Study Abroad
5 Pros and 5 Cons of Medical Mission Trips: One Pre-Med’s View
About Marissa
Marissa is a recent graduate of Clemson University where she received her B.S. in Health Sciences. During the summer of 2019, Marissa participated in the Atlantis shadowing program in Trento, Italy, and now works as an Alumni Representative with the company. She is currently applying to medical school where she hopes to become a primary care physician.
Pre-med students are often dedicated to making their applications as strong as possible. However, if you are like me, traveling abroad is another passion. Medical mission trips aim to provide medical volunteer opportunities abroad for a wide range of students and health professionals. Below is a list of pros and cons that come from volunteering abroad.
Why You Should Volunteer Abroad
Short-term clinical experience
Since many medical mission trips only last a few weeks, this tends to be a preferable option for many pre-med students. Students who participate in a medical mission trip can travel abroad over the summer, gain valuable clinical information, and return home all before the school year starts!
Develop a deeper understanding of global health and health inequality
By spending time in another country, pre-meds gain exposure to how different health systems have affected large groups of people. Additionally, students are able to witness health inequalities and how living conditions influence personal health outcomes. This eye-opening experience can have a lasting impact on future healthcare professionals.
Engage in cross-cultural experiences
Unsurprisingly, there is great benefit that comes from interacting with people from diverse backgrounds. Traveling abroad and working with people who experience life differently s can help pre-med students become better global citizens and future healthcare professionals.
Easy to find a program that aligns with your expectations
Because there are so many medical mission trips that exist, it is not difficult to find a program that meets your needs. If you are more interested in faith-based medical mission trips, there are religious organizations to look into. If you want to travel abroad but do not speak any foreign languages, there are programs that do not require speaking additional languages. Take a look at a variety of program options and their descriptions to help find what organization is right for you!
Chance to connect with other religious students or healthcare professionals
For students who are religious, participating in a medical mission trip is a great way to connect with other religious pre-medical students. Building a support system with those of shared interests is a great way to form a network throughout the path to medical school.
Drawbacks of Medical Mission Trips
High cost of entry
Students are usually required to pay for the program, which can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. Additionally, not all programs include meals, lodging, or transportation, which means that students will have to pay for this out of pocket. Typically, this means that medical mission trips are often reserved for students who can afford it. However, there is information on different ways to pay for medical mission trips, and ways to make it work for all students.
The creation of unsustainable programs
Unfortunately, there are many programs that are more focused on profit than providing lasting services to local communities. A more sustainable approach is to help local communities build their healthcare systems so that they can take care of their own people without foreign assistance. FIMRC is an organization that upholds this tenant throughout their programs.
Programs may not comply with AAMC guidelines
Depending on the country you visit, regulations for performing procedures are less strict than the US and Canada. Because of this, many students have taken advantage of opportunities to gain clinical experience. Make sure to earn more about the AAMC guidelines to ensure that you do not pick a program that exacerbates this harm. Additionally, you can look into programs like Atlantis, where their program is dedicated towards following AAMC guidelines.
“Voluntourism”
Voluntourism is a form of tourism in which travelers participate in voluntary work. Volunteer vacations only last between a few days to a couple of weeks, meaning that volunteers miss out on opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the culture of the country they are visiting. Additionally, since volunteers do not require pay, they often put local laborers out of work. Make sure you do not perpetuate the problems of voluntourism by taking the time to research the medical trip you are interested in.
Harm to the local communities
Many medical mission trips are designed to benefit the volunteer, not the community. This means that certain programs have the potential to damage local health systems or encourage reliance on outside assistance. Look into programs that aim to build lasting relationships in the community as well as empower volunteers.
At the end of the day, it is important that you take the time to weigh your options, as you ultimately want to choose a program that is right for you. For me, I chose to travel abroad through the Atlantis shadowing program. This was a great way for me to gain clinical exposure and new perspective, while also making sure to find a program that was ethical and prioritized the safety of communities abroad.
Our Alumni Enter Great Medical Schools
John Daines
- Atlantis '17
- Brigham Young University '19
- Washington U. in St. Louis MD '23
Zoey Petitt
- Atlantis '17
- U. of Arizona '18
- Duke MD '23
Zoey Petitt
Hungary ’17 || University of Arizona (undergraduate) ’18
Completed Atlantis Program Location and Date:
Hungary, Summer 2017
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
I believe it was very helpful.
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
For me, my Atlantis experience played a key role in confirming my decision to go into medicine. This was important for me to discuss during the admissions process.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews?
Yes
Yong-hun Kim
- Atlantis '17
- Stanford '19
- Mayo Clinic MD '24
Yong-Hun Kim
Budapest, Hungary ’17 || Stanford University
Program:
Budapest, Hungary – Winter 2017
Undergraduate:
Stanford University class of 2019
Major:
Computer Science
Honors:
Bio-X Grant (award for research)
Undergraduate Activities:
President and Founder of Stanford Undergraduate Hospice and Palliative Care, Volunteer for Pacific Free Clinic, Research Assistant in Wernig Pathology Lab, President of Hong Kong Student Association, violin performance
Describe Atlantis in three words:
Eye-opening. Spontaneous. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I chose the Atlantis program because it combines opportunities to shadow physicians and travel abroad, both of which I had little prior exposure to.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
My favorite experience as an Atlantis participant came in the stories exchanged over meals or excursions and the breadth of conversation that reflected the diversity of backgrounds within our cohort and site managers.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I appreciated the chance to speak with physicians in Budapest and hear their personal motivations for pursuing medicine because it really helped better contextualize and validate my own interest in medicine. The physicians were also just really welcoming, relatable, and down-to-earth people.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
The Atlantis program has equipped me with a better understanding of what a career in medicine looks like, which I think is an invaluable gift considering the long road ahead of those who aspire to be a physician.
