Global Experience

Each year, two residents along with 1-2 faculty members travel to Oaxaca, Mexico for an integrative medical mission trip with Los Quijotes of San Antonio. The entire group includes Nursing, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Physical Therapy, Optometry, Ophthalmology, Dentistry, and Pharmacy. Residents not only have the opportunity to provide clinical care to patients, but also are involved in the education of medical students from Mexico as well as patient education.

Residents also have the opportunity to select a location of interest and create an elective based on their personal goals. Residents have chosen to do this in Vietnam, Kijabe, Kenya, and Ecuador as well as the Texas-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley.

Cost to individual residents: Varies by rotation elective. Partial and complete funding is available for most rotations.

Number of residents participating in the past two years: Averages 2 annually

Faculty involvement: All rotation sites have on-site physician supervision. Residency faculty participate in several of the rotation trips.

Does the program accept medical students for trips? Yes

Does the program accept residents from outside the program for trips? Yes

Participating residents elect a 1- to 4-week rotation at one of the rotation sites during their second and/or third year of residency. In addition to performing clinic duties at the sites, residents participate in online course modules and discussion sessions with a faculty preceptor and complete a pre-travel needs assessment, an onsite project and a debriefing program at the residency upon return.

All residents participate in the basic lecture curriculum. Those participating in the second program component receive additional reading material, participate in online courses and meet with faculty mentors.