Medical Volunteers for Vietnam

Since the creation of Vietnam Health Clinic (VHC), over 120 healthcare professionals have volunteered with us. There could not be any mobile health clinics without our hardworking doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, optometrists, physical therapists and other providers. Year after year, they generously donate their time and expertise to not only serve our patients in Vietnam but act as mentors and preceptors to our members. The mentorship that the healthcare professionals provide can have a long-lasting impact — as can be seen in the number of our student alumni pursuing a career in the healthcare field and their successful admission to professional schools. 

Vietnam Health Clinic is always looking for Healthcare Professionals (RN, MD, OD, DPT, PharmD, DMD, DDS, etc.). If you are a healthcare professional who is interested in helping VHC provide care to rural Vietnam, please send us an email at [email protected] identifying your profession and we will get back to you with more information.

The total cost is $2500 which will covers round trip flights, lodging, food, transportation and any excursions during the full duration of the clinic. If you opt to participate only for 1 week then the cost would be roughly $1250.

General Information and Expectations:

• All healthcare professionals play a vital role in the mobile clinic. There is a one-week minimum requirement from each HP to ensure consistency of workflow and quality of care.
• VHC encourages HPs to work collaboratively with other care providers through the exchange of best practices and therapeutic knowledge.
  • Drug formulary management meetings are conducted to ensure consistent and standard levels of care between HPs within similar scopes of practices, as well as allow other HPs to contribute and understand the demographics the mission will serve.
  • Round table discussions will be hosted at least twice prior to the mission – participation is vital to the success of a true inter-professional collaboration/relationship.
• Providing valuable clinical experience and mentorship to our student members are important to us at VHC. We expect HPs to work alongside student members to share knowledge and expertise that can give them a better understanding of each specific profession and scope of practice.
  • In addition, HPs are encouraged to lecture and/or train student members on specific topics during the students’ weekly meetings.
• To ensure HPs have a baseline understanding of the mission’s workflow, HPs are strongly encouraged to participate in mock clinic training sessions held two months prior to the start of the medical mission

Healthcare Professionals Responsibilities:
1. Physicians (MD, DO, ARNP) - Primary care providers will assess acute care needs and treat with proper antibiotics and therapy based on an in-house drug formulary list.

2. Nurse (RN) - Nurses will be the first point-of-contact for the patient to gather medical history and triage based on primary chief complaints.

3. Pharmacist (PharmD) - Pharmacists help create the drug formulary, maintain adequate inventory, and dispense medications based on the doctors’ therapy goals while counseling patients on how to properly take their medications.

4. Dentist (DDS, DMD) - Dentists will be providing dental education and emergent dental treatments for patients experiencing tooth pain.

5. Optometrist (OD) - Provide primary level of eyecare including refraction and assessment of ocular health. Donated prescription and reader glasses will be available for immediate dispensing to optimize a patient's vision. Sunglasses are given to every patient during the mission to educate the population about UV protection.

6. Physical Therapist (DPT) - Therapists will demonstrate stretches, exercises and techniques to improve the body’s strengths and flexibility to decrease the risk of work-related injuries.

We hope to have you on our trip!