Description:
Clinic Opportunities:
* Shadowing FIMRC medical staff;
* Assisting medical staff with intake of patients;
* Taking height, weight, and vital statistics of patients;
* Assisting with taking patient histories and clinic organization;
* Interviewing community members to collect data on the most common illnesses/symptoms seen at clinic and in community, so as to better serve the needs of the people;
* Assist with taking inventory of clinic supplies.
Health Education:
FIMRC's medical clinics are the only health care facilities in the immediate areas in which we work. Health education is therefore needed in these communities on health topics including basic hygiene, basic oral health, water sanitation, HIV/AIDS, when to bring someone to the clinic/hospital, women's health issues, disease prevention, etc. FIMRC volunteers will help to create lessons, talks, and interactive activities to engage local children and families in health education.
Highlights:
Lots of free time is included in the itinerary, so volunteers are free to take part in the numerous recreational activities in the general area of our clinic sites. In El Salvador and Peru, volunteers can visit the beach in their free time. In Costa Rica we encourage volunteers to take one of the many nature/rainforest tours available, and in Uganda there are opportunities to take safari trips. These recreational opportunities are offered through organizations not affiliated with FIMRC, but our site staff will be glad to help put you in contact with them!
Qualifications / Skills Needed:
We welcome volunteers of all skill levels and backgrounds to volunteer with us!
Language:
English
Cost Includes: All volunteers are asked to submit a program donation for their volunteer trip, and also to cover their costs for housing, food, and transportation. Costs vary for each clinic site, so please contact us for exact details!
Experience Required: no
Typical Volunteer Projects:
childcare/children,
community health,
education,
health,
health care,
health education,
hospital,
medicine,
nutrition,
public education
and youth
This Program is open to
World Wide
Participants.
This Program is also open to
Families, Couples and Individuals.
Typical Living Arrangements:
Group living,
Home-stays
and Other
Participants Travel to Costa Rica
Independently
Or
in Groups
Typically Participants Work
Independently
Or
in Groups of 1-12
Application Process Involves:
- Online Application plus Application Assessment
Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children's Mission Statement: FIMRC exists to provide access to medical care for the millions of underprivileged and medically underserved children around the world. FIMRC's foremost goal is to establish in underserved areas a facility that can serve as a center for healthcare administration to the children in that community, and as a base for our health education programs that serve to improve basic knowledge about the normal functioning body and about common diseases endemic in that population. Follow-up visits subsequent to project initiation are also required to ensure proper use of our resources, and ultimately to monitor the clinic's success. As continuity of care is a priority, a basic charting system exists in each clinic and serves to document the care each child receives over time. FIMRC believes that better health is best achieved by direct care to those who can least access it. Through determination and the belief that all children deserve health, FIMRC declares itself as a major force in the delivery of healthcare worldwide one clinic and one child at a time.
Year Founded: 2003