Combining medicine and travel in the Philippines!

Elin Morgan Start Date: Jun 19, 2016 - End Date: Mar 18, 2017
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Volunteer Trip
  • Iloilo City, Western Visayas, Philippines

My Travel Story

by: Elin Morgan Start Date: Jun 19, 2016 - End Date: Mar 18, 2017
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Professional Development
  • Volunteer Trip
Who am I?

I am a 22 year old girl from a small country called Wales. In September I will be starting my fifth and final year of medical school, which means I will be allowed to go on my medical elective - a 6 week period where I'm allowed to go anywhere in the world to work in whichever field of medicine I choose.

Where am I going and why?

I have chosen to go to Iloilo in the Philippines where I will divide my time between Paediatrics and Obstetrics. There were three factors in my decision when I chose this location;
1. Potential to make a difference to the place I'm visiting.
2. Educational benefits.
3. Personal growth.

How am I going to make a difference in the community?

The Philippines is a developing country which has seen much economic growth in the past two decades, however, it is still a low-resource setting in terms of healthcare. I've read that hospitals are often under-staffed and under-resourced which is where I'm hoping to be able to help in both short and long-term ways.

Short term: For the 6 weeks I'm there, I want to give everything I've got in terms of skills, effort and determination, to be as helpful as I can to the staff on the wards.
Long term: While this page is to fund the cost part of my elective, I am planning on holding many fundraising events within my own community to raise money for a donation to the hospital so that medical supplies can be purchased. 

Educational Benefits

When I 'grow-up' and graduate, the dream is to become a paediatrician - this elective will hopefully reinforce my passion for this field and give me some additional experience which will hopefully be very useful to my future career.

Personal Growth

Of course, going to the other side of the world will be very exciting, but in this case, I'm expecting it to be both physically and emotionally challenging - however I am fully hoping and expecting the experience to change me as a person and give me a greater awareness of the challenges of global health delivery.

Conclusion

If you are still here to read this part, then thank you very much for your patience, and I'm hoping that what I have to say sounds good to you! I will include a link to my purpose built medical elective instagram where I'll be documenting the planning and fundraising efforts, I will also add a link for the organisation with whom I'll be travelling and in case you don't want to fund my travel, but might be interested in making a donation to the hospital, a link to that fundraising page. If you do choose to donate to either one of these pages, then I will be very grateful and I thank you for your kind contributions.


  • Iloilo City, Western Visayas, Philippines

More Travel Information

Adventure Registry

  • Surgical scrubs - Blue, size M

    ￡ 30

  • Theatre clogs - Size 7

    ￡ 40