Medical Mission Trip 2025 Updates
We are pleased to announce the expansion of our medical mission in northern Bohol beyond our five mobile health clinics with the addition of much-needed hospital-based services, an enhancement made possible through our crucial partnership with the Bohol Provincial Government.
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Our new hospital-based medical mission arm offers acute inpatient care and elective surgeries, namely general and gynecologic procedures (laparoscopic cholecystectomies, hernia repairs, and hysterectomies), cataract extractions, and cleft palate repairs to eligible indigent patients at our hospital site in northern Bohol.
Our outpatient mobile clinic medical mission arm will continue to provide free medical consultations, routine labs, medications, minor surgery, and dental extractions to serve five rural health units in our service area in northern Bohol.
With this development, we are expanding our call for volunteers to include:
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OR-based providers: general surgery, gynecology, and anesthesiology
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Acute inpatient providers: internal, pediatric, family, emergency, critical care
medicine, and related specialties
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Inpatient registered nurses: OR, PACU, ICU, ER, and med/surge
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Pharmacists
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Physical, occupational, speech, and respiratory therapists
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Nurse assistants, techs, and EMTs
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Dentists and dental assistants
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We also have positions for non-medical and youth volunteers willing to learn simple and basic tasks in our pharmacy, laboratory, and minor surgery areas.
There will still be five work days, with hospital and clinic services running simultaneously. Except for OR-based doctors and nurses who will spend all five days in the hospital, most other volunteers will have a split of two versus three days in the hospital and clinic.
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The application deadline is October 10, 2024, to ensure that all doctors and allied medical professionals participating in the hospital segment of this medical mission are licensed to practice in the Philippines.
Consider The Why
Our medical mission is dedicated to helping underserved communities in calamity-prone regions of the Philippines where access to essential medical and surgical care is financially out of reach to many.
Consider that the average annual family income for the Province of Bohol, where we currently do most of our work, is only $1,770. This is barely enough to cover basic needs such as food and shelter for a family of six. While there is nationalized healthcare, it only covers a small percentage of the cost, making copays for necessary surgical procedures unaffordable. For example, the copay for cataract surgery at a government hospital where these procedures are already subsidized is about $1,000, while major elective surgeries such as cholecystectomies and hernia repairs range from $1,500 to $2,000. Most indigent patients forego timely treatment, resulting in irreversible harm or death. Hence, it is not uncommon to find farmers and fishermen becoming utterly blind in their fifties due to sun exposure-related cataracts. Or a housewife dying from sepsis brought about by acute cholecystitis from untreated gallstones. Or a father dying from intestinal gangrene from an incarcerated hernia. These are tragedies that happen way too often, resulting in economic devastation and children becoming orphans at a young age.
By providing free, high-impact procedures to correct chronic surgical diseases before they become irreversible or acutely complicated, we prevent disabilities and deaths among working-age Filipinos, enabling them to continue providing for their families. This approach addresses urgent healthcare needs while empowering communities to achieve long-term resilience and economic stability.
Medical Mission 2025 Itinerary
Outbound flight from the US: Not later than February 22
Arrival, Team Building, and Orientation: February 23 - 28
Clinic and hospital work days: March 1 - 5
Outbound flight from the Philippines: March 6 or later
International Flight Advisory
Ground staff are available for airport pick-ups and drop-offs at Cebu Mactan (CEB) International Airport and Tagbilaran Panglao International Airport (TAG). Should you decide to enter the country through Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila (MNL), make sure you also book a domestic flight to TAG. Unfortunately, we cannot help you with transfers in Manila at this time.
What to Expect Beyond Work Assignment February 23 to March 6
Our mission trips are designed so that we take care of your needs and safety, allowing you to focus on serving the sick. Uplifting lives halfway around the world, volunteers will come out of our mission trips with a sense of fulfillment. We hope to inspire our volunteers to champion our cause beyond the medical mission to help us continue working to realize our goal of sustainable healthcare for the underserved.
