Volunteer Doctors and Medical Providers
MDs, DOs, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Other Advanced Practice Providers and Licensed Specialists
IMR clinics abroad rely on volunteer doctors, advanced practice providers (NP, PA, CRNA, NMW, etc.), and licensed therapists (RT, PT, OT, etc.) to diagnose and treat sick patients on medical mission trips. The specialties of the volunteers on each of our medical missions determines the make-up of the medical team, meaning it is different on each mission. But all volunteers work together to provide the best care possible for our patients.
Volunteer doctors and advanced practice providers on IMR medical missions may be specialists in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, infectious disease, pain management (including acupuncture and chiropractic providers), physical medicine, geriatrics, family practice, or mental health. Nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists work side by side with physicians and advanced practice volunteers to provide comprehensive care for our patients. Nurses care for our well and mostly well patients and assess and recommend over-the-counter medications or work under standing orders to treat specific conditions. Doctors and advanced practice providers work in highly collaborative care teams that require every team member, including students and non-medical volunteers, to care for patients well.
Chief Medical Officer
Each mission has a volunteer doctor assigned as Chief Medical Officer. The CMO oversees all medical treatment and medical volunteers (nurses, physicians, PAs, NPs, paramedics, and EMTs) in IMR clinics. All major decisions, consults, interventions or procedures must be approved by the CMO in conjunction with the IMR Team Leader. The CMO is also a teaching resource and may lead teaching sessions during clinic along with other qualified personnel.
The CMO is also the mission physician for IMR volunteers. Any volunteer suffering from illness during a mission or with medical needs and questions should see the CMO and Team Leader.
Surgical Teams
On IMR surgical missions, we take surgeons of varying specialties and recruit candidates that match up with the team’s ability to provide care. These missions are longer in length because they include adequate time for prescreening candidates and setting up a surgical rotation. They also include post-surgery care and training for follow-up with local providers. Learn more about the roles of our surgical teams.
Roles for Volunteer Doctors, PAs, NPs, and Other Advanced Practice Providers in Clinic
- Diagnose and treat acute illness and emergent conditions in clinic. Because of limited resources within the local health care systems, we treat chronic conditions primarily with patient education.
- Provide direct supervision and education for professional students on the IMR team, local professional students volunteering with the IMR team, and technical health care workers volunteering with the team.
- Work with pharmacists, nurses, EMS, and students in highly collaborative care teams that enable consultation and patient transfer among providers.
- Diagnose and treat well or mostly well patients, as required for good patient care, depending on patient load and team make-up.
- Perform within the scope of practice for your licensure, including diagnosis, treatment, medication prescribing, and performing necessary minor procedures, as appropriate.
- Educate patients at your station based on their specific diagnoses and health needs.
- Refer patients for additional care to local hospitals or health centers as required and in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer and the IMR Team Leader.
- Educate family members and provide care for transmittable diseases as appropriate, such as sexually transmitted infections, fecal- and water-borne infections, skin infections, and eye infections.
- Understand and comply with all IMR policies and procedures as outlined in the Provider Guidelines.
Testimonials
To my family and friends, I could not have done this without your love and support! THANK YOU so much!!
To my IMR crew, you guys and girls were amazing. It was an honor and a privilege working with you. I’m going to miss you all!!
Thank you all for making this possible!
Thank you to the people of Haiti for filling my heart with so much gratitude and reassuring me that this is what I am meant to do. Thank you to International Medical Relief for allowing us to provide care for over 1,000 citizens and allowing me to work with an amazing crew! Until next time.
My heart is truly so full and I am so thankful I was able to be a part of this team. The team was made up of 42 amazing people from all over the U.S. The people of Kenya were absolutely wonderful and so kind and gracious. We were able to help 1,377 patients on this mission!!
If anyone is considering a mission mission, I hope you will consider International Medical Relief. I definitely hope to do more missions for sure and I will never forget this mission of a lifetime.
Together we have triaged, diagnosed, prescribed for, and treated over 600 patients in just three days, and will continue for a few more days. We’ve seen everything from malaria, infectious wounds, amebiasis, tuberculosis… to appendicitis, sepsis, and splenomegaly.
All with the help of some skilled, hardworking translators.
It’s been exhausting but rewarding, and one of the few times in life I’m eager to wake up and start the day.
It never ceases to amaze me how great of an impact people can have when we come together for a unified mission. I mean, our team was just a bunch of strangers that all gathered in one place, with one goal: to serve and give to the people of Haiti.
How amazing!
To give selflessly is truly the GREATEST experience of being human. Thank you to IMR for being an organization that strives to make a difference in this world.
Join Us in Making a Difference.
You can join an IMR medical mission team or donate today!
