Travel Checklist
Topics for Preparation
Traveling internationally to provide medical care to a foreign culture can be a daunting task. Be sure to do your homework before you leave to make travel as smooth as possible. Below is a checklist to get you started.
When a PA is considering taking the time to work overseas, it is important that he or she learn about all the possible aspects of such a commitment. The list below includes a selection of topics to be researched.
Topics for Preparation
Travel Checklist
Traveling internationally to provide medical care to a foreign culture can be a daunting task. Be sure to do your homework before you leave to make travel as smooth as possible. Below is a checklist to get you started.
- Research the Country: The Bureau of Consular Affairs releases Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and public announcements concerning conditions in countries where Americans may be planning to visit or reside.
- Passport: Is your passport current? The U.S. State Department has passport applications on-line in PDF format. Apply as soon as possible, passports can take anywhere from 6-10 weeks to process.
- Visas: Do you need a visa for the country you are visiting? Check out the Foreign Entry Requirements for U.S. Citizens on-line. Visas can take longer than passports to process. Start early.
- Immunizations: Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the U.S. State Department web sites for more information on immunizations and traveler's health need.
- Insurance: This includes your own medical and travel insurance as well as liability insurance. If you are volunteering with an organization or working for an American company, your liability insurance may be covered. If not, you may have to purchase a rider to your current insurance. Contact your carrier to find out more.
- Physician Supervision: The Guidelines for PAs Working Internationally state that PAs need to establish the appropriate physician/PA team. That can be established with an American physician or local physician in the country. Because there are no licensing laws or practice acts for PAs working abroad, special arrangements will have to be made through the health ministry of the host country.
- Travel Arrangements: Local travel agencies do not always have access to remote countries so you may need to shop around. Avoid arriving in the country late at night as there may be security concerns. Remember to reconfirm your flight a day or two in advance of leaving and returning. Remote countries don't always have daily flights.
- Itinerary: Be sure to notify your family and/or staff of your plans. Include address, telephone, and fax number where you can be reached.
Topics for Preparation
When a PA is considering taking the time to work overseas, it is important that he or she learn about all the possible aspects of such a commitment. The list below includes a selection of topics to be researched.
- What is the overall mission of the organization?
- What is the organizational approach to the problems - individual and curative, or more utilitarian public health focused, or perhaps a blend of both?
- What happens if you get to the post and you discover it is not what you had expected?
- What security parameters will be followed?
- Will the PA be self-sufficient, functioning outside the established health care system, or will he or she work along side local counterparts in existing health support structures?
- Will there be a salary or a stipend for you as a volunteer?
- What will happen if you have a needlestick or some other HIV risk exposure?
- Who will pay the necessary expenses of your travel, room, and board?
- What provisions are made for your medical and/or psychological care both during and after a mission?
- Will you have time off while in the field? If so, what are the options for that time?
- What about repatriation to the United States in case of medical or family emergencies?
- What about life insurance?
- Will medical supplies and equipment be provided, or will you have to bring everything yourself?
- Is there a training or orientation program available, or will you be expected to go directly to the field?
- Is the situation stable enough for the PA to be accompanied by a spouse or other family member?
- How do you relax when you are under stress?
- How do you function in a team? How do you feel about living and working, day in and day out, in a cramped living space, surrounded by smokers? (1)
