International Medicine Interest:
Considering Volunteering Internationally - or working locally with International Populations?
Helpful articles:
Working With International Populations – Abroad or in Your Own Backyard
Building Capacity to Care for Refugees
Pathways to Health Refugee Health Screener-15
Primary Care for Refugees: Challenges and Opportunities
Donate Unused Medical Supplies & DME
"Partners for World Health" - a non-profit based in Portland Maine - accepting donations - Information
Their mission- "to collect unused medical supplies from local medical facilities (hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices, nursing homes, etc.) and individuals, and to distribute those medical supplies to international communities in need"
Heart to Heart International - Staff & Volunteer Openings
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the greatest need in global health systems worldwide is the broad application of effective primary health care
As family physicians:
- We have been specifically trained to provide the care that is needed in global health — care that is comprehensive, continuous, integrated, community-oriented, and team-based.
- Our focus on preventive and population-based health care brings a much-needed perspective to the hospital-based approach that is prevalent in many parts of the world.
- We know how to diagnose and manage a wide range of health problems in an evidence-based manner, no matter what the population or locality.
- We can train nurses and clinical officers in the developing world to improve the quality of primary care. We can also mentor local family physicians to serve as role models and leaders.
- We can help populations with limited resources manage health problems effectively without the high-cost technology required by many other specialists
Learn More about why and how you can get involved - HERE
CDC Safety Training Course for Healthcare Workers Going to West Africa in Response to the 2014 Ebola Outbreak
As part of a comprehensive and coordinated response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is developing an introductory training course for licensed clinicians (e.g., nurses, physicians, and other healthcare providers) intending to work in an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) in Africa.
The CDC course is no longer offered, however CDC has developed an Ebola training toolkit designed to help organizations replicate CDC’s 3-day in-person training course to help prepare HCWs to work in ETUs in Africa.
The toolkit is a complete guide with training materials, templates, and videos to help offer a course that:
- Teaches HCWs principles of infection prevention and control to work safely in an ETU setting
- Uses blended learning methods, including:
- Lectures focused on Ebola transmission, epidemiology, and infection prevention and control
- Tabletop exercises providing opportunities for students to discuss lecture content and how to apply it in ETUs
- Hands-on interactive exercises in a mock ETU where students:
- Apply the concepts they learned in the lectures and discussed in tabletop exercises
- Practice donning and doffing personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Perform simulated patient care activities while wearing PPE
To access the toolkit, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/safety-training-course/training-toolkit.html
Volunteer Opportunities for Family Physicians
INTERNATIONAL:
Check out our WORLD MAP resource for a listings by region
IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY:
Tar Wars -1 hour - 4th & 5th grade classrooms in Maine
Be a champion for Family Medicine! Host a Student for a Shadowing Experience -
Help promote our specialty to students at the high school and college level. If you would be interested in being included on a list of physicians willing to host a student for a shadowing experience, please let us know!
Contact: Vicki Hayes, MD. FMIG Faculty Advisor, MMC Dept. of Family Medicine, hayesv@mmc.org
or Deborah at the MAFP office - maineafp@tdstelme.net or 207-938-5005
