Have you ever thought of going on a mission trip? How about a mission trip as an OT?
This is something that I had always thought about, and there are definitely organizations out there that OT’s can be apart of to serve underserved communities, but honestly it’s kind of hard to jump into a large, well-established organization like that!
In 2023, when my pastor had gotten back from his 10+ mission trip to Guyana and announced the need for medical volunteers for the next 2024 trip, I knew I had to go and immediately told him of my interest.
Prior to the trip, I tried to prepare as much as I could without fully knowing what I would be seeing (kinda hard!)
In this blog I am going to share all about my experience on the trip, what jobs I did, the types of patients we saw, and how I’m going to prepare differently for next year’s trip.
Outline of the Trip
We spent a full week (Saturday to the following Sunday) in the country, we served 2 Amerindian villages, and stayed in 3 different places. We served 600+ patients in 4 days of active clinic with a staff of 4 nurses, 3 doctors, 1 OT (me), 1 OT student/recent grad, 1 PTA, 2 paramedics, and a few other support staff. We had our medical area, a small pharmacy, and a benevolence area where we passed out reading glasses, hygiene kits, sunglasses, and handmade dresses and shirts for the kids.
My Job(s)
On our first day, the other therapists and I rotated the benevolence area, the registration table, and doing therapy evaluations as prescribed by our doctors. After that first day, I decided it would be more efficient if one person manned the registration table the whole day, rather than rotating with the benevolence table (we often got confused with notes written on the registration sheet).
So I ended up being the main person at the registration table for the rest of the trip, and would occasionally complete therapy evaluations/treatments.
As the registration person, my task was to of course sign people in, but also triage the patients and bump them up in line if they had an immediate or pressing need (active fever, broken bone, etc.). I also had the opportunity to make social connections with villagers, local preachers, the village medic and all the school children. It was a special place to be during our time there, and I’m so glad that I had that opportunity to be the welcoming face to all those seeking medical attention.
As an evaluating therapist, I saw mostly musculoskeletal issues like arthritis, general joint/muscle pain from heavy work, and even a separated shoulder joint. I had the opportunity to provide advice/therapy homework for a patient who had had a stroke but was not able to physically make it to the clinic, his daughter struck up a conversation with me at the registration table and she discovered that I could help their situation!
Other jobs I had were being the trip photographer, and helping to setup and breakdown clinic and setup/breakdown of our makeshift outdoor Gospel meetings every evening.
Practical Things
Before going on any international trip, it’s very important to make sure you are prepared for what the country has to offer. In Guyana’s case, I had to get a prescription for a medication called Malarone, a medication used to prevent the contraction of Malaria from mosquitos. I also had to prepare myself for living a bit differently than I do in the USA, including no access to electricity or safe running water for a majority of the trip.
I brought a portable charger for my phone (which I used only twice on the trip because I just never really had my phone out), plenty of baby wipes, bug spray, a water bottle (my pastor bought cases and cases of bottled water to provide us with clean drinking water during the week), dry shampoo, non-perishable snacks, citronella candles, flashlights, towels, and plenty of changes of clothing.
How I am Preparing for Next Year
Now that I have a better idea of what is commonly seen, I have so many ideas on how to prepare. Including studying more orthopedic conditions, and preparing handouts and exercise programs that are ready to go for the patients I see. For this next trip I plan to create handouts geared toward education on ergonomics/appropriate body mechanics, common conditions, and therapy recommendations.
Something important that I will be doing when I create these handouts is to primarily use pictures to convey messages as the older population in the rural areas of the country are often not literate. I need to be mindful to ensure that this education is accessible to everyone who may need it in the country.
How can you get involved?
So you think you want to be apart of a medical mission trip as an OT… Now how can you get involved?
Well like I said earlier in this post, the only major organization I am aware of for medical mission trips that include therapists is Therapists Beyond Borders. I can’t speak to the organization because I have never been involved. Otherwise I do not know of any active organizations that you could get involved in.
What I would recommend is connecting with your local church that has an active ministry in missions, specifically medical missions. Once you have found one, let them know you’re interested! Most missions are always looking for more help and volunteers, or even just more volunteers to keep as backups in case someone drops out.
If you would like to support me in my mission I would appreciate all the prayers! If you would like to financially support me, please message me, any donation would also be greatly appreciated!
OT Caroline 