Preparations
Mission Preparations and Expectations
A Typical Day at a MEDLIFE Clinic:
The team usually gets up around 6:00 am, eats breakfast, packs materials for the day, and leave for clinic. In Quito/Cuzco, the team will visit a new neighborhood of the south of Quito/outskirts of Cuzco each day and provide medical care to the residents of these neighborhoods/villages. In Riobamba, the team does the same but the clinic usually takes place in a small rural village. Lunch is around 12:00 and is a bag lunch provided by the MEDLIFE team. Clinics are usually held in schools, community centers or other buildings provided by our hosts. Usually we see patients until about 5:00-6:00 pm, depending on the number of patients that come to clinic. After finishing with patients, the team returns to the hostel for dinner and relaxation.
Physician Responsibilites
Physicians can expect to see upwards of 45 patients on busy days and at least 20 patients on slow days. Medlife will provide the necessary medications (link). Due to scarce medical resources in the areas we work, laboratory tests are not usually available. However, Medlife is committed to working toward the health of our patients beyond the conclusion of our missions. To this end, we keep a record of “special cases” that need surgery or other follow up care. After the mission is over, our in-country staff will get these patients the care they need.
When possible, physicians are encouraged and asked to provide students with an opportunity for mentorship/education about patients or medical conditions. Clinicians do not need to speak Spanish, MEDLIFE provides translators.
Student Responsibilities
On clinic days the students accompanying the mission are divided into teams. These teams consist of a height and weight team, a dental hygiene team, a medical team and a pharmacy team. To see a diagram of our clinic set-up click here (link to “station diagram”)
Height/Weight Team: This team consists of 2-3 students who assist in the intake of patients and directing and forming patient waiting areas. In addition, these students will measure height, weight, blood pressure, and, if necessary, temperature for each patient.
Medical Team: 2-3 students on this team provide translation for physicians if necessary, as well as assist the physicians in any way possible. These students are also responsible for the coordination of patient flow and communication between the physicians and all other teams regarding the clinic status. These students will also help convey prescription instructions to the pharmacy team
Pharmacy Team: This team consists of 2-3 students who are responsible for the filling of all physician orders regarding the medications available to dispense on every mission. These students fill out and provide detailed written and oral instructions for all patients.
Dental Hygiene Team: This team consists of 1-2 students who provide tooth brushing lessons and dental fluoride to all children. In addition, this team dispenses dental supplies to all patients. In missions including a dentist, this team also assists the dentist with translation or other needs.
Expenses
Airfare:
Airfare tends to range between $500-$900 depending on the location of departure. On the East coast of the USA, MEDLIFE directors have found that flights from NYC tend to run cheaper Participation Fee. A valid passport is required for travel to and from Ecuador/Peru.
Participation Fee:
The participation fee covers transportation, room and board while in Ecuador. MEDLIFE provides breakfast, a bag lunch, and dinner during the clinic days. The only meals that participants will be expected to pay for are during free/tourist days and/or additional meals, snacks or drinks that are not planned by MEDLIFE. Some spending money may be desirable to buy souvenirs during free/tourist times.
One Week: $669.50
Accommodations
In Riobamba MEDLIFE medical missions usually stay at the Hotel Monte Carlo. (http:// www.hotelmontecarlo-riobamba.com/engmc.htm). In Cuzco Peru we stay at Hotel Monserrat - http://hotelesmonserrat.com/
Transportation:
Main transportation in Ecuador will be by charter bus or vans and will be covered by the participation fee. On clinic Days to the areas surrounding Cebadas, pick-up trucks will carry the between clinic sites and the town center.
Free Time:
Any free time is an opportunity to use email or call home, and/or get to know Quito/Riobamba. Since Quito is a bigger city there is less opportunity to get to know the city on foot. Regardless of where the mission takes place MEDLIFE plans days for volunteers to see some tourist sites during the teams’ stay in Ecuador.
What To Bring:
During the clinic days all participants are asked to look professional, but are not required to wear ties or dress shirts. Jeans, polo shirts, and/or casual shirts are fine.