Transporation:
We handle all airport pick-ups, drop-offs, and daily transportation needs.
Lodging:
We will room you in a comfortable hotel in Cebu, where most volunteers arrive and depart. Once you’re in Bohol, where the medical mission takes place, you will either stay at our Home Base or a hotel in Tubigon, a port town about 4 miles from the Home Base. The Home Base and hotel rooms are quiet, clean, and air-conditioned. There is Wi-Fi available. We assign rooms on a first-come, first-served basis (based on the order of when you signed up). We strive to accommodate families and groups together. Circulating vans shuttle volunteers between the Home Base and the hotel.
Meals:
We have American and Filipino cooks working together at the Home Base kitchen. Breakfast is served at both the Home Base and the hotel. Lunch and snacks are packed to go during work days. Dinner is served at the Home Base, where volunteers gather to socialize at the end of the workday. We accommodate food allergies and preferences.
Services:
Wi-Fi, laundry, room cleaning, linen, and towel services are standard with your stay. Again, laundry is available daily, so please pack lightly.
Team Building:
For the first three days after arrival, you will participate in Team Building, a series of activities designed to improve cohesion, collaboration, and communication among team members, including our local volunteers and partners. The setting for these activities also highlights the many cultural and ecological points of interest in Cebu and Bohol. Team Building exercises include canyoneering, island hopping discovery cruise, and swimming with whale sharks.
Team Spirit:
Upon arrival in Cebu, you will receive scrub tops/tees, a waterproof bag, a water bottle, and Php 1,600 for incidentals.
Costs
Registration Fee
We require a flat fee of $300 per volunteer. This fee covers parts of the trip that are not related to direct patient care or the management and execution of direct patient care; more on that later.
Medical Mission Project Fund
As an organization that grew out of a grassroots movement centered around peer-to-peer fundraising, we endeavor to fund our medical mission projects through publicly sourced charitable contributions. Specifically for the mission trip, we want to engage all volunteers to help us fundraise through the Holiday Fundraiser, our online, automated, peer-to-peer campaign during the giving season that starts in late October. You may participate in the Holiday Fundraiser individually, as a family, or as a group. We will set up your dedicated Holiday Fundraiser web page with photos, digital media, an appeal, a contribution tracker, and donation buttons. All you need to do is direct family, friends, and co-workers to your landing page using your unique link and QR code by social media, email, or text. A goal thermometer (your contribution tracker) depicts real-time achievement, making raising the money fun and exciting.
The Medical Mission Project Fund covers direct patient care expenses, such as labs, medicines, supplies, hospital fees, co-pays, and other related costs. This is the fuel that runs the project. Read: Consider The Why.
Here are the fundraising quotas per volunteer category:
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New provider (doctors, dentists, APP) = $1,300
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Returning provider (doctors, dentists, APP) = $1,000
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New medical (nurses, techs, med students, residents, fellows) = $1,000
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Returning medical (nurses, techs, med students, residents, fellows) = $700
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New adult non-medical = $700
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Returning adult non-medical = $500
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Youth = $500
Fundraising quotas for families and groups are the sum of each member’s quota. If the quota is not met by December 31, 2024, the volunteers themselves will contribute to meet the quota. Volunteers who choose not to participate in the Holiday Fundraiser are expected to make the full contribution by December 31, 2024.
International Airfare
After reaching your Holiday Fundraising quota, your roundtrip flight to the Philippines is the only other cost to join the medical mission trip. You are expected to book and pay for your flight to and from the Philippines. We highly recommend purchasing both flight and medical travel insurance. The usual roundtrip economy fare from the East Coast to the Philippines is around $1,300 and $1000 from the West Coast. The best website to check prices is Google Flight. Use airport code CEB for Cebu.
