The Bradley University chapter of GMT serves as a conduit between GMT International and members of the BU pre-health community by fostering global health education, awareness, and coordinating annual humanitarian medical mission trips to Central America. Upon arrival, students will receive specific orientation and training for clinic days during our annual trip. Our approach is student centered te
aching /learning and active student participation in the process of medical assessments and treatments alongside physicians and other medical professionals. Learn by doing. We frame this within the context of various health care systems; analyzing the comparative fairness, goodness, outcomes, dollar value, and failings of various systems. Participants are exposed to various aspects of global medicine and public health, e.g. the relationship between poverty, education, and public health to illness / well- being. Under supervision of physicians, students will be exposed to a medical environment where they will be allowed to observe AND actively participate in the medical assessments / treatments of patients who have scarce economic resources and poor access to healthcare. We do this in various settings: urban and rural. This will include GMT clinics, visits to hospitals, other health facilities, and patient’s homes. We employ local doctors, dentists, interpreters, and guides to teach, inform, and help supervise the trips. We utilize local community citizens to help in the clinics. We will inform trip participants about the culture, history, politics, comparative healthcare systems, and public health problems of the countries in which we travel. We teach them how to apply that information to their experiences during clinics. We will reflect upon and discuss the medical and cultural experiences, and integrate this into action plans that will improve the well-being of these people. Medical and other professionals will be responsible for closely supervising, teaching, and nurturing this process. source: gmtonline.org
