International Service Learning: Experiential Education

DrH

The intent of this podcast is to "share the voices of international service" by "hearing" from those that have stepped out of their comfort zones to make a difference internationally, while also dealing with the issues and challenges of such endeavors. Guests will include those that have participated in international service-learning trips; whether it be medical, faith-based, community engagement, disaster relief, education, etc. Additionally, we will have guests that are industry leaders and professionals in healthcare, education, study abroad, spirituality, policy, and service as well as those living in the countries being served. By enabling the "voices of international service" to be "heard" we hope to motivate and inspire others to consider participating in an international service-learning trip ... and by doing so make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. I am Dr. Patrick Hickey (aka Dr. H as my students refer to me) and it is my honor to be the host of this podcast. I have done 20+ years of international service in a variety of roles. Most recently, as a university professor, I have taken many cohorts of healthcare focused students to developing countries to render healthcare as needed, and by doing so we made a huge difference in the lives of those in need. While rendering healthcare we often collaborated with other cohorts of non-medical groups also providing service; together we worked towards common goals of providing much needed care. Post trip I have seen the pictures and/or videos posted on social media by my students and those in other cohorts, and while they do a great job of showing our activities, I always felt that there was something missing ... the voices of those providing the service.  In November 2025 I started the podcast (International Service Learning: Experiential Education) in order to "share the voices of international service". 

  1. 4d ago

    Service Starts With A Simple "Hello"

    Send us Fan Mail Serving the world can feel impossible when you’re short on time, money, or confidence, so we start somewhere smaller: a hello. Stephanie joins us to share how everyday kindness, real curiosity, and simple human connection can become a personal practice of service that travels with you anywhere. From chatting with a gas attendant to greeting someone in their language at a coffee shop, we dig into why being “seen” and “heard” is not soft, it’s foundational. Stephanie also walks us through stepping outside her comfort zone in a big way, moving to Taiwan in her mid-30s and building a life as an educator while adapting to a new culture and language. We talk about what actually helps when you’re living abroad, from practical tools like maps and translation apps to the deeper skills of humility, flexibility, and cultural respect. Then we get into international service on the ground: volunteering with the SALT collective to cook meals for unhoused people in Taipei, and organizing a Black Lives Matter support rally in Taiwan that raised roughly $10,000 USD and funded causes across Taiwan, Africa, and the United States. We close with her best advice for anyone considering volunteering abroad or international service learning: “lose yourself,” show up ready to learn, and you’ll discover we’re more alike than we are different. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review so more people find the show. I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to "share the voices of international service" with you!  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 students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that it is the hands-on experiential experiences that are most meaningful in life! I hope that by hearing these voices you too can become involved in service, whether it be locally, nationally, or internatioally.  Feel free to check out our website at www.internationalservicelearning.org, follow us on Instagram @islmedical, or send me an email at                                      DrH@internationalservicelearning.org if you wasnt to learn more about international opportunities for yourself, your school, your church, or any other cohort!

    Service Starts With A Simple "Hello"

  2. Oct 5

    Travel-Serve-Learn: Medical Service in the Dominican Republic

    Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever wondered whether a short-term medical service trip can really matter, Kendra Ho brings the kind of detail that makes it real. Kendra is a University of South Carolina neuroscience major with a business minor on the pre-med track, and she joins me to talk about serving in the Dominican Republic through a service learning clinic that combines travel, hands-on care, and experiential education. We walk through what the days actually look like: early mornings, setting up a mobile clinic in a church, going door to door with a community guide, practicing Spanish, and then shifting into triage, vitals, history, and patient conversations before a local physician evaluates and prescribes. Kendra shares what she sees most often in underserved communities including hypertension, diabetes, chronic headaches, and why antiparasitic meds come up so frequently when clean water and food safety aren’t guaranteed. We also talk about what it’s like to learn from doctors who teach generously and explain the “why” behind each diagnosis and medication. Some of the most powerful moments are the hardest ones: patients who delay care for years, a blood pressure reading that signals a crisis, and the frustration of leaving without the follow-up you’d want in any healthcare system. That leads to our big takeaway for global health and for future physicians: education and communication may be the most sustainable care you can offer, especially when access is limited by distance, work, childcare, or cost. If you care about global health, cultural competency, healthcare access, and becoming a better clinician, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s on the fence about service learning, and leave a review with the lesson you’re taking into your own community. I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to "share the voices of international service" with you!  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 students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that it is the hands-on experiential experiences that are most meaningful in life! I hope that by hearing these voices you too can become involved in service, whether it be locally, nationally, or internatioally.  Feel free to check out our website at www.internationalservicelearning.org, follow us on Instagram @islmedical, or send me an email at                                      DrH@internationalservicelearning.org if you wasnt to learn more about international opportunities for yourself, your school, your church, or any other cohort!

