Mobile clinics in Haiti, part 1: Preparing for service-learning

Mobile clinics have been used successfully to provide healthcare services to people in hard to reach areas around the world, but their use is sometimes controversial. There are advantages to using mobile clinics among rural underserved populations, and providing access to those who are vulnerable will improve health and decrease morbidity and mortality. However, some teams use inappropriate approaches to international service. For over 15 years, Azusa Pacific University School of Nursing has sponsored mobile clinics to rural northern Haiti with the aim to provide culturally sensitive healthcare in collaboration with Haitian leaders. Experience and exploring the literature have informed the APU-SoN approach on best practices for planning and preparing study abroad, service-learning trips that provide healthcare services. The authors hope that this description of the preparation and planning needed for appropriate and culturally sensitive service-learning experiences abroad will benefit others who seek to provide healthcare study abroad opportunities around the world.