How has Atlantis equipped you for active leadership in the medical field?
The ability to interact and empathize with patients of diverse backgrounds and communities is a necessity to be a leader in the medical field. I think the Atlantis program, through my interactions with mentors and their patients, has helped me take my first steps toward attaining the cultural vocabulary and literacy required of a physician.
Megan Branson
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Montana '19
- U. of Washington MD '24
Sarah Emerick
- Atlantis '19
- Eckerd College '20
- Indiana U. MD '25
Snow Nwankwo
- Atlantis '19
- Catholic U. of America '21
- Georgetown U. MD '26
Tiffany Hu
- Atlantis '16
- U. of Maryland '17
- U. of Michigan MD '22
Tiffany Hu
Tereul, Spain ’16 || U Michigan Medical School
Program:
Teruel, Spain – Summer 2016
Undergraduate:
University of Maryland class of 2017
Admitted medical student at:
University of Michigan Medical School
Major:
Neurobiology
Honors:
Honors Integrated Life Sciences Program, Banneker/Key Scholarship
Extracurricular Activities:
American Medical Student Association Co-President & Advocacy Day Liaison, Alternative Breaks Experience Leader, Health Professions Advising Office Student Advisory Board, Biology Teach Assistant, Health Leads, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, NIH Research Intern, Physicians for Social Responsibility Environment & Health Intern
Describe Atlantis in Three Words:
Educational. Eye-opening. Exhilarating.
Why did you choose Atlantis?
I wanted to expand my horizons and understand a culture of health different from the ones I am accustomed to. I had shadowed doctors in the United States and Taiwan prior to my Atlantis program experience, and being able to see first-hand the healthcare system in Spain allowed me to draw comparisons between the different complex healthcare systems.
What was your favorite experience as an Atlantis participant?
Bonding with the other participants and celebrating our time together along with the doctors we shadowed. We would discuss our interests, passions, and motivation for medicine, and it was an incredible experience to learn from and alongside them.
What was your experience with the doctors you were shadowing?
Because of the pre-established relationships with the hospitals in which we shadowed, all the doctors were very welcoming and accommodating. They were willing to translate for us and explain in detail all of their medical decisions. My doctors and I had wonderful conversations about the differences between life in Spain vs. the United States.
What was the most meaningful aspect of your time shadowing?
I was excited to scrub in on surgeries and watch as the doctor explained what he was doing throughout the operation. Before and after surgeries, as well as in my other rotations, I observed how the doctors reassured and communicated with their patients. I was able to glean insight into differences between the experience of health in Spain versus the United States through observation as well as conversations with the doctors.
How has Atlantis helped equip you for the future?
Besides the wealth of medical knowledge I gained from shadowing the doctors, I challenged myself to step outside of my cultural comfort zone and explore more than I thought I was capable of. Atlantis allowed me to make connections with people from all around the United States and abroad, and the friendships I gained helped me learn so much more than I would have on my own.
Lauren Cox
- Atlantis '18
- Louisiana Tech '20
- U. of Arkansas MD '24
Lauren Cox
Libson, Portugal ’18 || Louisiana Tech
Completed Atlantis Program Location(s):
Lisbon, Portugal
Year of most recent program:
Fall ’17 – Summer ’18
Season of most recent program:
Summer
Do you believe your Atlantis experience helped you get into your graduate program?
Extremely helpful
Generally, why do you think Atlantis helped you get into your graduate program?
It exposed me to shadowing that was hard to come by in the states. It also gave me a chance to see other systems of healthcare.
Specifically, did you talk about Atlantis in your interviews? If so, how much relative to other topics?
Yes – they wanted to know about my experience, and specifically how the healthcare I saw in another country compared to what I had seen in the USA.
Kayla Riegler
- Atlantis '18
- U. of Kentucky '20
- U. of Kentucky MD '24
About Atlantis
Atlantis is the leader in pre-health shadowing and clinical experience, offering short-term programs (1-10 weeks) over academic breaks for U.S. pre-health undergraduates. Medical schools want 3 things: (1)healthcare exposure, (2)GPA/MCAT, and (3)certain competencies. Atlantis gives you a great version of (1), frees you to focus on (2), and cultivates/shows (3) to medical school admissions committees.
Watch Video: The Atlantis Shadowing Experience and How it Helps In Your Med/PA Admissions Future
More Blog Posts
What Pre-Med Extracurriculars Are Ivy League Students Doing Right Now?: A LinkedIn Analysis
What Kind of Students Do Elite Medical Schools Actually Profile on Their Sites?
Two Atlantis alumni admitted to Top 5 MD programs wrote our widely read medical school admissions guidebook — download yours.
Get our 76-page medical school admissions guidebook, by Atlantis alumni at Harvard Medical School and Stanford School of Medicine.