    Travel-Serve-Learn: Medical Service in the Dominican Republic

  3. Sep 28

    The Missionary Heart of an ER MD: Always Ready to Serve

    Send us Fan Mail You can spend a lifetime in healthcare and still get shocked by what “no resources” really means. We talk with Dr. David Gray, an emergency physician and lifelong mentor, about the moments that shaped him: learning medicine the hard way in Guadalajara, helping build a new style of ER practice back home, and then stepping into global health where he spent decades in medical service work across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and parts of Africa, where electricity, supplies, and referral options can disappear overnight. We trade stories from medical mission trips and international service learning in Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Nigeria, Kenya, and even a teaching visit to Costa Rica that revealed how much emergency systems depend on training, not gadgets. Dr. Gray explains how teams “make do” when customs steals donated supplies, when regulators block medications, and when you face cases you cannot fix because surgery, transport, or follow-up simply are not available. We also dig into what responsible short-term service looks like: training local aides, building trust year after year, and treating patient education as the part that lasts. Along the way, we come back to a simple skill that travels anywhere: human connection. A hand on a shoulder, eye contact, and a calm voice can change what a patient shares, how they cope, and how a team functions, especially in resource-limited settings where the history and physical exam matter more than a barrage of tests. If you’re a student, nurse, or physician curious about global health volunteering, this conversation offers practical guidance and an honest look at the emotional cost and the deep rewards. Subscribe for more stories from international service and experiential education, share this episode with a colleague who wants to serve abroad, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to "share the voices of international service" with you!  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 students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that it is the hands-on experiential experiences that are most meaningful in life! I hope that by hearing these voices you too can become involved in service, whether it be locally, nationally, or internatioally.  Feel free to check out our website at www.internationalservicelearning.org, follow us on Instagram @islmedical, or send me an email at                                      DrH@internationalservicelearning.org if you wasnt to learn more about international opportunities for yourself, your school, your church, or any other cohort!

    The Missionary Heart of an ER MD: Always Ready to Serve

  4. Sep 21

    Presence Is The Best Medicine: A Guatemalan MD Reflection on Healthcare

    Send us Fan Mail A short-term global health trip can feel like a drop in the ocean, until you hear what “no access” really means from someone who lives it. We sit down with Dr. Ciro Calderon, a Guatemalan physician in Antigua who runs his own clinic, collaborates with the Peace Corps, and mentors visiting service learning healthcare focused teams in rural and indigenous communities where resources can be scarce and the need is constant. We talk candidly about Guatemala’s centralized healthcare system and the sharp gap between urban care and nearby villages that may still lack consistent medical coverage. Dr. Calderon shares what it’s like when a visiting clinic becomes the only chance a patient has to see a doctor, and how students must navigate language barriers, interpreters, and the ethics of being treated like “the doctor” before they’re fully trained. The message is clear: cultural humility, clear communication, and teamwork matter as much as clinical knowledge. We also dig into the big health issues he sees most often; maternal and child health challenges, child nutrition and education, and the mental health stigma that keeps people from asking for help. Along the way, Dr. Calderon explains why patient education is the most sustainable intervention, why access to affordable medicines can be the hardest barrier, and how "presence" ... the simple human connection of touch, a smile, eye contact, and a listening ear can change a patient’s experience of care. If you care about international service learning, experiential education, ethical medical mission trips, or global health in Guatemala, this conversation will give you practical perspective and a reason to reflect. Subscribe, share this with someone considering a service trip, and leave a review with the biggest question you’re still wrestling with. I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to "share the voices of international service" with you!  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 students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that it is the hands-on experiential experiences that are most meaningful in life! I hope that by hearing these voices you too can become involved in service, whether it be locally, nationally, or internatioally.  Feel free to check out our website at www.internationalservicelearning.org, follow us on Instagram @islmedical, or send me an email at                                      DrH@internationalservicelearning.org if you wasnt to learn more about international opportunities for yourself, your school, your church, or any other cohort!

