International Service Learning: Experiential Medical Education

DrH
  • 5.0 (3)
  • MEDICINE

This podcast will highlight the values of international service learning study abroad trips taken by healthcare focused faculty and students. Guests will include healthcare focused students and faculty, from high school to university, that have had an opportunity to participate in an international service-learning trip, as well as healthcare professionals that have served abroad. Additionally, we will have guests that are industry leaders in healthcare, education, study abroad, spirituality, and service as well as those living in the countries being served. Through our "passionate conversations about healthcare experiences", both internationally and locally, we hope to motivate and inspire others to consider participating in an international service-learning trip ... which might lead to a future career in healthcare.

  1. Safe Care, Far From Home

    5D AGO

    Safe Care, Far From Home

    Send us Fan Mail 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

    31 min
  2. A Fourth Year Medical Student’s Global Health Experience In Belize

    APR 27

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

    Send us Fan Mail 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

    27 min
  3. A Gap Year Service Learning Trip To Belize Confirms a Future as an MD

    APR 20

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

    Send us Fan Mail 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

    37 min
  4. A Future Doctor Finds Her Path By Serving Patients In Resource-Limited Clinics

    APR 13

    A Future Doctor Finds Her Path By Serving Patients In Resource-Limited Clinics

    Send us Fan Mail Belize looks like paradise until you step into a clinic where “limited resources” isn’t a concept, it’s the daily operating reality. Dr. Patrick Hickey sits down with Lauren, a recent University of South Carolina grad on the pre-med track, to unpack what she learned on a 10-day international service learning trip that blended global health, hands-on experiential medical education, and honest reflection. We talk through what her days actually looked like: splitting into clinic teams, hospital shadowing, observing surgeries, and ending each night with group debriefs and conversations that kept the learning going. Lauren shares what surprised her most, including how few specialty doctors and major hospitals serve the country, and how that scarcity forces hard choices that many U.S. students never see up close. She also describes the strength of local healthcare professionals, the role of bilingual communication, and how culture shows up in everything from the hospital environment to the rhythm of community life. The conversation turns personal as Lauren explains how the trip reshaped her view of healthcare disparities, pushed her to “meet patients where they are,” and even expanded her curiosity about specialties after seeing her first C-section. We also cover her gap year plans, medical assistant work, MCAT lessons, and her new role coordinating ISL social media so future teams can better highlight service, not just sightseeing. If you care about global health, pre-med development, and service learning done with humility, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend considering a service trip, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you want more students to hear. 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

    31 min
  5. A Fourth-Year Med Student Plans A Gap Year Medical Trip To Belize

    APR 6

    A Fourth-Year Med Student Plans A Gap Year Medical Trip To Belize

    Send us Fan Mail You can learn the steps of medicine from a book, but you learn the weight of medicine when you sit across from a patient and have to earn trust fast. We’re joined by Gabby G, a fourth-year medical student at the University of South Carolina who just matched into general surgery, to talk about how international service learning helped shape her clinical confidence and her career path. We trace Gabby’s journey through service learning medical mission trips to Guatemala, including the moment cultural humility became real: a women’s health case where a spiritual sauna tradition affected symptoms, and the care plan had to respect belief while still reducing risk. From there we zoom out to global health access, what rural communities face when hospitals are far away, and why community clinics can be the only practical point of care for many patients. Then we get tactical about experiential medical education and leadership. Gabby helped build an inaugural med student and gap year student trip to Belize, recruited peers despite chaotic fourth-year schedules, and even created a “blue card” style skills checklist to make sure learners saw core clinical encounters across specialties. She also shares what it felt like mentoring gap year students, working in a rural hospital setting, and collaborating with Belizean medical students who grew more confident day by day. If you’re pre-med, taking a gap year, or already in training, this conversation offers a clear look at what service learning can teach you about clinical skills, teamwork, and the kind of doctor you want to become. Subscribe for more stories from students and faculty, share this with someone considering a global health experience, and leave a review so more future clinicians can find the show. 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

    34 min
  6. A Pre-Dental Student Explains What Global Dental Care Really Looks Like

