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What would be a career for someone who wants to be able to travel around to different countries and help by serving in the medical field?
I'm a sophomore at Galileo high school in San Francisco. I enjoy traveling and I'm interesting in pursuing a career in medicine. #medicine #traveling
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Catherine’s Answer
Check out Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org) and any career in the field of "global health." To learn more of that, you can start by checking out the Duke Global Health Institute - I personally went to Duke, majored in biology, and I also got a certificate in global health. I learned a lot about what healthcare needs look like around the world - and also learned that there are lots of roles (not just doctors) that play important roles in improving health (globalhealth.duke.edu).
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Kelvin’s Answer
I served in the Peace Corps to do grassroot development work in impoverished areas, trying to build competence for the community members in the villages we served. Without local buy-in, there is a tendency for that knowledge to be lost when foreign aid leaves. The work is all volunteer; you serve a 27 month commitment (3 months in country training and then your 2 yr commitment starts) all paid for by the Program. You will get to learn some techniques that Doctors without Borders teach you, just to make sure you stay healthy yourself, that you can apply to the communities you serve.
There are several different types of work, like Water & Sanitation volunteers, Forestry, Small Enterprise Development, etc. but if medical is the path you're looking for then maybe Health will suit you. There is also a benefit once you leave the Peace Corps, a portion of your college debt can be forgiven. Another benefit is travel; I was also fortunate to travel to neighboring countries (I served in Mali, West Africa) and got to see some amazing places (traveled 4-5 countries during, and after Close of Service I bought a 1way ticket around the world till i got home :)
The work is hard, exhilarating one day and supremely frustrating the next, but it'll teach you how to adapt and deal with the challenges as they come, and give you insight to what type of medical program you want pursue based on what you learn.
There are several different types of work, like Water & Sanitation volunteers, Forestry, Small Enterprise Development, etc. but if medical is the path you're looking for then maybe Health will suit you. There is also a benefit once you leave the Peace Corps, a portion of your college debt can be forgiven. Another benefit is travel; I was also fortunate to travel to neighboring countries (I served in Mali, West Africa) and got to see some amazing places (traveled 4-5 countries during, and after Close of Service I bought a 1way ticket around the world till i got home :)
The work is hard, exhilarating one day and supremely frustrating the next, but it'll teach you how to adapt and deal with the challenges as they come, and give you insight to what type of medical program you want pursue based on what you learn.
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david’s Answer
I would highly recommend the Army. You can travel and pick a medical career field. So you could do both, get paid, and get schooled.