Refund Policy
Given the nature of our nonprofit status, payments you made for yourself and donations made on your behalf are treated differently. If, for any legitimate reason, you cannot take the trip in 2025 but have already contributed to the Medical Mission Project Fund, you may request a 100% credit towards the next medical mission trip or a refund minus a service charge of 3.49%. On the other hand, publicly sourced funds (the money you raised through fundraising) cannot be returned, and thus, we will safely keep them for you for the next mission trip.
Join our team today!
Start your journey of making a real difference in the lives of Filipinos. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to serve, learn, and grow. Spots are limited on this trip, so sign up now
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Signup For Philippine Medical Mission Trip 2025
Registration for 2025 is closed. Sign up below to be included in the waitlist. Thank you!
FAQs
Where in the Philippines will the medical mission take place?
Our service area is in northern Bohol. Our mobile clinics will serve five communities in Clarin, Sagbayan, and Buenavista municipalities. For 2024, we are partnering with local surgeons to perform elective major surgeries (cholecystectomies, hernia repair, etc.) on indigent patients from these three municipalities.
What is the itinerary?
The Medical Mission (not counting the optional Cultural Immersion) is ten days. The departure date from the US is on or before 16 April 2024. There are three days of team building, orientation, and beach time (to shake off jet lag) followed by five clinic days, during which we serve a different community daily for those assigned to mobile clinics or five days in the OR for those assigned to do elective major surgeries. Volunteers may fly back to the US or stay for three to five extra days to join an optional Cultural Immersion trip starting 25 April.
What type of volunteers are needed?
Priority is given to healthcare providers (aka medical volunteers) such as doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, techs, etc. Non-medical volunteers are welcome to join if they are willing to learn basic clinic-related tasks. Minors (below 18 years) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
What positions are available for non-medical volunteers?
There are several positions for non-medical volunteers, including students: (1) data encoders to enter patient information into our database and to track supplies and medications, (2) pharmacy and supply aids to assist pharmacy staff with medication packing, arranging, and tracking, (3) mission site coordinators to perform daily set up and clean up of the various service areas, (4) ushers to help with patient flow and manage communication in and around the mission site, (5) education assistants to help our public health educators with their community training sessions and lectures, (6) photographers and videographers to help with documentation for our media releases.
What is provided for transportation, lodging, and meals?
Our local partner organization provides basic needs for this all-inclusive humanitarian mission trip: (1) airport pick-up and drop-off from either Cebu Mactan International Airport (CEB) or Tagbilaran Panglao International Airport (TAG) and daily trips to clinics and other sites by land or sea, (2) shared lodging at the Home Base (private hotel rooms are also available), (3) meals and non-alcoholic beverages.
How much does it cost?
There are three specific costs: (1) International Airfare (including trip and travel medical insurance), (2) Medical Mission Fee, and (3) the optional Cultural Immersion.
International Airfare - Please check Google Flights to monitor prevailing round-trip airfare. Use airport code CEB for Cebu Mactan International Airport, with a departure date of 16 or 17 April 2024 and a return date of 28 or 29 April 2024. You are responsible for booking and paying for your airfare and trip/travel medical insurance.
The Medical Mission Fee - This flat fee covers everything you need from arrival in the country on 16 or 17 April to 25 April, including transportation, lodging, meals, and project-specific expenses such as meds and clinic supplies. Doctors and dentists = $1,460. Nurses, CNAs, interns/residents/fellows, and other medical worker = $1,168. Non-medical volunteers = $1,095. Students (including medical students) = $949. Adult tag-a-long = $876. Child tag-a-long =$657. There is a 20% discount for returning volunteers.
The Cultural Immersion - This is highly variable, depending primarily on where you are going. There are options for Cebu, Boracay, El Nido, Coron, and Siargao. This is best discussed with our Travel Coordinator.
Can I fundraise for some of the costs?
Yes, but only to cover for your Medical Mission Fee. Our administrator will contact you personally for guidance if you are interested. Fundraising is usually done during the Holiday Season. Tag-a-longs are prohibited to fundraise.
