Volunteer Opportunities Abroad
Non-medical volunteers provide the foundation for all of our missions. At least half of our volunteers have no medical background and their services are a critical component to the successful operation of our work. As a non-medical volunteer you will work side by side with the medical team throughout the hospital or clinic as well as build relationships with the community. Interacting with the people of our host country is an important part of all short term medical mission trips and allows us to leave a lasting footprint on the community.
Some common roles for non-medical volunteers:
- Hospital/Clinic set up and breakdown
- Patient registration and intake
- Patient escort services
- Translation services
Offering the unique opportunity to introduce young people ages 14 to 18 to medicine, our Junior Volunteer Program allows students to join us on missions. The Junior Volunteer is one of the hardest working members of the Blanca’s House team. Junior Volunteers support the running our hospital operations. They assist in patient intake, triage, data and medical notes input, and have the opportunity to observe in and out of the operating rooms.
In addition, the following assistance is part of the responsibilities of a Junior Volunteer:
- Lifting and moving equipment
- Transporting patients
- Escorting patients
- Maintenance of paperwork
- Translation (where applicable)
Medical Students and Residents will:
- Be supervised by practicing Health Care Providers in their specialty.
- Be exposed to social and cultural issues more intensely than they would ever experience at home. We take care of problems caused by poverty, malnutrition, inadequate immunizations, inadequate health care systems, illiteracy, and inadequate sanitation in a culturally sensitive way.
- Be exposed to many disease entities that are uncommon in the United States and many that are in more advanced stages than would be expected in a first world country.
- Practice their clinical and surgical skills
How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in joining one of Blanca’s House’s missions. In order to apply for a mission, you must first register with us.
Once your registration is completed and approved by a coordinator, one of the Executive Directors will contact you with the next steps.
DISCLAIMER: Blanca’s House is not responsible for any change(s) to the location of a medical mission due to the host government’s decision to relocate the site of delivery of medical services based on their review of need.
PLEASE NOTE:
- The cost of a mission includes funding patient surgeries which consist of essential supplies and medications and anesthesia drugs. We are unable to waive or reduce any mission costs. We encourage those for whom the cost of attending a medical mission presents a financial challenge to fundraise.
- All team members will pack a carry-on and a personal item to take on-board the plane. Blanca’s House assigns mission team members two pieces of luggage packed with crucial Blanca’s House cargo to be checked in by the airline. In the event a team member is traveling separately from the group, they, too, will be responsible to assist In bringing said cargo.
- All students and residents are credentialed as support staff.
- All Blanca’s House staff pay their own expenses just as all team members attending a mission.
- There is no Blanca’s House stipend given to any team member.
Step 1:
Please complete our registration form. Upon completion, you will be contacted by Valerie via email. Please do not complete this form at a hospital, university or medical facility due to security firewalls that may prevent the completed form from being received.
Step 2:
Once you are registered and received the email, you will enter the username and password you indicated on the registration form. Please do not complete this form at a hospital, university, or medical facility due to security firewalls that may prevent the completed form from being received.
