International Medicine Student Interest Group - Student Experience Presentations - November 2005

International Medicine Student Interest Group (IMSIG) - Student Experience Presentations – November 2005

Self-Title of Experience: Access to Healthcare in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Name: Meena Rao, Sally Kamal, Neda Ghaffari, Harpreet Singh
E-mail address: meenarao@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: Survey to assess women's access to reproductive health care
Location: Buenos Aires, AR
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? email any of us.
What was the type of program? Through the Family Medicine department
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 10 being best, 8.
White paper:“Women’s Access to Reproductive Health Care in Buenos Aires, Argentina” by Neda Ghaffari, Sally Kamal, Meena Rao and Harpreet Singh

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Self-Title of Experience: Clinical Medicine in Quito
Name: Adrian Castro, MS II
E-mail address: adrianca@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: Each week rotated through a different hospital, clinic, or private practice in the mornings, and in the afternoons, classes in Spanish. Weekend outings were great, and the students were laid back and I made some great friends. Stayed with a family.
Location: Quito, Ecuador
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? Child Family Health International
What was the type of program? Paid (w/o airfare) about $1600 but included room, board, and all classes/experiences
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 10
Advice to other students: Go if you can afford it and know that your medical involvement will depend on you, similar to what happens in the ER here at County.
Do this experience if you: Can afford it, and want a good balance of medicine and spanish exposure, along with great weekend activities
Do NOT do this experience if you: Want amazing Spanish instruction and full immersion. As with many similar programs, there were lots of students who fell back on speaking English outside class and the common hangout and party area is actually called "Gringolandia" where it is easy to fall back into English.

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Self-Title of Experience: Traditional Himalayan Medicine Rotation
Name: Sid Anand, MS II
E-mail address: sidharta@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: Traveled to clinics around North India, Dehra Dun, Rishikesh, and Than Goan learning about rural healthcare and the incorporation of traditional medicine in allopathic treatment facilities. Overall, I rate my trip a 10/10. However, I had a very negative impression of CFHI, giving that program a 2/10, basically, my recommendation is that if you want to travel to India, do not go to CFHI. The trip was organized from the American perspective, in that CFHI seemed to be unaware of what was really going on in India with their partner program Naturequest. CFHI runs countless programs throughout the world and it is difficult for them to monitor each program, but I have the strong belief that this program in India should be shut down and no medical students should participate. India is such a beautiful country, with so many in need, that there are better ways to spend your time and money to help those really in need. Some of the negative aspects of this program, which cost more than $4000 altogether (this money could have helped thousands of children throughout India, find food, or receive some healthcare, but was rather shifted to the pockets of the physicians partnered to the program, (especially Dr. Sanjay Gandhi) are the following: In Rishikesh, our Naturopathy instructor rarely showed up and when she did, the lessons only ran 15 minutes/day. This was the only organized exposure to alternative medicine through the program during our stay in Rishikesh. I also paid about $20 a day to get separate living quarters because I was sharing a 8X12 foot living quarter (I have photos) with another grown man in the program- absurd accommodations for anyone, especially considering it would have been easy for CFHI to spend another $30 from my $2000 to allow us to live properly for the duration of the trip. Not only this, but the local coordinators effectively helped set up certain members of the trip (i.e. the girls) to stay in better accommodations and the men suffered- this is presumably because the men coordinating were actually interested in some of the ladies in the program, as I overheard during the course of the trip whilst they spoke in Hindi. No medical student should be sent on this trip. I am going to make sure that the USC Keck School of Medicine is fully aware of these problems with the trip and I will recommend that no students attend this program and other CFHI programs if I find out from other students that they have had similar experiences. If you are pre-med and want to volunteer, not by helping others, but watching as doctors treated patients, then briefly explained to you procedures, then learned from one man about some of the background of Ayurveda, not in practice, and that was the extent of your traditional medicine experience, then you should attend this program. There was no service or learning components of this trip, making this more of a glorified tour guide rather than a true medical experience. Other medical students agree with me, and may not express these things this harshly because as tourists, at least they got to see the country for the first time. Pre-med students will definitely not give you their honest opinions because they were so enamored by seeing any medicine, they did not care about true alternative medicine learning or really helping anyone. They were also caught up in trying to get recommendations out of the doctors that they wouldn’t dare talk negatively about the program. Overall I had a very negative experience with CFHI's "Introduction to Traditional Medicine" program and wish I had saved my money for use in a better way, such as serving in clinics on my own. One student did such a thing separate from CFHI and really got the most out of anyone. Overall, this experience taught me more attention is needed in international medicine, so students and those who truly care can provide for underserved populations in a positive light and not be ripped off for their money to fall in the hands of coordinators and physicians who are more interested in buying new cars and less interested in treating more patients.
Location: Northern India and Himalaya
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? Child Family Health International - Rural or Traditional Medicine Rotation in India
What was the type of program? Traditional Medicine Rotation
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 5
Do this experience if you: Would like to have more information about Indian culture but are not necessarily keen on learning medicine.
Do NOT do this experience if you: Want to learn more about medicine and applying medical principles- you do not have much access to helping patients, mostly you are shadowing doctors who don’t have time necessarily to teach you.
White paper: “Integrative Medicine in Northern India, A Practical Understanding” by Sidharth Anand