    Presence Is The Best Medicine: A Guatemalan MD Reflection on Healthcare

  5. Sep 14

    Saving Lives in Garbage Dump Communities Worldwide

    Send us Fan Mail A garbage dump is not just a place where trash ends up. In many developing nations, it becomes a workplace, a food source, and the center of a community where families sort plastics and metal beside medical waste just to survive. That’s the world Mike Tenbush has spent the last eight years fighting for as president of International Samaritan, and his stories are impossible to shrug off. We talk about what life looks like in unregulated dump site communities, why the health outcomes are so brutal, and why “help” has to be more than a one-week project. Mike explains how International Samaritan started in Guatemala City and evolved into a scholarship-driven strategy that helps children of recyclers stay in school, reach trade programs or college, and pull entire families out of the cycle. We also dig into the practical questions listeners ask about nonprofit transparency and responsible giving, including how to vet organizations and why their US overhead is covered separately so donations can flow directly to in-country work. From there, we unpack a better model for international service learning: Learn Serve Grow. It’s built around a 52-week partnership where teams learn together before travel, serve with the community rather than “to” the community, and return home committed to fundraising that fuels long-term change. Mike shares moments that define the mission, from a child who didn’t understand the concept of “dreams” to urgent medical needs that can be solved with timely support. If you care about global health, poverty alleviation, ethical volunteering, or service-learning trips abroad, listen through to the end and then take one step. Subscribe, share this with a friend who wants to serve, and leave a review so more people find the work. I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to "share the voices of international service" with you!  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 students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that it is the hands-on experiential experiences that are most meaningful in life! I hope that by hearing these voices you too can become involved in service, whether it be locally, nationally, or internatioally.  Feel free to check out our website at www.internationalservicelearning.org, follow us on Instagram @islmedical, or send me an email at                                      DrH@internationalservicelearning.org if you wasnt to learn more about international opportunities for yourself, your school, your church, or any other cohort!

    Saving Lives in Garbage Dump Communities Worldwide

  6. Sep 7

    Why Global Health Keeps Failing And How To Fix It

    Send us Fan Mail The next pandemic problem is already here, and it is not just a virus. It is a system that fractures on impact. When a crisis hits, we send waves of institutions, NGOs, universities, and volunteers into the same space, often without shared situational awareness, shared data, or a unified plan. Dr. Meunier joins us to explain why global health has become an inefficient network of silos and why “reform” inside agencies will never be enough without real transformation in global health infrastructure.  We dig into what the public health workforce decline and frozen development budgets mean on the ground, and why volunteer healthcare organizations and international service learning programs end up filling the void. Then we get practical: consolidation versus cooperation, how Ministries of Health can support coordination, and why bottom-up collaboration may be the only realistic starting point when there is no top-down orchestration. Dr. Meunier also challenges us to think about early warning systems, rapid data sharing, joint outbreak response capacity, and the uncomfortable reality of hidden agendas that can undermine humanitarian health work.  We go deep on preparation for medical mission trips and global health volunteering, including cultural competency, avoiding saviorism, and the ethical pressure of practicing in resource-challenged environments where doing nothing can be deadly. Dr. Meunier shares a real public health success story from Papua New Guinea built on data gathering, water and sanitation, malaria control, nutrition, and community training, plus clear advice for future clinicians: be curious, be empathetic, stay cool, and keep your serenity. If you care about global health security, health equity, and making international service actually work, subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. *To learn more about Dr Yann Meunier and his global efforts ... simply do a google search or check him out on LinkedIn as he is publising articles almost weekly! I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to "share the voices of international service" with you!  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 students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that it is the hands-on experiential experiences that are most meaningful in life! I hope that by hearing these voices you too can become involved in service, whether it be locally, nationally, or internatioally.  Feel free to check out our website at www.internationalservicelearning.org, follow us on Instagram @islmedical, or send me an email at                                      DrH@internationalservicelearning.org if you wasnt to learn more about international opportunities for yourself, your school, your church, or any other cohort!

