But for Dr. Wagner and his colleagues, it is an ideal situation. Nearly two decades ago, he said, “In 20 years, I put in 40 years of work hours, and I said, ‘This is ridiculous. What am I going to do—make more money to put in the bank?’ The answer was no. It was time to give back. Winston Churchill said, ‘You make a living by what you earn, and a life by what you give.’”
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June 2016Today, after working in regions as varied as Paraguay, Cambodia, Colombia, Ukraine, the Marshall Islands, and Ethiopia, he says he’s doing what feels right. “The people you work with, your partners, you have to feel comfortable with. The people of the world are all the same, irrespective of language, religion, or skin color. Your goal is to use your intuition and find partners who are transparent [and] have similar goals and motives, and remember that the partnership is like a marriage in many ways. I’ve got great partners today because I’ve weeded out all the bad ones whose philosophies I later found out were different from that of Global ENT Outreach.”
Cheryl Alkon is a freelance medical writer based in Massachusetts.
Do Your Homework
You need more than good intentions to be an international volunteer. “Really check out the organization, and see what the options and opportunities are,” said Nancy Kelly, MHS, the founder and executive director of Health Volunteers Overseas. She has worked in the field for 30 years. “What fits with your particular motivation and interest? What are you looking to get out of it, both personally and professionally?”
Talking to people who have done similar volunteer stints, in the same area you want to go to, is valuable. “You get a sense of the organization’s mission and what kind of support you will get,” particularly if you are in an unstable scenario, she said. You also need to learn about visas and vaccinations, details about the country, the languages spoken there, and culture. “I tell people this is several months of work. There are an amazing amount of resources on the Internet—learn the challenges and constraints of what’s happening in the health sector” where you want to go, she said. [One site that compiles medical humanitarian projects for otolaryngologists is The American Academy of Otolaryngology’s Humanitarian Efforts Map).
Those who have open minds tend to take the most from the experience. “About 40% of our volunteers are repeat volunteers: They will sign up to go again to the same site, or sometimes to a different site,” said Kelly. “The payback they get professionally and personally is immense. But it’s a two-way exchange and an important part of a project being successful. The people at the site leadership, such as faculty, clinicians, students, and other volunteers, are there to share information, mentor, work together, and provide feedback. If there is that positive exchange, it can be an amazing experience.”—CA