PPAA Annual Mission Trip
Each year, PPAA organizes a medical mission trip for our members. These mission trips take place in underdeveloped and medically underserved countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. PPAA believes that it is our duty to give back to others and donate our time and resources to areas where healthcare is inaccessible. With our annual mission trip, a group of PPAA members will get the opportunity to provide healthcare to hundreds of patients, develop new connections with current PPAA members, and gain a new appreciation and perspective regarding healthcare disparities. Some responsibilities include providing basic patient care, dental care, taking patient vitals, administering vaccines, triage nursing and preparing medical equipment. Attending a medical mission trip not only provides direct patient care experience, but you will also continue to foster your passion for medicine, all while helping those in need. PPAA strives to be an advocate for those in medically underserved communities, and we will continue to do so through our annual mission trip.
Scroll down to check out our past mission trips!
Don't feel comfortable traveling? That's okay! You can still help out by donating items and medical supplies for our mission trip. Without your donations, these mission trips wouldn't be possible! Below are a few ways you can earn your mission trip point this semester and help out!
Mission Trip Point Opportunities
Donation Drive
When: Semester Long
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Donations will be collected at all in-person meetings and any donation drives that our Philanthropy Chair (Kiley) hosts
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Please see the attached flyer to see acceptable donation items:
Workshop - Physical Examination 101
When: February 22nd, @ 7:00 PM
Where: Communicore Room C1-017
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Learn how to take manual blood pressure, pulse, respirations, and other basic patient intake
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**Required for anyone attending the mission trip - priority goes to them
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Limited capacity so we will be holding 1 workshop in the Fall and 1 in the Spring
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Please fill out the sign up sheet below!
Venmo Donation
When: Month of March
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Donate $5 with the description “Mission Trip Donation” (@uf_ppaa)
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Last day to donate $5 is March 31st
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Money raised will be used to purchase items such as blood glucose kits, blood pressure monitors, vitamins, medications, etc.
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**DO NOT VENMO BEFORE MARCH - any donations received before March 1 will be refunded
2023 - Ecuador
Over Spring Break 2023, a group of 24 PPAA students participated in our annual medical mission trip, this year our destination was Quito, Ecuador. During this week, we set up clinic at a local school. We served a variety of patients including children, adolescents, elderly, and individuals with disabilities. Every day, we were split equally into groups consisting of students, translators, and medical providers. Each group was responsible for conducting a complete head-to-toe physical exam on each patient. Working along side the medical doctor, we were able to assist in providing a diagnosis and treatment plan including medication, referrals, or follow up consultations. During out break times at the clinic, we had time to play with the kids at the school, which was always a good time! On our free time after the clinic, our group was able to participate in activities such as a city tour, cable car excursion, salsa dancing class, zip lining, and hiking. We are so grateful to have had this amazing opportunity thanks to UF PPAA!
2022 - Peru
In March of 2022, we took a group of 19 PPAA members to the beautiful country of Peru. We treated over 800 patients across six different communities in Cusco. This mission trip consisted of 6 different stations including a triage station, a vitals station (taking height and weight, pulse, blood oxygen, temperature and blood pressure), a medical station (listening to breath and heart sounds), a dental station (giving patients fluoride treatment), a physical station (looking in patient's throats, ears and head) and a medication station (filling prescriptions from providers and explaining dosing to patients). In our free time, we participated in many excursions such as horse back riding, zip lining, riding ATV's and hiking the famous Machu Picchu!
2021 - Guatemala
In the Spring of 2021, PPAA went on a mission trip to Guatemala. We provided patient care to hundreds of children and adults throughout the community while also exploring the volcanic ruins of Guatemala. Some of the tasks included taking patient vitals, triaging, and promoting health education throughout the community.
