Nigeria’s Medical Mission & Volunteerism

Volunteers, especially Nigerian medical and allied health professionals at home and abroad, can plan and take time off to volunteer in service to poor and rural communities, working with local people from the slums and rural areas of Nigeria. Alongside other volunteers, a volunteer supports patients seeking health care in communities, in local clinics and in local hospitals. This unique and caring program is open to Nigerians and non-Nigerians with an interest in health care, as well as medical students and professionals. The opportunity also provides experience in the following areas: Accident and Emergency, Anesthetics, Dentistry, General Surgery, Maternity and Midwifery, Nursing, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Occupational Therapy, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Pathology, Physiotherapy, and Ultrasound. As a volunteer caregiver, one is expected to perform basic duties such as checking a patient’s vital signs and treating minor wounds under the supervision of local doctors. Medical students can also shadow physicians at various hospitals and clinics as well as in rural and poor communities.

The Nigeria Medical Mission and Volunteerism is a fantastic way to gain firsthand experience in the health system. With all field activities based in Nigeria, volunteers will work at government hospitals and clinics in rural and poor communities. Depending on a volunteer’s background, he or she can also support areas such as Adolescent Counseling, Community Health Education, Dentistry, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), General surgery, Laboratory, Nursing, and Maternity & Midwifery.

The program also offers a Medical Care Internship and a non-Healthcare Volunteer program for foreign medical and allied science students as well as others from the United States, Canada and Europe. A key aspect of the Medical Care Internship and the non-Healthcare Volunteer program are the many educational and career-building opportunities provided. Depending on one’s experience, cultural competence, he or she can shadow doctors or nurses, assist with checkups, run medical campaigns, help with triage, take vitals, organize patient records, and more.

The Medical Care Internship is open to year 3 and 4 medical school students as well as licensed professionals in allied science. Depending on your experience and Spanish language abilities, you can shadow doctors or nurses, assist with checkups, run medical campaigns, help with triage, take vitals, organize patient records, and more. The non-Healthcare Volunteer program is open to seniors and graduate students in social work and related allied sciences. The medical mission and volunteerism as well as the medical internship and the non-healthcare program all last for one week to one year, or as long as the volunteer chooses.

Each volunteer placement comes with comprehensive travel insurance that enables volunteers to make the most out of their stay in Africa. Volunteers stay in group houses or homestays near the placement sites or made arrange their own living arrangements. Volunteers are also responsible for their own travels and feeding or may volunteer on a special project or as part of project.

To sign up, email medicaldirector@capacitybayhealth.org

Summary

Medical and non-healthcare volunteering is an exceptional opportunity that can significantly benefit both the host community and the volunteer. If one is an established medical professional, using his or her skills to volunteer abroad may be the perfect and best way for them to do what he or she loves while having the opportunity to work in a new environment and possibly even in a different field.

For some doctors, nurses, and other medical workers, medical volunteering is a chance for them to do what they always wanted to do- enjoy personal interactions through helping people- with a different set of challenges than they would have in their usual work environment.

If one is a graduate medical student or undergraduate pre-medical student, volunteering for health and medicine provides field experience to help you plan your own career and professional goals. For everyone, serving as part of a medical volunteer project in Nigeria is an excellent way to volunteer in a way that is sorely needed by communities throughout Nigeria. Since medical expertise is so difficult to obtain in many parts of the world, medical volunteers are a response to what, for many communities, is a grave and enormous need.

As always, volunteering also gives you, the volunteer, the opportunity to forge a link with a community that could span decades. Your experience does not have to be limited to one trip, but may extend into something that becomes simply part of your mission and experience as a medical provider. It’s common knowledge that no one can take only one volunteer trip, and we hope that this experience will deepen your dedication to your profession and desire to serve people.