Volunteer for the Mission CONTINUING PROMISE ‘08
Latin America region (May-November 2008)
Project HOPE will participate in a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD – Navy, Army and Air Force), regional partners, Inter-Agency and other nongovernmental organizations to provide health care, health education and humanitarian assistance throughout the Latin America region in 2008. The purpose of the CONTINUING PROMISE ‘08 mission is to establish and strengthen the health care systems for the people of the region. Volunteers will work on board two U.S. Navy ships, the USS Boxer and the USS Kearsarge.
The USS Boxer, a Navy amphibious “grey hull” ship, will depart from San Diego, Ca. and follow the Pacific coast in May-June 2008, visiting Guatemala and El Salvador. The USS Kearsarge, also a Navy amphibious ship, will depart from Norfolk, Va. and sail to the Caribbean from August-December 2008, visiting Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Guyana.
Project HOPE will set the health care/ health education standard and lead the way for NGOs participating in the partnership. We will provide health care and health education in six countries in 2008 – Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Guyana, helping to strengthen current country programs or initiate new, sustainable health programs in these countries.
HOPE volunteers will be ship-based, with the U.S. Navy providing all support services, to include lodging, meals, communications, and transportation. Surgeries will also take place on board, utilizing the ship’s world-class operating rooms. The primary care and health education teams will perform work ashore and return to the ship daily. The mission will be challenging physically and emotionally. A passion for medicine and helping people is a requirement. Being a team member, sometimes leading and sometimes following is a must. Flexibility toward accommodating change is also a must.
We are looking for energetic physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses who can meet this challenge and help deliver community-based primary care, professional health education and distribution of donor vaccines, pharmaceuticals and equipment.
Each rotation will be either a two week or a one month rotation, door-to-door. Qualified volunteers able to sign on for more than one rotation will receive priority. In addition, Spanish speakers for the Primary Care and Nursing Education Teams will also receive priority. Background, personal and professional reference checks will be performed for all candidates.
We are looking for volunteers in the following health specialties (some specialties will be Rotation-specific):
• General Surgeon
• OB-GYN
• Urologist
• Anesthesiologist
• Pediatrician
• Internist or Family Practitioner
• Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
• Certified Adult or Family Nurse Practitioner
• Certified Nurse Midwife
• Nurse Educator
• Med Surg Nurse
Door to Door mission rotations are all subject to change: As of February 1, 2008
Rotation S1: Puerto San Jose, Guatemala (Depart home station on May 5)
La Union, El Salvador (Return to home station on June 2)
ONE MONTH ROTATION
Rotation S2: Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua (August 10-26 ) – TWO WEEK ROTATION
Rotation S3: El Porvenir, Panama (Depart home station on September 15)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
(Return to home station on October 17) – ONE MONTH ROTATION
Rotation S4: Georgetown, Guyana (November 9-23 ) – TWO WEEK ROTATION
Mission Qualifications Include:
• Excellent health and physically fit; able to live and work in harsh environmental conditions; cannot require medical equipment, adaptive devices or medications that cannot not be purchased or replaced while deployed.
• Able to work clinically and professionally in an environment that does not include state of the art facilities and equipment typical of a western medical facility or clinic; must be flexible and adaptable to role and priority changes at a moment’s notice; must be mentally and emotionally stable; positive attitude, excellent teamwork, able to get along with professionals and lay people from different cultures and backgrounds.
• Experience in field, international, public health medicine preferred. Experience in Latin America will be optimum.
• Valid license and up to date in clinical practice and prescribing guidelines; Physicians, Nurse Practitioners and Nurses must be board certified. Must provide copies of school diplomas, boards, licenses.
• Current, valid passport with at least 6-months currency remaining from scheduled date of return.
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