    MAR 30

    A Pre-Dental Student Explains What Global Dental Care Really Looks Like

    Send us Fan Mail The fastest way to understand dentistry isn’t another lecture, it’s sitting chairside in a real clinic where the tools are limited, the need is high, and you have to earn trust before you can help. We’re joined by Nikki, a University of South Carolina pre-dental student, as she reflects on international service learning across the Dominican Republic and Puerto Peñasco, Mexico and what changed when she returned as a student leader. We talk through the real mechanics of a dental mission trip: how the team sets daily goals, rotates through patient intake, vitals, assisting dentists, and charting, and how students with little dental experience learn instruments and procedures on the fly. Nikki shares what surprised her most in Mexico, including oral hygiene patterns like low floss awareness, the challenge of deep decay you can’t fully treat in a short-term clinic, and system differences such as dentists often working without assistants. Some of the most powerful moments have nothing to do with fillings. Nikki describes calming scared pediatric patients when language gets in the way, why communication “without words” becomes a clinical skill, and how a visit to a men’s rehabilitation center left a lasting impression. We also dig into a protocol many US clinics don’t use: required glucose checks before treatment, and how that changed the team’s view of safety, prevention, and access to care. If you’re exploring global health, dental volunteering, or experiential medical education, this conversation offers honest context and practical insight. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend considering service learning, and leave a review with your biggest question about providing care across cultures. 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

    28 min
  7. A Trip To Kenya Reframed What Nursing Means

    MAR 23

    A Trip To Kenya Reframed What Nursing Means

    Send us Fan Mail You can prepare for the clinical work, pack the supplies, and review the protocols and still feel completely unprepared for what poverty looks like up close. That’s what makes Camila’s story stick. She’s an ICU bedside nurse and case manager in Texas, originally from São Paulo, Brazil, who became a nurse at 40 after learning English as an adult. She joins us to talk about a Kenya medical mission trip with 410 Bridge that becomes one of the most meaningful experiences of her nursing career. We walk through what international service learning actually looks like on the ground: setting up clinics across rural villages and schools, working alongside teachers and mental health professionals, and leaning hard on health education when resources are limited. Camila shares the most common conditions her team sees, including dehydration during months without rain, upper respiratory infections, dental decay, pneumonia, and severe eye disease like cataracts and glaucoma. We also talk about why oral hygiene supplies and simple training can create long-term impact when medications and dressings run out. The conversation goes deeper than logistics. Camila describes the emotional weight of identifying serious problems you can’t fully fix, the surprise of encountering genuine joy in communities facing extreme scarcity, and the way faith and human connection help her stay steady. Coming home triggers guilt and a new awareness of healthcare waste in the United States, plus a renewed commitment to nursing as a calling that reaches far beyond hospital walls. If you care about global health, cultural competence, medical missions, and the real-world ethics of service, this one will challenge you in the best way. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation, share this with a nurse or student who’s on the fence about serving abroad, and leave a review with the one insight you’re taking into your own practice. 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

    43 min
  8. How A Medical Sales Representative Found Purpose On A Humanitarian Mission Trip

    MAR 16

    How A Medical Sales Representative Found Purpose On A Humanitarian Mission Trip

    Send us Fan Mail A stranger’s LinkedIn message turned into a story we can’t stop thinking about. Anna, a 23-year-old medical sales representatives, packed her bags for Honduras and traded the OR sidelines for a week of hard, heart-forward work—turning a church into a clinic, running a pop-up pharmacy, and watching passion beat limited resources at every turn. We walk through the anatomy of a responsible short-term mission: iPad intake that keeps patient data organized, a pharmacy line that never stops moving, and clear protocols that make 100 to 200-plus daily visits safe and humane. Anna also spends time in a public hospital with only two operating rooms, observing pelvic floor repairs made possible by donated slings and mesh from Caldera Medical. The gear matters, but the mindset matters more: respect for sterile fields, concise guidance when asked, and deep humility in someone else’s workspace. What lingers most isn’t a procedure—it’s a small hand. A five-year-old with an eye infection needs her drops delivered and explained at home. The walk there, the hug that won’t let go, and the reality of a family doing the best they can with very little reframes what “impact” looks like. Back in the U.S., Anna sees both our strengths and our blind spots. We have resources and training; we need more pathways to serve—locally and globally—for surgeons, nurses, students, and yes, medical sales  representatives who can bring knowledge and logistics where they’re scarce. We share practical takeaways: how to prepare for a mission, why simple systems outperform flashy tools, the Spanish phrases that matter for safe dosing, and how companies can turn humanitarian promises into real patient outcomes. If you’ve been waiting for a nudge to step outside your comfort zone and put your skills to work for people who rarely get seen, this conversation is it. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs the push, and leave a review to help more listeners find stories that spark action. 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

    44 min
See All (24)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

This podcast will highlight the values of international service learning study abroad trips taken by healthcare focused faculty and students. Guests will include healthcare focused students and faculty, from high school to university, that have had an opportunity to participate in an international service-learning trip, as well as healthcare professionals that have served abroad. Additionally, we will have guests that are industry leaders in healthcare, education, study abroad, spirituality, and service as well as those living in the countries being served. Through our "passionate conversations about healthcare experiences", both internationally and locally, we hope to motivate and inspire others to consider participating in an international service-learning trip ... which might lead to a future career in healthcare.

Information