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The Best Volunteer Abroad Programs For Pre-Med Students

MEDLIFE’s medical volunteer programs are designed to provide students and healthcare professionals with hands-on medical experience while making a meaningful impact on the communities they serve. MEDLIFE partners with local healthcare professionals to ensure volunteers can access the resources they need to make a real difference.

volunteer abroad programs

MEDLIFE Service Learning Trips are curated specifically for med students or volunteers looking to enter the medical field. Volunteers gain hands-on experience with patients and can learn from watching our local medical professionals work. We offer Classic SLTs, for those who are interested in general medicine and poverty reduction. Dental SLTs, where volunteers get to provide education and care specifically for oral hygiene/care. And Nursing SLTs, for nursing students looking to gain more hands-on experience.

Our main goal is to focus on long-term results. MEDLIFE provides follow-up care to all our patients to ensure they are achieving this. Our philosophy is to treat the cause, rather than the symptom. We understand that medical assistance is not something that can be fully successful without consistent follow-through.

MEDLIFE is also dedicated to ensuring our staff and volunteers approach their work with cultural sensitivity. Many of our volunteers may not be familiar with the cultural practices of the communities they serve. This is why we promote a strong emphasis on education and training for our volunteers. All SLT participants attend “reality tours” where they can witness first-hand the local communities they work in and learn from locals about their reality. Volunteers also participate in round-table discussions with their group leaders where they can learn and discuss what it means to provide sustainable assistance, cultural understanding and sensitivity, and the difference between empathetic help and sympathetic help.

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The purpose of our Service Learning Trips is to collaborate with the local communities rather than to intervene. We respect the opinions and values of our partner community members and make an effort to include them in our work. This is why all development projects done on SLTs are different, as they are curated according to the needs of the community. At the end of the day, we always strive to leave a positive impact on the community that provides a better quality of life to its residents.

If you are interested in joining an SLT, visit our website to learn more!

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Hear it From MEDLIFErs

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Reya Seby
Western University

This trip motivated me more to pursue a career in the healthcare field so that I can use my resources to help those who need it the most, similar to MEDLIFE’s mission.

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Victoria DiCanio
University of Connecticut

It was most enjoyable to finish the hard work and see how big a difference a group of individuals can make. It was such an amazing experience.

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Anita Woo
University of Toronto

I enjoyed the mobile clinics the most, especially the dental and triage portions. I would definitely recommend a MEDLIFE trip, it was a great experience.

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David Saff
Maclay High School

The most enjoyable part of my trip was hanging out with the amazing group of kids I was with. I would highly recommend a MEDLIFE volunteer trip to others.

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Sydney Sansone
Nova Southeastern University

This trip made everything that I was learning in my public health courses come to life and immersed me in a new culture while also learning about medicine.

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Abygail Youmans
College of Charleston

Being involved with MEDLIFE is not like joining another club - its bigger than that. It is about joining a movement that seeks to help change people’s quality of life for forever.

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Emi Hofmann
University of Central Florida

Not only was I able to participate in a week long Mobile Clinic, shadowing doctors of all types of specialties including pharmacy, dentistry, gynecology, and more, but I was also able to learn about the culture and visit incredible places.

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Julian Takagi-Stewart
University of Toronto

One thing that I really loved about this trip was that MEDLIFE made sure that the volunteers got an understanding of the complexity of issues that lead to underprivileged people in communities outside of the main city

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Hannah Van Hofwegen
University of Ottawa

Whether it was basketball with the local kids, assisting the doctors, talking with families, building washrooms, holding babies, or spending time with the people who were on the SLT with me, this was an amazing opportunity that I would do over and over again.

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Isabelle Holt
Cornell University

I loved learning about the patients MEDLIFE has followed and how they offer real help to people with chronic/urgent conditions. It is amazing how the organization formed real connections with the communities.

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Valerie Lindeborg
Parent

Our family had the privilege of participating in multiple trips with Nick [founder] and his amazing staff. Their expertise made the trips unforgettable while instilling in my boys the fundamentals of good character: selflessness, compassion, and empathy.

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Harry Vildibill
University of Georgia

As an aspiring physician, MEDLIFE motivated me to further continue my goal of becoming a doctor. In fact, I enjoyed the Tanzania Service Learning Trip so much that I decided to go on another trip to Cusco, Peru.