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How do we pay for the Medical Mission Fee?
You can pay it in full or monthly installments through our payment portal.
What is our refund policy for the Medical Mission Fee?
For funds you paid yourself, you may choose to do a 100% credit towards the next medical mission trip or a refund minus a service charge of 3.49%. For donated funds, you will automatically get 100% credit toward the next medical mission. Publicly sourced funds can not be refunded even if you raised the money.
Can I bring non-volunteering family (tag-a-longs) with me?
Although we do not encourage larger groups of non-volunteers, bringing tag-a-longs, such as your kids, spouse, parents, etc., is possible. We understand that volunteers may want to have some family with them. Space at our Home Base is limited. Thus, larger parties may need to book hotels separately. Also, you cannot use fundraised money for any item related to their trip.
How about COVID-19 and other health concerns?
Our local partner organization provides basic needs for this all-inclusive humanitarian mission trip: (1) airport pick-up and drop-off from either Cebu Mactan International Airport (CEB) or Tagbilaran Panglao International Airport (TAG) and daily trips to clinics and other sites by land or sea, (2) shared lodging at the Home Base (private hotel rooms are also available), (3) meals and non-alcoholic beverages.
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
Medical positions
Adult medicine providers
Job Description:
- Provide medical consultation and treatment to patients 18 and older with more than straightforward complaints and medical issues that may necessitate written referral and follow-up with local doctors and specialists for diagnostic plans and management.
- Provide a written referral to an appropriate emergency facility or hospital for patients with urgent/emergent conditions.
Qualifications: MD, DO, NP, PA, PGY 1 & up, MS 3 & 4 (supervised)
Pediatric medicine providers
Job Description:
- Provide medical consultation and treatment to patients younger than 18 with more than straightforward complaints and medical issues that may necessitate written referral and follow-up with local doctors and specialists.
- Provide a written referral to an appropriate emergency facility or hospital for patients with urgent/emergent conditions.
Qualifications: MD, DO, NP, PA, PGY 1 & up, MS 3 & 4 (supervised)
Urgent Care/Family medicine providers
Job Description:
- Provide medical consultation and treatment to patients of all ages with straightforward complaints and medical issues.
- Provide backup for Adult and Pediatric Medicine Providers if needed.
Qualifications: MD, DO, NP, PA, PGY 1 & up, MS 3 & 4 (supervised)
Minor surgery providers
Job Description:
- Provide minor surgical care to adult and pediatric patients, meeting Mission 2018 guidelines.
- Provide written referral and follow-up documentation to local health providers for post-op care if necessary.
Qualifications: MD, DO, NP, PA, PGY 1 & up, MS 3 & 4 (supervised)
Dental providers
Job Description:
- Provide routine dental care and tooth extraction to patients of all ages.
Qualifications: DMD, DDS.
Triage & Urgent care nurses
Job Description:
- Document clinical information of patients referred to the Consultation Area in the Patient Encounter Form.
- Use clinical judgment to determine the complexity of a patient's clinical condition and initiate the indicated treatment protocol.
- Pre-order routine and available lab and diagnostic tests.
- Provide routine, urgent care treatments.
- Facilitate transfer of patients deemed to have urgent/emergent conditions.
Qualifications: RN, LPN
Surgical nurses
Job Description:
- Assist surgical providers.
- Usher patients to the next level of care if needed.
- Circulation of clean/sterilized equipment and supplies.
Qualifications: RN, LPN
Surgery Techs/Assistants
Job Description:
- Assist surgeons in performing minor surgery.
- Usher patients to the next level of care if needed.
- Circulation of clean/sterilized equipment and supplies.
Qualifications: Any allied medical professional with relevant background/experience.
Dental Techs
Job Description:
- Assist dental providers in performing tooth extractions and routine dental care.
- Direct patients to the next point of care.
Qualifications: Any allied medical professional with relevant background/experience.
