37
COM Outlook . Spring 2014
are more likely to pursue careers in pri-
mary care, obtain public health degrees,
and practice medicine among under-
served and multicultural populations.
NSU-COM strives to provide health
care to all who need it and to share
“Beyond the provision of additional training sites for our students and serving patients in need, the
broader goal of NSU-COM’s International Medical Outreach Program is to cultivate a long-term
exchange of resources and training opportunities with partner institutions overseas.”
osteopathic principles and practice
techniques with providers and patients
around the globe. From the first day
of medical school, our students are
trained to work in partnership with
their patients and communicate with
people from diverse backgrounds. In-
ternational medical outreach programs
allow them to develop further through
opportunities to practice these skills
outside the confines of brick and mor-
tar and in the global classroom.
ECUADOR EXPERI-
ENCES (April 2013)
– “In both the family and
internal medicine sec-
tion, and more with each
subsequent day, students
were expected to do some aspects of physical exams
and were expected to ask more detailed and relevant
questions, specifically discussing with the preceptors
what the right course of action was and why. While
each patient received personalized care, we were put in
the role of what a medical professional does every day.
There was never a moment to get truly comfortable;
the limits of what was expected of us always grew, and
the locations quickly changed. We recalled the moment
when our first patient came in and we realized we were
expected, with our own hands, to examine an actual
patient—something that had only been theory moments
before.”
– OMS-II Sofia A. Funes, president, NSU-COM
International Medical Outreach Club (IMOC)
PERU PERSPECTIVES
(December 2013)
– “Students rotated
through the different spe-
cialties every day, with
two assigned to each
physician as well as triage and pharmacy so everyone
had a chance to work together. As students, we had
the privilege of applying all the skills learned in school
and seeing a fair amount of pathology that many of us
experienced for the first time. Measles, for example, is a
rare occurrence in the United States but still witnessed
in Peru, and we were provided an opportunity to see
a patient presentation. Access to vaccination centers
can be a challenge for the many rural communities,
and there was limited, if any, laboratory and radiologic
studies available, creating the need for an accurate
history and thorough physical exam. Our comfort ob-
taining a thorough history, physical exam, and presen-
tation improved exponentially after just the first day.”
– OMS-II Israel Ugalde, IMOC OMS-II representative
VIETNAM RECOL-
LECTIONS (Decem-
ber 2013)
– “Our five
clinic days consisted of
providing health care to
people in need around
the Ben Tre Province and Mekong Delta area. The
students were able to work in different areas, which
included triaging patients, working one-on-one with
the physicians, and practicing osteopathic manipu-
lative medicine on patients. Having the ability to do
all this under the mentorship of various physicians
made for a well-rounded clinical experience. A unique
experience we had was performing osteopathic
manipulative treatment (OMT) on many of the elderly
patients with musculoskeletal problems. Perform-
ing OMT was perhaps the most rewarding clinical
experience for me because I got to see firsthand the
immediate impact OMT can have on a patient. As a
second-year medical student, I was able to gain a lot
of clinical experience with the community physicians
that accompanied us on this adventure. We were for-
tunate enough to have time to not only learn valuable
medical knowledge, but also experience the unique
culture and food Vietnam has to offer. I look forward
to the opportunity to go back again.”
– OMS-II Michael
Haynes, IMOC treasurer
Students Share Their International Outreach Insights
