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How can I go on a mission?
Membership in Medical Wings International is the first requirement
for travel with MWI. Second, if you are a healthcare professional
and want to volunteer your services, you must have current licensure
in the United States. We also welcome people with no medical
background to serve as volunteers for staff support. Our mission
trips can be very physically demanding—long hours, very hot and
humid work environments. Our volunteers must be in good overall
health. Immunizations are the volunteer's responsibility.
Flexibility and patience is also essential, as well as a commitment
to our goals and teamwork. Please see the Membership tab to become a
member, check out our upcoming missions, and E-mail directly for
more detailed information.
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Who is on a mission team?
Typically, a mission team consists of at least two medical
doctors—one internist and one pediatrician—one nurse practitioner,
two nurses, one optometrist, one dentist, one pharmacist, two staff
support volunteers, and our mission director.
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How is
Medical Wings International supported?
MWI is supported exclusively through donations. We are a nonprofit,
self-sustaining 501c3 charitable organization, which began in 1998..
There are no paid employees; all of our planning and mission work is
done by volunteers. We are an efficient organization and strive to
maximize all of your monetary, medication, equipment, and time
donations. Please see our Membership page and join us!
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Who covers the cost for
a mission?
Typical mission costs include airfare, lodging, meals, and
transportation. Often these trips are sponsored and some of those
costs are deferred. Ultimately, this is determined on a
mission-by-mission basis. Our costs are usually reduced whenever
possible when the mission volunteer is responsible.
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What
does a non-medical person do on a mission trip?
A little of everything! Work in a triage area registering patients,
work as a runner for the pharmacy, assist the doctors and nurses as
needed, and assist the mission director, assist with inventory and
supplies. We do teach our volunteers how to use our equipment to
obtain blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Your days are
rewarding, as there is always something to do and someone to help.
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What is the clinic set-up?
We are usually not in a real clinic. Usually, we set up in a school
or community building, using tables or desks for exam tables. We
have to be flexible and go with what we have.
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What about
hygiene? How do I wash my hands?
Pre-trip immunizations are the responsibility of the mission
volunteer. We are very careful about what we eat and drink in a
given area. There is usually no running water, and if there is, it
is not clean, so we ask all mission volunteers to bring enough hand
sanitizer and disposable gloves for the entire trip to use between
patients.
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What lab testing is
available?
None, except urine dipsticks, pregnancy tests, and a glucometer. We
are often able to set up a nebulizer for albuterol treatments.
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What type of dental services are provided for patients?
Generally, our services are limited to simple and surgical
extractions of teeth only. We dispense pain medications and
antibiotics when necessary, in the conjunction with the above
treatments.
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Do you provide dental services for children on your missions?
Yes, we provide extractions to both children and adults on every
mission. The patient population varies—sometimes it's more kids, and
other places, primarily adults.
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What kind of eye care
do you provide?
Our optometrists perform eye exams and prescribe and distribute
prescription glasses to our patients, both children and adults. They
also treat glaucoma, eye infections, and provide medication for
long-term use when needed.
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Where
do you get your eyeglasses and eye medications?
Exclusively though donations! If you would like to organization a
local eyewear donation in your area, please contact us. Eye
medications are all donated as well. If you are able to contribute
in this regard, please contact our Director of Optometry.
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How can children get involved in our international community
services?
Great question! We welcome school projects which involve our mission
work. We have had success with school children collecting bottles of
children's multivitamins, small bars of soap, a new
toothbrush/toothpaste, etc. We call these ongoing projects our
“Wings of Love” activity. Please let us know if you or your child
would like to donate in this way, or would like assistance in
organizing a school, church, or community project.
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How can adults get involved in our international community services?
If you want to participate but cannot travel, becoming a member is
an excellent start. Also, we have had adults who organize
fundraisers locally for MWI—we welcome and appreciate this. Garage
sales, bake sales, silent auctions are all good ideas. One simple,
successful effort most recently done was one of our member hosts
requested her party guests all bring one large bottle of
multivitamins instead of a hostess gift.
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Do I need
to know another language to volunteer?
No. MWI works with our local hosts to provide a translator for each
volunteer. There are times, however, when our translators are spread
thin, and in these instances, knowing the language is helpful. Our
volunteers sometimes carry a translation dictionary.
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