The Demand for Health Care Workers

One of the most compelling reasons to embark on any career in health care is the ability to change people’s lives. Of course, the growing abundance of job opportunities for all types of health care careers in a wide variety of clinical settings including hospitals, clinics, home health and more, all doling out competitive salaries (despite the economic downturn) is a tempting reason to enter the health care profession. But if some variation of the Florence Nightingale gene isn’t there, all the money and job offers in the world will not result in a fulfilling career.

Health care workers seeking even more fulfillment than traditional work settings provide, should think big – globally big. Volunteerism is an excellent way to build skills, develop professional relationships with colleagues and give back to patients in countries who need health care the most. Just because economic times are tough here, doesn’t mean that the need for medical volunteers around the world has decreased.

There are clinics, ministries and volunteer organizations to be found all over the web who are consistently recruiting all types of health care workers. Doctors, nurses and physician assistants are immensely important long distance medical missionaries, bringing western medicine and life saving procedures abroad.

Dental assistants are particularly valued by communities in developing countries where thousands of children would never have access to dental care otherwise. The Dental Assisting National Board is a helpful resource for dental assistants and aspiring dental assistants, who would like more information on volunteering here and abroad (www.danb.org). Other health care providers can check with their professional organizations or schools to find out how to gain valuable work experience while giving back.

Additional Resources:

List of organizations offering medical volunteer opportunities: http://www.serveyourworld.com/articles/220/1/Medical-Volunteering-Abroad

Pre-Volunteering Checklist:

• Talk to your primary care physician about necessary immunizations, other preventative measures
• Visit the website for the World Health Organization at www.who.int/en/ to find out about any active alerts for your destination (ex. swine flu in Mexico right now)
• Visit the embassy website for your destination country to find out about the necessary paperwork and other legalities of your trip ahead of time
• Most volunteer organizations will assist you with these steps, but it never hurts to be prepared.