Doctors Without Borders is an amazing opportunity to grow as a human being. However, there may be times when you aren’t eligible for Doctors Without Borders. Every pre-med or pre-pa student wants to become a part of Doctors Without Borders.
International Medical Aid is one of the most recognized organizations in the world that offers top-notch health care services to marginalized communities globally. However, sometimes, you are not eligible for Doctors Without Borders. Moreover, sometimes, you cannot bring yourself to commit to a long-term project. This is when you should look for alternatives to Doctors Without Borders.
There are dozens of other programs that are similar to Doctors Without Borders but have lenient requirements as compared to the former. Doctors Without Borders is primarily considered a medical humanitarian organization that excels in offering premium and free medical assistance to people impacted by:
- War
- Pandemics
- Natural disasters
- Subpar health care systems
Professional doctors and pre-med students become a part of this organization and tour the world to offer free health care services to people. If you are ineligible for Doctors Without Borders, here are some of the top alternatives that can help you roam around the world and gain experience, while offering free medical services to other people.
What Are the Top Alternatives for Doctors Without Borders?
A lot of countries in the world offer moderate health care services to their residents. However, minorities or underserved populations still suffer from a lack of proper health care systems. This is why international organizations tour the world, and professional doctors help out marginalized groups with free health care systems. Doctors Without Borders is one of the most popular organizations that offers volunteer programs for professional doctors.
However, these are long-term programs and may not be suitable for everyone. If you still want to offer your assistance to other people in need and you are afraid of making a long-term commitment, there are other options available. These options help you go around the world and offer your medical assistance to third-world countries or marginalized groups. This way, you can help out other people without making a long-term commitment. Here are some of the top alternative to Doctors Without Borders.
International Medical Aid
International Medical Aid is one of the most affordable and versatile options on this list. The organization offers “Adventures Beyond Medicine.” This organization has been offering premium volunteering opportunities to pre-med and pre-pa students since 2012. The trips include trips to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, focusing on the following medical sectors:
- Mental Health
- Pre-Medicine
- Pre-PA
- Pre-Dentistry
- Pre-Nursing
- Physical Therapy
- Dietetics
- Midwifery
- Public Health
As obvious from the sectors above, this organization doesn’t just help with health care. It is more than an alternative for Doctors Without Borders. It focuses on a wide variety of medical sectors and other areas. Therefore, it is ideal for a variety of different students from different fields.
Among the most enticing features of this program is that it offers maximum transparency and accountability at your fingertips. The volunteers are always aware of what is going on around you, and you get to control your trip details. This way, you can truly make sure that your trip is as safe as possible, and you can finally make a difference in the world around you. You are also aware of where your money is going, and this eliminates any doubts from your mind.
If you’re looking for an adventurous experience while simultaneously helping the people around you, this is a wonderful opportunity for you. The volunteers can also keep track of their money and see where it is being spent so that they are not filled with doubts about leaving a mark on the world.
What Does International Medical Aid Offer?
Here are some of the topmost elements of International Medical Aid. These will help make up your mind and let you decide about this alternative to Doctors Without Borders.
Socially Responsible Model
This organization was founded by two Johns Hopkins alumni who believe in offering a socially responsible model for all the volunteers. This not-for-profit organization operates from the United States of America and offers top-notch activities and opportunities to pre-med and pre-pa students who wish to make an impact on the world without having to spend an entire fortune.
The organization is also solely focused upon offering mutually beneficial activities that help the locals of your chosen country and also help you in the process. You can gain useful experience while roaming around the world, and the locals can also enjoy premium health care facilities without any issues.
The underlying goal is to connect the marginalized group with top-notch doctors from the USA. In addition to this, the organization also wants to make sure that everybody gets something out of this program and you do not just waste your money on touring the world.
This way, you can gain useful experience and gain maximum exposure when it comes to medical treatments. All the different options are completely ethical and 100% above the board. Similarly, all the programs offer maximum sustainability and transparency at your fingertips.
Structured Health Care Placements
Rather than randomly placing people in different countries, this organization focuses upon making the best pair depending upon your skills and chosen country. This allows you to enjoy maximum control over your volunteering experience, and you can be sure that you can enjoy a structured health care placement depending upon your respective skills.
The organization has committed physician mentors who take it upon themselves to help volunteers through the entire health care internship abroad experience. This way, you will never feel unsure, lost, or at a loss of words. You will always understand your place in the organization and your underlying objective in your chosen country.
Moreover, you will not be randomly sent to a place without proper training or guidance. The dedicated physician mentors will be there to help you guide you through the process by offering extensive training sessions on infection control and location-specific orientations.
Therefore, you will get to understand your chosen location before you even step into that location. You will understand what to expect from your chosen country, and you will also be ready to handle anything that comes your way. You will not be met with a surprise, and this will allow you to have a better volunteering experience while being safe in a new foreign location.
Similarly, you will not be left alone in the new country. You can enjoy continuous support and help from US-based staff in your chosen country. They will be there to help you through the process, and they will also make sure that you are safe and sound in the new place without compromising on your experience. This allows International Medical Aid to be a perfect alternative to Doctors Without Borders.
Medical School Admissions Consulting
One of the best perks of this not-for-profit organization is that you can enjoy premium medical school admissions consulting at the end of the day. Deciding to attend medical school is one of the most stressful events in somebody’s life. However, it opens the door to amazing journeys and experiences throughout your life.
This is why you need proper mentorship and guidance before you choose the right path for yourself. Proper guidance and assistance can help you with all things required by medical school admissions boards. This is where International Medical Aid can help you and offer excellent medical school admissions counseling and consulting.
You can enjoy a detailed look into the admission process. It will help you understand the proper criteria for admissions. It will also help you understand how to stand out among the competition and make yourself visible in front of the admissions board.