    Why Global Health Keeps Failing And How To Fix It

  7. Aug 31

    Advancing Women's Health Internationally

    Send us Fan Mail Serving abroad sounds inspiring, until you hit the real-life barriers: limited money, limited time, and the fear that you cannot help without speaking the language. Dr. Patrick Hickey sits down with Nancy, a University of South Carolina public health graduate on the physician assistant track, to show what international service learning can look like when it is done with structure, humility, and respect for local care teams. Nancy shares her journey from being born in Alexandria, Egypt to growing up in South Carolina, and how that immigrant perspective changes the way she sees patients, culture, and community. We also talk career direction, why she moved from nursing to public health, and how the PA pathway connects to her desire to be hands-on in surgery. From there, she walks us through two global health service learning experiences: her first trip to Costa Rica working alongside local providers in underserved communities, and her second trip to Belize where she steps into leadership, helps plan logistics, and builds a women’s clinic education focus for women and teens. We get honest about the hard parts too: screening applicants so trips are not treated like “resume tourism,” navigating limited resources in a different healthcare system, and the post-trip doubts about whether a one-week clinic truly makes a difference. Nancy’s answer is clear and practical: education and human connection scale long after you leave, and local professionals are the best guides for sustainable care. If you care about global health, experiential education, cultural humility, and ethical service, this conversation will give you a grounded place to start. Subscribe, share this with a future healthcare professional, and leave a review, then tell us what kind of impact you want to make. I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to "share the voices of international service" with you!  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 students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that it is the hands-on experiential experiences that are most meaningful in life! I hope that by hearing these voices you too can become involved in service, whether it be locally, nationally, or internatioally.  Feel free to check out our website at www.internationalservicelearning.org, follow us on Instagram @islmedical, or send me an email at                                      DrH@internationalservicelearning.org if you wasnt to learn more about international opportunities for yourself, your school, your church, or any other cohort!

    Advancing Women's Health Internationally

  8. Aug 24

    The Value Of Getting Ouside Your Comfort Zone: Lessons Learned Abroad

    Send us Fan Mail You can learn a lot about medicine from textbooks, but you learn something different when you have to earn trust in a place where healthcare is hard to reach. We sit down with Rachel, a newly graduated pre-med student headed to medical school, to talk about what changed for her after a short-term international service learning trip to Guatemala and why that experience still sticks with her. We start with her path at the University of South Carolina and the moment she realized “pre-med” does not have to mean only lab science. Medical humanities and women and gender studies helped her see the social determinants of health up close, and her honors research on informed consent during childbirth led her to explore the idea of obstetric violence and what respectful care should look like in any healthcare system. Then we get practical about global health and experiential education: building a pop-up clinic in a mountain community, meeting patients where they are, and facing the limits of what a temporary team can provide when chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes require long-term access and prescription meds. Rachel also shares the story she will never forget, fitting donated eyeglasses until a woman’s face lights up when she can finally see clearly, plus a challenge to create sustainable impact through simple programs like collecting and distributing glasses. We close on courage and what comes next: Rachel’s solo Camino de Santiago trek before medical school, her interest in an MPH, and advice for anyone on the fence about service learning trips or global health work. Subscribe, share this with a friend who cares about health equity, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to "share the voices of international service" with you!  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 students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that it is the hands-on experiential experiences that are most meaningful in life! I hope that by hearing these voices you too can become involved in service, whether it be locally, nationally, or internatioally.  Feel free to check out our website at www.internationalservicelearning.org, follow us on Instagram @islmedical, or send me an email at                                      DrH@internationalservicelearning.org if you wasnt to learn more about international opportunities for yourself, your school, your church, or any other cohort!

    The Value Of Getting Ouside Your Comfort Zone: Lessons Learned Abroad
See All (45)

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The intent of this podcast is to "share the voices of international service" by "hearing" from those that have stepped out of their comfort zones to make a difference internationally, while also dealing with the issues and challenges of such endeavors. Guests will include those that have participated in international service-learning trips; whether it be medical, faith-based, community engagement, disaster relief, education, etc. Additionally, we will have guests that are industry leaders and professionals in healthcare, education, study abroad, spirituality, policy, and service as well as those living in the countries being served. By enabling the "voices of international service" to be "heard" we hope to motivate and inspire others to consider participating in an international service-learning trip ... and by doing so make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. I am Dr. Patrick Hickey (aka Dr. H as my students refer to me) and it is my honor to be the host of this podcast. I have done 20+ years of international service in a variety of roles. Most recently, as a university professor, I have taken many cohorts of healthcare focused students to developing countries to render healthcare as needed, and by doing so we made a huge difference in the lives of those in need. While rendering healthcare we often collaborated with other cohorts of non-medical groups also providing service; together we worked towards common goals of providing much needed care. Post trip I have seen the pictures and/or videos posted on social media by my students and those in other cohorts, and while they do a great job of showing our activities, I always felt that there was something missing ... the voices of those providing the service.  In November 2025 I started the podcast (International Service Learning: Experiential Education) in order to "share the voices of international service". 

Information