There should be a total of at least 8 extracurricular credits in this section. For each experience, include the date, title, and what was learned. After each credit, please email PerryHonorsCollege@odu.edu to have your credit approved.

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Global Surgical Expedition

Our team of physicians, nurses, and support staff

What We Do in Belize

I have been a volunteer with Global Surgical Expedition (GSE) since 2020. In 2022 and 2023, I travelled with a multidisciplinary team to Belize to provide clinical and intraoperative nursing care for patients requiring urological and urogynecological interventions.

The days are long, but the work is rewarding!

What We Learn By Providing Healthcare Abroad

Logistically, these experiences taught me how to prepare for needs ahead of time and to work around supplies we take for granted in US operating rooms, such as integrated suction and reliable sterilization machines.

Before going to Belize, I didn’t know instruments and equipment could be cleaned with glutaraldehyde and water solution (Cidex).

We learn to be grateful for access to healthcare. People routinely live productive lives while experiencing a host of disease processes we don’t typically see in the US, such as palm-sized bladder stones or fully prolapsed uteri. Knowing we are making a difference in our patients’ lives makes the hard work worth it!

When he returned for an additional procedure, the patient brought a bladder stone the team had removed during a previous visit.

Most importantly, these trips remind me kindness is ubiquitous. The hospital staff are incredibly helpful!