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Self-Title of Experience: Nicaragua Spanish School
Name: Aaron Spicer, MS II
E-mail address: aaronspi@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: I took more or less private Spanish classes and did homestays in 3 cities in Nicaragua.
Location: Leon, Granada, and San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? Nicaragua Spanish Schools or you can ask me. This site has good info. I can tell you more about the individual cities or even help you set up your own arrangements in the country, at least in Leon, if you don't want to commit to the classes NSS has set up. There are a lot of Spanish schools in Nicaragua and it's easy and safe to get around, so I recommend the country for a visit even if you don't want to do the same program I used.
What was the type of program? Generally 1 on 1 classes in the mornings, then optional touristy activities in the afternoons, followed by hanging out with other students or the kids in the families I stayed with at night.
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 9.
Do this experience if you: Want to see a beautiful new country, drink refrescos out of plastic bags, and work on your Spanish. Definitely if you want to climb volcanoes, there are a lot of them there, and climbing volcanoes is always a good time. Oh, and if you want to see monkeys.
Do NOT do this experience if you: Hate humidity, require running hot water, or are really uptight. Moderate uptightness would probably be OK, though. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to people who speak zero Spanish, but I saw it done by someone who seemed to be having a good time

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Self-Title of Experience: Learning Spanish and Working in a Clinical in Nicaraguan beach town
Name: Katherine Talbert, MS II
E-mail address: ktalbert@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience:
I attended NSS (Nicaragua Spanish School) for 6 weeks, and took one week off to go scuba diving in Honduras. While I was in Nicaragua, I had a homestay arranged by the Spanish School. I also volunteered in a clinic and did some survey-style research on use of family planning methods and the local women's beliefs about them.
Location: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua (& Roatan, Honduras)
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience?
Nicaragua Spanish Schools
What was the type of program? One-on-one (or sometimes two) Spanish Instruction.
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 8
Do this experience if you: Want to learn a lot of Spanish in a beautiful place.
Do NOT do this experience if you: Can't stand hot humid weather or lots of insects.

Note: I think absolute beginners to the Spanish language would have a lot of frustration with the teachers at NSS, most of whom who don't speak any English at all. I also think some more advanced concepts (subtle uses of the Imperfect Subjunctive with the Conditional tense, for example) are not taught well. And there's a lot of grammar that's not in their program. Never the less, I learned a heck of a lot of Spanish, didn't pay very much, and had a great summer.

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Self-Title of Experience: Physician's assistant at a remote Kenyan Hospital
Name: Scott Somers, MS I
E-mail address: somers@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: It was 3 doctors and myself + lots of uneducated Kenyans running a hospital with hundreds of patients per day. This required me to assist on surgeries, deliver several babies (solo often), and witness some incredible international medicine. However, lab results were a joke, diseases were often never fully identified, and patients frequently died. Emotionally it was very hard at times, but I can honestly say that this experience changed my life, and made me want to pursue international medicine even more.
Location: Up in the mountains near the rift valley in Kenya, East Africa
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? World Medical Mission
What was the type of program? It was like Doctors Without Borders but I later found out that it is funded by Samaritan's Purse. I should mention that one of the doctors was actually a medical student, and that the program is very open to medical students participating.
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 10
Do this experience if you: want the adventure of a lifetime, want a feel for international medicine
Do NOT do this experience if you: are afraid of malaria, HIV, hepatitis, patients dying, terrorism, snakes etc. Or, if you can't deal with inadequate lab results, frustrating situations, and not knowing how to help someone (or not having the resources to).