Pharmacist - Pharmacy Supervisor
Job Description:
- Supervise the physical set-up of the Pharmacy at the start of each clinic day.
- Dispense of prescriptions written by clinic providers.
- Supervise pharmacy staff.
- Advise providers of potential drug interactions.
- Advise providers on alternative drugs available in the formulary.
- Perform end-of-day accounting of all drugs dispensed.
- Provide recommendations to the Project Coordinator for procuring additional drugs if needed.
Qualifications: Registered Pharmacist
Pharmacy Techs/Assistants
Job Description:
- Assist pharmacists in dispensing and labeling prescriptions.
- Assist Pharmacy Supervisor with end-of-day accounting of dispensed drugs.
- Assist the Pharmacy Supervisor with the physical set-up of the Pharmacy.
Qualifications: Any allied medical professional with relevant background/experience.
Laboratory Technologist - Lab Supervisor
Job Description:
- Supervise the physical set-up of the Laboratory and Diagnostics area.
- Provide routine/available laboratory/diagnostic procedures ordered by clinical staff.
- Document and communicate results to ordering providers.
- Supervise procedures performed by lab staff.
- Perform end-of-day accounting of laboratory supplies.
Qualifications: Licensed Laboratory Technologist.
Laboratory Techs/Assistants
Job Description:
- Assist laboratory technologists in performing laboratory and diagnostic procedures.
- Document and communicate results to ordering providers.
- Assisting the Laboratory Supervisor in the physical set-up of the Lab and Diagnostic Area.
Qualifications: Any allied medical professional with relevant background/experience.
Non-Medical positions
Community Health Educators
Job Description:
- Provide lectures and other educational activities to a general or specific audience based on subject matter.
Qualifications: Any education/medical professional with relevant background/experience and a specific topic.
Documentation Supervisor
Job Description:
- Document the activities of the Mission Trip with photographs, videos, and write-ups.
- Supervise encoding of patient clinical data onto the database.
- Enforce patient confidentiality regulations per Organization
- Coordinate release of materials to media/social media and official website.
- Submit summary statistics to Project Coordinators.
- Prepare Certificates of Participation and Appreciation.
Qualifications: Any professional with relevant background/experience.
Documentation Assistants
Job Description:
- Encode data from Patient Encounter Forms into the database.
- Assist the Documentation Supervisor with Certificates of Participation and Appreciation.
- Assist the Documentation Supervisor with photography, videos, and write-ups.
Qualifications: Anyone with relevant background/experience knows how to use spreadsheets.
Patient Flow Assistants
Job Description:
- Direct patients from the waiting areas to service areas and back.
- Assist the Patient Flow Supervisor in crowd/noise control and maintenance of patient privacy.
- Manage patients with pending laboratory and consultation reports, making sure patients are directed to the next point of care without delay.
Qualifications: Anyone with relevant experience/background. Pre-mission training by the Patient Flow Supervisor is necessary. The ability to speak Tagalog and Cebuano is a plus but optional.
Mission Support Assistants
Job Description:
- Assist the Mission Support Supervisor and Project Coordinator in physically setting up all patient care and volunteer support areas.
- Transport personnel, drugs, and equipment.
- Provide backup to Patient Flow Assistants if needed.
Qualifications: Anyone with a relevant background. Pre-mission training by the Mission Support Supervisor is necessary.
Consultation Controls
Job Description:
- Manage post-triaged patients by directing them to specific medical providers
- Coordinate patients who need laboratory/diagnostic workups.
- Direct post-consultation patients to the next service area.
Qualifications: Anyone with relevant background/experience. Pre-mission training by the Patient Flow Supervisor is necessary. Knowledge of some Cebuano and Tagalog is a plus but optional.
PH-Based Volunteers Only
Mission Support Supervisor
Job Description:
- Assisting the Project Coordinator in coordinating with local partners and government agencies/officials.
