The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Medical Missions Allow Rheumatologists to Volunteer Around the World

Medical Missions Allow Rheumatologists to Volunteer Around the World

January 19, 2018 • By Linda Childers

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

In Borneo, Dr. Albert and his colleagues treated patients who had sustained injuries in car accidents, and in Uganda, he worked with a referral hospital to help start a rheumatology clinic and teach local medical residents about rheumatic diseases in a didactic forum. In Rwanda, Dr. Albert served on a medical mission in which he and his colleagues saw many patients with swollen and painful joints.

You Might Also Like
  • Advance Rheumatology: Volunteer for the ACR
  • Rheumatologist Finds ACR Volunteer Work Enriching Professionally and Personally
  • It’s A Small World after All
Explore This Issue
January 2018

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE
Volunteer doctors busy at work in the mountains of El Salvador, performing everything from blood pressure checks to minor surgeries.

Volunteer doctors busy at work in the mountains of El Salvador, performing everything from blood pressure checks to minor surgeries.

In El Salvador, Dr. Mallay’s volunteer group set up its own makeshift clinics.

In El Salvador, Dr. Mallay’s volunteer group set up its own makeshift clinics.

“We set up a field hospital [a small medical facility that takes care of patients on site],” Dr. Albert says. “It was during the civil war in Rwanda, which was rough. In situations like that, you learn a lot about yourself and how to do the best you can and improvise with the supplies you have.”

With technology lacking in some developing countries, Dr. Albert says routine diagnostic tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC), are often performed manually using a light microscope and a specialized microscope slide. In many countries, the working conditions can be less than ideal. Monitoring equipment, if available, may be outdated or only partially functional.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“You learn to work with the tools you have and to tolerate the limitations imposed on you,” Dr. Albert says. “Most of the doctors we work with in developing countries are very smart doctors who have learned to treat a vast array of medical conditions.”

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

Rubaiya Mallay, MD, a rheumatologist at Suncoast Internal Medical Consultants in Largo, Fla., began serving on medical missions while attending medical school at the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va. Traveling on medical missions to El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, India and Guatemala, Dr. Mallay says she and her colleagues not only diagnosed arthritis in many patients, but also worked to educate them on how to manage their condition.

“We saw a lot of patients who had arthritis due to years of working at jobs that required them to lift and carry heavy objects,” Dr. Mallay says.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Albert worked with a volunteer team in Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana.

Dr. Albert worked with a volunteer team in Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana.

Following the 2004 tsunami disaster in India, Dr. Mallay joined a relief team that was one of the first groups to help the victims in Chennai, India.

Following the 2004 tsunami disaster in India, Dr. Mallay joined a relief team that was one of the first groups to help the victims in Chennai, India.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Career Development, Practice Management Tagged With: VolunteeringIssue: January 2018

You Might Also Like:
  • Advance Rheumatology: Volunteer for the ACR
  • Rheumatologist Finds ACR Volunteer Work Enriching Professionally and Personally
  • It’s A Small World after All
  • Volunteer Roles in the ACR to Match Your Interest

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)