Other Suggested items:
Small travel bag
Comfortable walking shoes
Shorts (1-3)
Long pants (1-3)
Long and short-sleeved shirts (3-5)
Socks
Underwear
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Windbreaker or light rain jacket
Camera, film and battery
Any medicine you may be taking
Toilette kit (toothbrush, shampoo etc)
Passport with Yellow Book
Airline tickets
Insurance card (health/travel)
Money
Credit cards, ATM card
Personal ID, Drivers license
*We ask physicians and PAs to carry medication in their luggage for the missions in order to pass through customs. MEDLIFE purchases all of the medication.*
Vaccination requirements: VISIT YOUR LOCAL TRAVEL CLINIC!!!
Ask about these vaccintations: Hepatitis A, Typhoid, AND ANY YOUR CLINIC RECOMMENDS!!!
We also recommend that you make sure that any routine vaccinations have been administered and are up to date, these include:
measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT), Hepatitis B
Sample Trip Itinerary for Quito Brigade
Saturday:
All Day- Pick up arriving students and medical staff, settle into hostel, sightseeing if time permits.
7 pm- Dinner
8:30 pm- First group meeting. (Meet each other, talk about the schedule for the week, go over the different tasks students will be assigned at the clinic and with the surgical staff, answer any initial questions about the trip, safety talk)
9:30 pm- Break for rooms (sleep, games, gossip, sleep…)
Sunday:
All Day- Pick up arriving students and medical staff, bringing supplies and surgical staff to the hospital as they arrive.
7-8 am- Breakfast for surgical staff and 6-8 students helping to setup the ORs.
8 am- Surgical staff and 6-8 students depart for hospital along with surgical supplies that have arrived.
8-10 am- Breakfast for rest of the medical staff and remaining students.
10-11 am- Medical staff and remaining students depart for tourist activities in the city. (Shopping at the market, sightseeing, guided tour…)
5-7 pm- Surgical staff and students at hospital head out from hospital for dinner.
5 pm- Group doing tourist activities returns to hostel and organizes meds and other medical supplies for use at the clinic.
7 pm- Dinner
8:30 pm- Second group meeting. (Meet new faces, finalize schedule for Monday, discuss specific roles of students, answer questions about mission)
9:30 pm- Break for rooms. (sleep, games, gossip, sleep…)
Monday-Friday:
7-7:30 am- Breakfast
7:30 am- Bus departs for hospital and medical clinic
8-8:30 am- Bus drops off surgical staff and students assigned to surgery at the hospital.
9-10:30 am (Depending on location of clinic) – Bus brings medical staff and students assigned to the clinic to the clinic location of the day.
10:30-11 am (At the latest) - Students and medical staff set up the medical clinic, organizers begin taking patient information.
11 am (At the latest) - Doctors start seeing patients at the clinic.
12-1 pm- Lunch is taken at the clinic, lunchtimes at the hospital vary depending on surgery times and patient flow.
5-5:30 pm- Students and medical staff stop seeing patients, pack up clinic and head for hospital.
6-7:30 pm- Bus arrives at hospital and picks up surgical staff and students, head for dinner.
7-8:30 pm- Dinner begins.
8:30-9:30 pm- Third group meeting begins. (Discuss days events, how things could have run smoother, discussion on MedLife’s goals mediated by trip leaders and members of MEDLIFE staff, finalize schedule for Tuesday)
10:30 pm- Break for rooms. (Sleep, games, gossip, sleep…)
Saturday:
7-7:30 am- Breakfast for surgical staff and 4-5 students going to hospital.
7:30 am- Bus departs for hospital.
8-8:30 am- Bus drops off surgical staff and students at hospital, staff begins seeing patients for follow-up, students continue packing supplies.
12-12:30 pm- Students and staff complete follow-up and packing, return to hostel.
Throughout the morning- Remaining students and medical staff wake up and get breakfast.
1-1:30 pm- Everybody heads out to lunch and proceeds to the planned event of the day (visit the equator, visit of Mt. Pichincha, rainforest visit…)
8:30-9 pm- Final dinner together (very heartwarming, e-mail exchange, pictures, hugs…)
10-10:30 pm- Return to Hostel for bed, another Ecuadorian experience possibly.
Later- Group returns from second Ecuadorian experience.
Sunday:
All Day- Departure for airport, exploring the local cuisine for those with later flights, final farewells.
