Nurse Medical Mission Trips: 4 Steps For Finding The Right Program
There’s literally a world of opportunity if you’re a registered nurse who wants to donate your time and skills to help those in need.
In fact, you’ll find so many nurse mission trips that it might be hard to choose. Here are some of the steps should consider before choosing the right nurse mission trip for you.
4 Steps to Finding the Right Nurse Medical Mission Trip
1. Find Nursing Mission Trips That Speak to You
Do you have a special affinity for inhabitants of a particular region of the world? If so, it’s easy to start with a Google search for nurse mission trips in that part of the globe.
Your nursing specialty can also determine whether a job is right for you. Some nurse medical mission trips might require your specific specialty.
And finally, you’ll find that many medical mission trips for nurses are Christian ministries, while others are supported by other faiths or are non-denominational. So consider your own beliefs when seeking a mission that’s right for you.
2. Ask Someone Who’s Been on Nursing Mission Trips
Experience truly is the best teacher. Get some good advice from individuals with careers like yours who’ve taken nurse mission trips.
They’ll have real-world advice to share that you might not find anywhere else. You can consult forums on websites such as this to get these personal-experience viewpoints and observations.
3. Consider the Duration of Medical Mission Trips for Nurses
If this is your first trip, you might want to begin with an experience that’s somewhat less challenging. Rather than committing to a three-month trip, consider one of just a couple of weeks.
Get your feet wet. With what you learn on your first trip you might decide to go for a mission of longer duration the next time.
4. Research Costs of Nurse Mission Trips
Perhaps it sounds counter-intuitive that you should have to pay to volunteer your time. But the reality is that it’s a costly affair sending medical volunteers halfway across the world and paying all of their expenses for weeks or even months at a time.
You’ll be working for non-profit organizations, and many are already stretched for funding. That means you could be charged anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars for your efforts.
The charges you’re likely to be partly responsible for include travel, food, accommodations, local transportation, passport and visa fees, insurance, vaccinations and other expenses.
Your group might be able to subsidize some of these costs or provide free food and lodging.
Others might help with your personal fund-raising efforts. Here’s an international medical mission organization website with more information on trip costs and the non-profit’s volunteer fund-raising portal.
As you research your opportunities, you’ll find a bounty of nurse mission trips. When you find the one that’s right for you, you’ll discover that it’s an incredibly enriching experience and one that you’ll treasure forever.