- Coordinating with various local health officials to pre-screen, register, and schedule patients who require the following services: (a) minor surgery, (b) circumcision, and (c) dental. These services have specific caps, and since some patients may need more than one type of service, they must also be scheduled ahead of time to avoid scheduling conflicts.
- Coordinating with local personnel the physical set-up of all patient service areas such as consultation and surgical/dental areas, laboratory, pharmacy, etc., as specified in the Mission guidelines. This also includes the provision of adequate privacy for the performance of all patient-related services, especially in cases that require gynecologic, rectal, or genital examination or procedure.
- Coordinating with local personnel the physical set-up of all non-patient service areas, such as bathrooms, hand washing stations, and food/refreshment areas for volunteers/personnel.
- Coordinating with local law enforcement agency to provide security for volunteers and patients during the mission.
- Looking after the general welfare of volunteers during the mission, such as providing beverages, refreshments, and meals.
- Managing the transportation of personnel, drugs, and supplies.
Qualifications: Local official or representative of partner organization.
Mission Support Supervisor
Job Description:
- Enforcing the Patient Flow rules and regulations.
- Coordinating with Mission Support Supervisor the scheduling of patients who require dual or triple services, specifically when it relates to services that require pre-screening and registration, such as minor surgery, circumcision, and dental services.
- Managing Patient Flow Assistants and Consultation Controls to direct patients from one point of care to the next.
- Supervising activities of local volunteers in the Vital Signs and Registration area to ensure that patient demographic information and vital signs are correctly documented in the Patient Encounter Form.
- Assisting the Project Coordinator in mitigating patient backflow problems.
Qualifications: Local official or representative of partner organization.
Pharmacy Specialists
Job Description:
- Dispensing and labeling prescriptions.
- Providing personalized instructions to patients.
- Providing patients personalized preventive, public health, and non-pharmacologic education concerning their diagnoses or treatment.
- Double-check the completeness of Patient Encounter Forms before sending them for filing and encoding.
Qualifications: Local RN or pharmacist or any health worker with relevant experience.
Triage & Urgent Care Assistant
Job Description:
- Providing translation and general assistance to their partner, Triage & Urgent Care RN.
- Checking the completeness of registration and vital signs information provided by Registration & Vital Signs Technicians on the Patient Encounter Forms.
- Providing urgent care treatments as indicated.
- Managing patients who require pre-consultation routine available lab work ordered by their partner Triage RN and following up test results before directing patients to an appropriate medical provider or next point of care.
Qualifications: Local RN preferred; any health worker with relevant experience and good command of English.
Dental & Surgical Supply Supervisor
Job Description:
- Providing and circulating sterilized and clean surgical supplies and local anesthetics to all surgical and dental providers.
- End-of-day accounting of all surgical/dental supplies and local anesthetics.
- Coordinating with the Project Coordinator to procure additional surgical/dental supplies and local anesthetics if needed.
- Safekeeping and transporting all surgical/dental supplies and local anesthetics.
- Supervising the physical set-up of the Surgical & Dental Supply area at the start of each mission day.
Qualifications: Healthcare professional with relevant background/experience.
Medical Assistants/Translators
Job Description:
- Providing translation service and general assistance to their partner medical provider in the Consultation Area.
- Directing patients who may need additional lab/diagnostic work and subsequently following up on their test results and their eventual return to the requesting medical provider to complete the consultation service requested.
- Directing post-consultation patients to the next point of care.
Qualifications: Healthcare professionals with a good command of English.
Registration & Vital Sign Techs
Job Description:
- Registering patients and ensuring handwritten demographic information is legible in the Patient Encounter Form.
- Obtaining and documenting complete vital signs as described in Mission 2018 guidelines.
Qualifications: Local midwives or BHWs.
Dental & Surgical Supply Tech (1)
Job Description:
- Cleaning and sterilizing surgical and dental equipment and supplies.
- Circulating drugs and supplies through minor surgical, circumcision, and dental patient areas.
- Physically transporting and safekeeping these supplies, equipment, and other related resources.