Podcast

This session will explore the value of healthcare education as a form of mission experience, both in the short and long term, as well as to inspire and equip participants to explore healthcare education opportunities as an answer to God’s call to missions.

A surgeon in training may be feeling called to and exploring a future career in medical missions or may simply be desiring a heart for God; to serve Jesus Christ unconditionally in a US based practice with or without short term missions service. This session will focus on the practical ways that students and residents pursuing a surgical sub-specialty, including general surgery, can fan the flame of God's gifting and calling in obedience to the Great Commission. What are the critical spiritual disciplines in a walk with Christ during training that protect and nurture such a mindset, even during a demanding and stressful surgical residency? What type of volunteering activities or short term missions service play a key role in maintaining a passion for missionary service? Are there resources available which will help develop a heart for and understanding of evangelism and disciple-making in the life of a short or long term missionary? Will share perspectives from several surgeons who are actively serving in missions today.

As we see an increasing number of culturally diverse patients in our practices, there is no doubt of the importance of cultural competency in medicine. Specific circumstances and miscommunications have been well documented. But how can we develop an eye to see where a patient’s values and worldview may differ from our own? We will review an approach to cultural competency highlighted by medical missions case studies.

This session will provide an update on Covid-19 and the public health response.

While recognizing the medical limitations in the developing world, one must also capitalize on the "assets" present there. "Specialists" are rare, unavailable, and/or too expensive for most of the poor, disabled people. "State-of-the-art", while the aspiration of the west, is usually unavailable in the developing world. How do we capitalize on the assets and provide a reasonable alternative for the numerous disabled of the developing world? Some African countries have modified their medical approach and have found their solutions in alternative medical practitioners with less training and credentials but sufficient skills and judgment to reasonably meet the needs of many of the disabled. Some of these objectives were achieved in a mission hospital in Africa not because it was the first choice, but it was seemingly the only choice. Now, at that facility, a higher level of care has been achieved. However, can such a model be replicated in other settings in Africa?