety net. If this made you think differently about training, service, or what kind of clinician you want to become, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review. What’s one “resource” you rely on that you’d miss immediately in a low-resource setting? I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations.  As a 50+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened. Feel free to check out our website at www.islonline.org, follow us on Instagram @ islmedical, and reach out to me @ DrH@islonline.org [DrH@islonline.org]

A Gap Year Service Learning Trip To Belize Confirms a Future as an MD

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2534345/fan_mail/new] A blood pressure of 200 over 100. A patient who listens, then calmly says he’s fine and leaves. Moments like that force you to wrestle with the part of medicine no textbook can solve: culture, faith, autonomy, and what it really means to help. We sit down with Ava, a University of South Carolina grad on her gap year, to talk about how international service learning in Belize sharpened her clinical mindset and changed what she values in patient care.  We start with the practical side of becoming a doctor: graduating a semester early, using AP credits strategically, and creating protected time for MCAT prep without burning out. Ava shares how pre-health community shaped her path, from Alpha Epsilon Delta to leading Women in Healthcare, and why being around motivated peers can open unexpected doors like jobs, service opportunities, and mentorship.  Then we go to Belize for a vivid look at experiential medical education. Ava breaks down the structure of the trip with hospital rotations in Belmopan and a community clinic with vitals, short-term meds, prevention tips, and constant learning from local clinicians. She describes what it’s like to be mentored by fourth-year medical students, to work in a resource-limited healthcare system with minimal imaging, and to rely on listening, history-taking, and the physical exam. We close with details on the next gap year Belize trip she’ll be leading, including how to get more information.  If you want more honest stories about global health, gap year growth, and becoming a more grounded future clinician, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review. What question would you ask before signing up for a service learning trip? I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations.  As a 50+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened. Feel free to check out our website at www.islonline.org, follow us on Instagram @ islmedical, and reach out to me @ DrH@islonline.org [DrH@islonline.org]