We are excited about the return of our summer programs especially given the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccination.
We are reopening our Doctor Shadowing program in the Dominican Republic in May 2021, followed by the reopening of our Global Health Experience program in Tanzania in July 2021.
We are hopeful that most people will have received the COVID-19 vaccination by the time we reopen our summer programs. However, we cannot predict what will happen, nor do we control the distribution of the vaccine.
We have made adjustments to our programs so that regardless of whether or not you have received a vaccination, you can still get global health and doctor shadowing experience abroad in a safe way.
In the event that students are not able to get the covid-19 vaccine, we can still provide learning opportunities abroad in a covid-resilient way.
We are confident in our ability to keep you safe because we control our entire program.
We curate every aspect of our health education program including infrastructure, staff, chef, transportation, and personal partnerships with mentors and hospitals.
From the moment you arrive in the country to the moment you leave, you will interact with staff and students who are specifically chosen by us. Our close working relationship with the doctors and international hospitals has helped us create a COVID resilient plan that is safe and healthcare driven.
We continue to review, risk assess, and adapt our standards of practice so we can give you the best, safest experience possible.
Coronavirus took us all by surprise. Even now, the public health and protection standards are changing. While we can’t predict what the future will hold, we can commit to abiding by the policies laid out by public health experts. As the situation evolves, so do we.
Just like so many functioning institutions, we will be creating a “big bubble” protective field for our students.
We are already very much set up this way, so now we will take it one step further.
Your large protective field will include our staff, your fellow students, and your mentor at the hospital. This greatly reduces the number of interactions and potential infection points you will encounter. If you were to shadow a doctor at your local hospital, you would be returning home to family, friends, and potentially vulnerable loved ones.
This is a unique opportunity to be on the frontlines and continue your health education without putting your community at risk.
Because of the way we currently operate, we can easily create a smaller protective circle for you during your program.
You will live in a house run by our staff, where you will stay with a small group of students in one room and share a bathroom. That group is your “small bubble.” You will also share the same mentor and travel to and from the hospital together to avoid too much contact with other groups.
Mealtimes will be conducted similarly to how restaurants are functioning now. You will sit with your own group, still able to greet and chat with other students, while maintaining the proper social distance.
The staff will also be restructured so that we can work within the small bubble system, rather than all students interacting with all staff. Your Global Pre-Meds program is an educational and social experience, and we intend to keep it that way.
Should any student present with a positive COVID-19 test, our small bubble approach will mitigate the potential for more infections in the larger group. We can then focus on testing all students and treating any that may test positive with the virus.
While in the hospital, your group will be supervised by a doctor, who will be responsible for your education as well as your protection.
The most important thing to us and your mentoring doctor, is your safety. You will not be moving about the hospital unaccompanied or without the guidance of your doctor.
We will also be providing all the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for you and your mentoring doctor. In the past, our students would bring their own PPE, as it was not always required, being dependent on what cases and interactions you had during the program. However, as things have changed, we will be responsible for outfitting you, your peers, and doctors with head-to-toe, professional PPE.
Access to and within the hospital will be controlled at all times. In the past, students would often move from case to case, getting a snapshot of different health care issues. Now you will receive a greater learning opportunity out of individual cases. This is a chance to gain more experience and in greater detail.
You will still get the opportunity to observe clinical procedures, such as surgical operations. They will just be seen from an observation room or screened area. There will be a degree of separation while keeping you on the frontlines and getting a firsthand, one of a kind experience. Because of this separation, your mentor will be by your side explaining what is happening. You will not be handed over to the surgeon or to other doctors, however, at the end of the procedure you will have time to ask the surgeon questions in a socially distanced way.
We know shadowing doctors in the hospital is the most important part of your educational experience.
Since we operate our own guesthouses, we can keep them protected.
As it is, our houses are operated and accessed by Global Pre-Meds staff only.
Our housekeeping staff has been trained to implement a cleaning and sterilizing regiment that abides by COVID-19 standards. Additionally, our food service team has also updated their catering process to prevent unnecessary contact.
The layouts, cleaning regiment, and access are all up to us, and we’ve made adjustments to strengthen and adjust those conditions from an infection standpoint and keep the home COVID-resilient. The house will be your sanctuary.
We are not reinventing the wheel with our policies. Just like many other travel, hospitality, and health care institutions, we are following the guidelines set by international health care organizations so we can continue giving you the best experience.
You will check your temperature every time you enter or leave the Global Pre-Meds house.
Welcome to your new routine! Our staff will also be trained to stay alert for potential signs or symptoms that may trigger deeper isolation or a health consultation. Our partnerships with the mentoring doctors and hospitals give us quick access to medical care if you should need it.
This process can definitely change quickly, depending on what the medical and scientific advice is at the time. However, COVID testing will be a mandatory aspect of our programming.
It is likely that we will require proof of a negative test from your doctor prior to your departure from your home country. Once you arrive in the country for your Global Pre-Meds program, you will likely receive another test to prove you are negative for coronavirus. Additionally, you may be tested at regular intervals for the duration of their program.
Should any student test positive, we have a strong partnership with the best local hospital for treatment. While some of the hospitals you will be shadowing in are government hospitals that do not necessarily follow the best standards of care, we have identified hospitals that have the capacity to handle numerous positive cases, in private rooms, to an international standard.
It’s important that you have travel insurance that covers proper medical treatment. It is up to you to research and choose an insurance policy that will cover any issues, including COVID-19 care. We have also researched and upgraded our own travel insurance policy to guarantee COVID treatment in the specific hospitals we have identified, which is also available for purchase.
Although COVID-19 has drastically affected the lives of so many, it is imperative that we keep educating and supporting the future health care workers of the world. Global Pre-Meds is committed to providing the same programs, with enhanced safety measures, so that you can experience international healthcare and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic firsthand.
