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BLOG: Why doctors must volunteer
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Most of us chose medicine because of an aptitude for science and a desire to use our intellect to help other people. Indeed, every day at work we get a chance to do this, and this is what makes practicing medicine such a delight; no matter what negative forces may impact the health care industry, we still enjoy a deep bond with our patients.
Performing volunteer medical services is even more rewarding, and I’m frequently asked by colleagues how they can get involved. There are three great reasons to spend the time volunteering in eye care:
1. There are so many opportunities. Volunteering locally is a great way to start, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeCare America program helps underserved seniors and those at risk for glaucoma access modern care. You can enroll as a volunteer on its website and see patients directly in your own office. It’s a great way to start your efforts and will make you feel very good.
International efforts take a bit more time but have many opportunities. Unite For Sight has great volunteer opportunities in Ghana, Honduras and India. The website of the University of Iowa lists a number of short- and long-term opportunities for ophthalmic volunteering. I have personally volunteered with the Armenian EyeCare Project for more than 20 years. This group, too, has a well-organized opportunity for first-time volunteers to make a genuine difference and have a phenomenal, personal and cultural experience.
2. It strengthens your clinical skills. Most of us don’t travel with an OCT scanner or a surgical microscope, but we can make do with simpler, easy-to-transport instruments. In surgery, internationally we see more severe disease that we must treat with more crude instruments. Every international volunteer surgeon has stories about tough cases and how they were managed, and every international surgeon has returned home more capable to treat his or her own patients with the ample resources we enjoy daily.
3. It changes who you are. Once you begin volunteering, you will see yourself differently as a physician, and your patients will admire you and be eager to hear about your volunteer experiences. Drug and device reps, full of respect for your work, will seek to support you with supplies. And you will enjoy practicing medicine at home even more knowing that you give a part of your skills to the world without reimbursement.
If you are thinking about volunteering but have not yet started, it’s a perfect time to take the first steps. I promise, you’ll look back and wonder why you didn’t start sooner.
Disclosure: Hovanesian reports no relevant financial disclosures.