Q: What can I do best to prepare for my MST?

A: The Trip Booklet is the best place to start—it’s shared with all trip participants. There are many ways to prepare for your MST, whether you are a student, a general volunteer, or a Medical Professional. The most common piece of feedback we receive from volunteers is that they wish they had prepared more for their MST! Timmy aims to provide all the resources needed to prepare for your trip, and the Timmy staff is always welcoming to questions you may have as you prepare for your trip.

As a volunteer, it is required that you attend all your group’s pre-trip meetings, in addition to reading this Trip Booklet entirely. We recommend that you spend time reviewing: Timmy Global Health and our work on the site you will be traveling to, Timmy’s clinics and what to expect: the flow, each station and your responsibilities in clinic, Short-Term MSTs and Global Health, learning Spanish phrases that can help you in clinic, and learning about the history and culture of your site.

As a medical professional, we encourage you to connect with the group with whom you are traveling and even attend pre-trip meetings.

Q: I don’t speak Spanish, Creole, or Wao terero. How will I interact with patients in the clinic? How will this affect my trip?

A: Knowing Spanish, Creole or Wao terero is not a requirement for a Timmy MST, and most of our volunteers do not speak these languages fluently. Our partner organizations staff our clinics with volunteer translators from in-country partner organizations or hospitals. We also organize volunteers in the clinic based on Spanish level: those with higher Spanish levels may take patient registration or history and scribe for providers. In contrast, those with more basic Spanish levels may work in the pharmacy station, where there is limited direct patient interaction. You should be comfortable volunteering on an MST with low to no Spanish levels; however, we do highly encourage you to review basic Spanish phrases that may help you in the clinic. You may ask the translator accompanying the group to translate should you have any needs outside of the clinic.

Q: What happens if there is an emergency while I am on an MST?

A: When you register for your MST, you provide Timmy with an emergency contact (EC) who should be someone who can be available should there be an emergency. In the event of an emergency, all Timmy staff are trained to follow a specific set of policies and procedures depending on the nature of the emergency. This may require contacting your EC, other Timmy staff, the airline, or your school/university.

Q: How can I stay safe on my MST?

A: The best way to stay safe on your MST is to review your Trip Booklet for site-specific safety tips and follow all the policies in the Timmy Global Health Volunteer Code of Conduct provided to you when you register. The most common safety recommendations on an MST involve being aware of your surroundings at all times, keeping your passport in a safe location, drinking enough water throughout the day, and listening to your mind and body, i.e., if you are tired, it is important to rest even if other activities are happening at the same time.

Do not go out alone; always take someone with you, and stay with the group.