South Africa Pediatric Hospital Internship

Hello family, friends, and supporters of my healthcare professional journey! I am writing and calling all that may offer financial support to help me achieve funding this step along my way to becoming a Physician Assistant. I have the privilege to have been selected for a medical internship in Cape Town, South Africa this upcoming July. This honorable opportunity has been granted to me through Cross World Medics under One Heart Source , two nonprofit organizations focused on providing international experience for students in education, public health, and biomedical sciences. For four weeks, I will be tending to pediatric patients admitted for trauma wounds, chronic illnesses, and acute injuries amongst an integrated healthcare team of nurses and doctors in the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. While I am seeking funding through scholarships, these options are limited due to being an internship and not an academic credit study abroad opportunity. The program is a total of $7,200 dollars, but I have placed a goal of $1,500 to help buffer costs of the trip. The former total is mostly due to the use of medical space, tools, and materials that I will be using throughout my time in the facilities, as well as housing and meals. I chose this internship amongst other in country opportunities due to my dedication to practicing in underserved and underfunded populations, as I hope to practice in rural or low SES communities when I practice in my career in the future. The invaluable knowledge of learning clinical practices and public health models of South Africa amongst being culturally enriched with new experiences are also drivers of this decision. I thank you all in advance for any contributions as every penny counts, and am humbled by any support, financial or emotional.