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Self-Title of Experience: Fulbright scholarship to Uganda
Name: Sulggi Lee, MS III
E-mail address: sulggile@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: 7 months after finishing my PhD
Location: Uganda
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? IIEE Fulbright
What was the type of program? Government-sponsored program to do research, etc.
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 8
Advice to other students: Get out of the country at least once during medical school -- you need to breathe before you get sucked in to the fast pace of medical training.
Do this experience if you: want to add something different to your training
Do NOT do this experience if you: are afraid of taking some time off

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Self-Title of Experience: Vacation for fun in Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica (2005), Southeast Asia (2000,2003)
Name: Marlowe Majoewsky, MS I
E-mail address: majoewsk@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: Haven't had any health-related experiences traveling (unless you count getting sick in Indonesia and Nicaragua) - but I did travel around a bit so if anyone has any questions about traveling in these countries or wants to hear about fun places to go when you are there, feel free to contact me.
Location: Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica (a little bit), Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore. I've also traveled in Australia, Portugal and Brazil but I didn't spend as much time in these countries....
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 10

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Self-Title of Experience: La Hermandad Educativa
Name: Ann Finkelstein, MS II
E-mail address: afinkels@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: I studied Spanish for 3 weeks at the Projecto Linguistico Quetzalteco and for one week at the Escuela de la Montana. Both school provide one-on-one instruction 4-5 hours per day, plus a home stay in Quetzaltenango or meals with families at the mountain school, film screenings, lectures on everything from revolutionary poetry to Mayan dress to CAFTA, salsa lessons and parties, and field trips to local sites. The schools are run as a teachers' collective, and a large portion of their profits go to fund educational and cultural programs in the communities and scholarships for local students. Many of the teachers and guides are former guerilla fighters or leftist activists, and they incorporate lots of regional history and politics into their language instruction. Quetzaltenango is a large city up in the mountains, very beautiful but also a bit on the dirty and smoggy side (sound familiar?). The Mountain School is in a very rural area, near coffee plantations and several tiny pueblos. Although not specifically a program geared towards medical students, the teachers were very happy to help me out with medical Spanish. There are volunteer opportunities, including some at a local hospital, but they generally require persistence and a longer time commitment than I was able to make. Students come from all over the world; the school has an excellent reputation for both its Spanish instruction and its commitment to social justice.
Location: Quetzaltenango and Fatima, Guatemala
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? La Hermandad Educativa
What was the type of program? Spanish language school
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 8
Advice to other students: Apply early because summer spots fill up fast! If possible spend at least one week at the Mountain school. Bring a medical Spanish textbook with you.
Do this experience if you: Want excellent, individualized Spanish instruction and want to learn about the history and current reality of Guatemala and the Americas from incredibly talented, well-informed radical leftists!
Do NOT do this experience if you: Are primarily interested in volunteer work in a medical setting.

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Self-Title of Experience: SALUD program in Ecuador
Name: Rian Melissa Hasson, MS II
E-mail address: hasson@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: Traveling to Ecuador was fabulous!! If you have never traveled extensively outside of the US and are looking for a safe travel agency to go through Amerispan worked out nicely. While I was there I participated in the SALUD program which is a specifically designed for medical students. My typical day included interning in the hospital in the surgical department in the mornings followed by Spanish classes in the afternoon at our school. I stayed with a host family while I was there which helped to make the experience authentic and improved my Spanish tremendously! Again, if you haven’t traveled extensively outside of the US and are looking for guidance in terms of arranging a hospital experience, and setting up your classes I would definitely recommend going through an established organization so that you have the contacts you need. Also, if you are into sightseeing, definitely schedule time after your program (mine was four weeks) to travel and sight see. Nearby locations include Quenca and the Galapagos. They are both beautiful and easily accessible, but you need to plan ahead.
Location: Ecuador
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? Amerispan