You can also get hands-on practice from brilliant physician mentors at International Medical Aid, and they will help you with a true medical experience. This experience will later help you in front of the admissions board, and your chances will be higher than ever.
You can enjoy strategy sessions where you can understand the game plan to develop a powerful application for your chosen medical school. The experienced physicians and consultants will also take a look at your application and help you figure out the details of jotting down the perfect application for yourself.
Therefore, you will not have to worry about the quality of your application, and your chances will be higher than other students on the list. They will help you write down the perfect application that will increase your chances of getting into your preferred medical school. This process will continue until you get your application right.
It doesn’t just end at application review. The consultants and physician mentors will also help you prepare for an interview. You will get to set in mock interviews and get ready for any questions that the actual interviewers may throw at you. You will understand how to be calm in the face of adversity and the admissions board. The consultants will also be there to help you with letters of recommendation, mock interviews, applications, resume review, fellowship, and more.
Safety, Security & Insurance
If you are worried about your experience abroad, you should know that International Medical Aid will make sure that your safety is of utmost priority. This is yet another feature that makes International Medical Aid a perfect alternative to Doctors Without Borders.
You should not be worried about your safety and security in a foreign land, and International
International Medical Aid makes sure that you enjoy and learn from your experience as much as you can. The organization does not compromise on your safety and security, and this is why they offer premium insurance services at your fingertips.
If you decide to go with International Medical Aid, you will get to live inside gated communities with security staff that will be on their toes throughout the day and night. These are trained staff members who excel in offering effective and continuous security without interfering with your volunteering experience.
In addition to this, this not-for-profit organization also offers accident and travel insurance without any hidden or additional charges. These insurance programs are included in your basic package, and you can start helping people around the world without worrying about your safety.
Even when you leave your gated community and go outside to help the people in remote areas, you will be accompanied by a powerful regional expert experienced in the art of keeping students and doctors safe in the developing world. They bring decades of useful medical experience to the table and understand how to assess the situation to keep the students safe from any problems.
If you want to enjoy your tour and go on different safaris and hiking programs, you can rest assured that the security staff members will be there to help you with everything. They will make sure that you’re enjoying yourself without worrying about your safety or security.
The organization hires trusted guides and IMA contract vetted partners who have gone through an intensive background check. This way, you can be happy knowing that your tour guides and travel partners are there to help you enhance your volunteering experience without any problems.
What Internships Are Available with International Medical Aid?
International Medical Aid offers more locations and opportunities than Doctors Without Borders. The underlying goal of this not-for-profit organization is to help third-world countries with health care programs and also help volunteers learn more about the world by offering them a wide variety of locations and opportunities. So, International Medical Aid is ideal for students from different medical sectors. Here are the topmost internships available at International Medical Aid for different health care sectors.
Medicine/Pre-Medicine Internships
If you are a pre-med student, you can enjoy a life-changing opportunity with International Medical Aid. This alternative to Doctors Without Borders offers pre-medicine students hundreds of different opportunities to tour the world and help out others in need.
This not-for-profit organization collaborates with hundreds of public and private medical hospitals that aim to offer a hands-on experience for different student volunteers. You can gain useful experiences in different locations and bring more to the table than other students. It will not only help you with your future professional life, but you can also obtain different views regarding the world.
As a pre-medicine student, you can experience well-tailored first responder training and first aid techniques in different locations. The organization aims to offer a holistic experience for free medicine students to understand how to offer first aid services and CPR to different patients. One of the best things about this volunteer program is that you will slowly find yourself becoming more experienced with daily routine medical activities.
If you had to complete your house job in a local hospital, it would take you months before you find yourself familiar with daily medical activities. However, when you are on the field, your experience is enhanced with the help of true-life scenarios.
If you decide to choose this internship program for yourself, you can enjoy 24/7 local country support and US-based staff support. Moreover, you will also get medical school admissions support once your volunteering program is over. It will help you showcase your experience and get into your favorite medical school without any problems. While staying in a new land, you can enjoy chef-prepared meals, gated communities, and basic accident and travel insurance. This is why International Medical Aid serves as the perfect alternative to Doctors Without Borders.
Physician Assistant/Pre-PA Internships
International Medical Aid also offers amazing Pre-PA volunteering opportunities for medical students. Pre-physician or Pre-PA students can take advantage of this opportunity and revolutionize with their experience in the field.
When you get to work in international health care settings with a busy atmosphere, you can take your medical experience and skills to the next level and enhance your professional career. This is what International Medical Aid offers at your fingertips, and this is what makes this organization a perfect alternative to Doctors Without Borders.
This organization gets in touch with hundreds of different public and private hospitals and medical institutions to make sure that pre-PA students enjoy a truly immersive experience in a foreign land. As a pre-physician student, you can enhance your practical experience in the field with the help of International Medical Aid.
You will join different mobile hygiene clinics and public health education programs in new countries. It will help you see the world with a fresh new perspective, and you can bring more to the table than other pre-PA students.
When you work with International Medical Aid, you do not go into the field without proper orientation and training. It further helps you understand your duties as a pre-PA student. You will get to live inside a gated housing community with security. Moreover, the organization will also help you with PA medical school admissions consulting.
Final Word
This is a cursory overview of what International Medical Aid offers to volunteer students all over
the world. If you are a pre-med or a pre-pa student looking for the perfect alternative to Doctors Without Borders, International Medical Aid is here for you. You can check out the different internship programs right now and get started with a holistic experience.
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John Davis is a seasoned health journalist with expertise in public health and medical research. Holding a degree in health sciences, John excels in making complex health topics understandable and engaging for his readers. His articles, featured in top health publications, cover everything from cutting-edge treatments to public health policies. Outside of journalism, John is an advocate for health education and frequently speaks at community events.