Volunteer: Sean Evans

Bicol Clinic Foundation, Inc.
Philippines, 2011

In June 2011, I had the opportunity to participate in the Bicol Clinic Foundation's medical excursion to the Philippines. With no previous experience in Asia or the south Pacific, I embarked and embraced the coming experience. The clinic, located in the Bicol region, currently opens once a year with the intention of helping as many people as possible. In the month that I was there, we saw nearly 3,000 patients! With pathology ranging from the mildest to the most rare, and severe, the other students and I had the opportunity to participate in medicine, first hand. We learned by doing, exercising both caution, but also ambition. We performed minor surgical procedures, engaged our patients, taking comprehensive histories and administering physicals. In terms of medicine, and first-hand experience, I could not have been more impressed. Beyond the clinic, is the nation, and the people of the Philippines were the most accommodating and welcoming culture I've ever known. Friendliness and selflessness knew no bounds, and we were embraced by the local Bicol volunteers, our patients, and the community and various communities we traveled to. I'll simply finish by saying that I am so blessed to have gone to a school where I had the opportunity to participate in the Bicol Clinic Foundation as it will be an adventure that will benefit me, and I'll carry for the rest of my life.

2013

This was my second time participating in the Bicol Foundation's trip to the Philippines. I was so enamored by what the organization was doing and attempting to accomplish, that I began planning my return trip before my first even concluded. There is something special about this foundation, with its' roots firmly rooted in the community, offering free medical services to the direst of populations. Dr. Schuster is truly committed to health on a global level and it shows in his every patient encounter. In addition to providing a greatly needed service to the region, the Bicol Clinic takes student education seriously. Students are empowered and challenged to begin developing a clinical acumen and create a framework of sincere commitment to patient care. My two individual experiences with the Bicol clinic were the highlights of my medical education, and they galvanized a commitment to global medicine and healthcare that I did not previously have. I have no doubt in my mind that I will continue to participate in this organization well into my surgical career.

Sean S Evans
Tulane School of Medicine