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Self-Title of Experience: Intern at the World Health Organization
Name: Sharel Ongchin, MS II
E-mail address: ongchin@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: I was an intern in the Research Policy and Cooperation Department at the WHO. My project involved examining health research systems in different countries, and writing a proposal about how to incorporate social participation in health research systems and policy making. I was also able to participate in conferences and attend lectures in the various departments of the WHO. It was a great opportunity to learn about international health policy, get a better understanding of what the WHO does, and meet international health leaders from all over the world.
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? World Health Organization
What was the type of program? internship
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 10
Do this experience if you: Want an international experience that exposes you to global health policy, how the WHO works, and isn't lab/clinical research.
Do NOT do this experience if you: are looking to brush up and practice your Spanish skills, because you won't find that in Switzerland

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Self-Title of Experience: Medical Spanish program in Cusco, Peru
Name: Rey Hamidi, MS II
E-mail address:rhamidi@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: This is a 4- or 8-week program (I did 3 weeks) that provides you with one-on-one Spanish tutoring for 4 hours per day, plus 4 hours of shadowing in a local clinic for the poor. The language portion is really tailored to what you want to learn (since it's one-on-one), as long as you tell your tutor what it is you want. The last week of the program my tutor and I basically talked for 4 hours a day, which really helped with my conversational skills. The doctor you shadow for the clinic portion is an OB/GYN, although he actually works at the clinic as a general practitioner since that's what they need. I mostly observed, although you can probably do more if you ask and if you know what you're doing somewhat. Also, the last week that I was there they opened a new maternity ward in the clinic, so no doubt you will see several births. They place you with a family, which I really enjoyed since I got home-cooked meals and got to practice my Spanish. Overall I really enjoyed the program, and it was great to be able to go to Machu Picchu, which was just amazing.
Location: Cusco, Peru
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? Aula World
What was the type of program? Medical Spanish
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 8
Do this experience if you: Want to improve your Spanish, don't mind being on your own a lot of the time (this is not a large study-abroad program, but an intimate school), and want to find out more about the health system in Peru.
Do NOT do this experience if you: Want a really hands-on medical experience or a large program with lots of other students.

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Self-Title of Experience: Humanitarian Medical Outreach Summer Service Trip to East Africa
Name: Trevor Crowell, MS II
E-mail address: tcrowell@usc.edu
Brief Description of the Summer Abroad Experience: I traveled to Kenya and Uganda during the summers of 2001, 2002 and 2003. During my trips, I gave AIDS awareness presentations at churches, schools and community centers throughout western Kenya and eastern Uganda. I also worked with groups of about twenty secondary school students at a time to train AIDS and general health peer educators who could go out and give their own presentations or serve as resources for their peers. I volunteered regularly on a mobile health clinic for mothers and children, giving vaccinations, weighing babies and distributing medications. I also had opportunities to shadow physicians at a number of local private and government-run hospitals. In the non-medical arena, I worked with several women’s groups on microenterprise projects, such as setting up small sewing shops with seed money from Humanitarian Medical Outreach. I also occasionally taught in a local pre-school and helped build and catalogue the region’s first public library. In 2003, we succeeded in establishing a low-cost basic healthcare facility in Kabula, Kenya, that continues to operate year-round. All of this was done through the HMO chapter at my undergraduate university. USC is just starting its own chapter of HMO, and we could really use some interested, self-motivated students to help make this kind of opportunity available to students here!
Location: Bungoma, Kenya; Jinja, Uganda
Where Should I Find More Information about the experience? E-mail tcrowell@usc.edu or hmo@usc.edu
What was the type of program? Student-run non-profit organization partnership with local NGO
On a scale 1-10, how would you rate your overall experience? 10
Do this experience if you: are excited about international medicine and want hands-on experience creating and implementing projects in the developing world and are willing to work hard to help others get involved and make a difference in a needy community.
Do NOT do this experience if you: want a structured experience that is planned out for you

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