Volunteer Spanish Speaking country

[Bob Loblaw]

Hello all:


I am about to finish my EMT-I and my bridge class is cancelled so i have to wait 7 months for the EMT-I to EMT-P bridge. I wanted to take that time to volunteer/work in a spanish speaking country at a hospital or in the field so i could work on my spanish. My spanish is pretty decent but i want to be medically fluent.

Does anyone know of anywhere that i could do this? Im open to Spain/SA.

I seached and didnt find anything that i could use in the forums, sorry if this has been discussed. Thanks for all the help!

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I would be happy to be an EMT B/answer phones/etc or anything that i could help out to learn the language! thanks

 

[akflightmedic]

I have some orange fields/groves you can work in....

 

[LucidResq]

Project C.U.R.E.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Hmm i do love oranges

Project cure looks promising, thanks for the link!

 

[ethomas4]

Hello all:


BOB - I worked as an EMT in Mexico. Words I use to describe the experience : crazy, dangerous, challenging, fun, rewarding, STRESSFUL.

If you go to a spanish speaking country to work, especially spain or mexico, be prepared for a slap in the face in terms of your EMT abilities. In south america and spain there are GREAT and AMAZING medics...although in the USA we like to put them down. You will be expected to treat patients on a paramedic level with decent euipment..some times with Sh*t equipment. EMTs do not exist in MExico...and if they do, they will have nothing to do with emergencies. Every one is a medic or higher. You will be in charge of distributing and using meds that you will not find on US rigs.

Other things to consider: you will be sick! there is no way around it. If you grew up in the US or have been eating in the US for several years your stomach will have problems with REAL foreign food, there will be few, if any, places to wash your hands.

Your spanish needs to be more than decent to be able to survive. Could you give a radio report and gather a PT Hx (meds, allergies, etc)? No one will understand the gringo spanish. Could you explain to a PT procedures? Coach them on their medication? questions that even in English can be extremely challenging if you dont know the vocabulary

I almost lost my life responding to calls, just because the road and society rules of the roads are so different (and no, I was not driving).

You will never get support from fire fighters, (even though they are very good at what they do) and police like in the US.

Be prepared for the majority of people in the USA to look down on your experience, and not even consider it as experience...which is a shame.

I learned a lot, made friends, made jack squat for money.

I DO NOT mean to put you down. But you must consider these things. If you put your mind to it you CAN DO IT!!!!!!! And I wish you luck!

There is SOO much more I could tell you if you want. ethomas4uo@gmail.com shoot me an email