Become a Global Health Volunteer in the Philippines

If you are considering an opportunity to explore healthcare in Asia, this might be for you. I had an opportunity to travel to the Province of Cavite, a couple of hours south of Manila working in rural health clinics. Persons with an interest in healthcare careers may enjoy this opportunity especially. Each day was different and chocked full with hands on learning and immersion into the Filipino culture. I established friends for a lifetime and cherished the beauty of the land and Filipino people.

close hand observations

When I think of Philipines, the first three words that pop up in my head are bucket baths (tabo), fresh air, and home. The SHIF fellowship allowed me to gain hands-on experience as I shadowed doctors and provided service clinics in Manila. This program removed all doubts I had to invest my life in the medical career. After this trip, I realized I was interested in international health care. The familial aspect of the Philippines made it very comforting to transition into the environment. If I ever have the chance I will do it all over again!

I went to the Philippines for the summer health fellowship and it was the most eye opening experience I've ever had. Not only did I have cultural immersion and got to experience the food, language, and lived the way they did, but the medical portion was more that what I could have gotten in the United States. They taught me how to take blood pressure and identify minor problems in patients. I got to work in the TB clinic with hundreds of patients and help with screening. At one point they let me inspect the septum samples for the bacillus causing TB. The people were amazing and were so welcoming to me giving them screenings for heart disease. If i have enough time I'll definitely do it again. Best experience Ever.

Project Cavite was my first abroad medical trip, and I loved it. I really hold it near and dear to me, and already am trying to figure out when I can travel back there. I am interested in medicine, so I figured this trip would help me gain a better appreciation for healthcare and how it functions outside the US. I honestly expected to do a lot of medical things in the clinic, and that's exactly what the Fields Operations Manager granted me with the opportunity to do. She spoke with me once I arrived, and asked what I was interested in and from there she geared the trip around that. So if you're more into Public health, and project management they are able to expose you to that. They made it very clear that it was my experience and wanted it to be as enriching as possible. I wish I would've stayed longer than 2 weeks because time flies. It was life changing and only reinforced my want to enter the healthcare field.