How A Medical Sales Representative Found Purpose On A Humanitarian Mission Trip

A stranger’s LinkedIn message turned into a story we can’t stop thinking about. Anna, a 23-year-old medical sales representatives, packed her bags for Honduras and traded the OR sidelines for a week of hard, heart-forward work—turning a church into a clinic, running a pop-up pharmacy, and watching passion beat limited resources at every turn.

We walk through the anatomy of a responsible short-term mission: iPad intake that keeps patient data organized, a pharmacy line that never stops moving, and clear protocols that make 100 to 200-plus daily visits safe and humane. Anna also spends time in a public hospital with only two operating rooms, observing pelvic floor repairs made possible by donated slings and mesh from Caldera Medical. The gear matters, but the mindset matters more: respect for sterile fields, concise guidance when asked, and deep humility in someone else’s workspace.

What lingers most isn’t a procedure—it’s a small hand. A five-year-old with an eye infection needs her drops delivered and explained at home. The walk there, the hug that won’t let go, and the reality of a family doing the best they can with very little reframes what “impact” looks like. Back in the U.S., Anna sees both our strengths and our blind spots. We have resources and training; we need more pathways to serve—locally and globally—for surgeons, nurses, students, and yes, medical sales  representatives who can bring knowledge and logistics where they’re scarce.

We share practical takeaways: how to prepare for a mission, why simple systems outperform flashy tools, the Spanish phrases that matter for safe dosing, and how companies can turn humanitarian promises into real patient outcomes. If you’ve been waiting for a nudge to step outside your comfort zone and put your skills to work for people who rarely get seen, this conversation is it. Subscribe, share with a colleague who needs the push, and leave a review to help more listeners find stories that spark action.

I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations. 

As a 50+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened.

Feel free to check out our website at www.islonline.org, follow us on Instagram @ islmedical, and reach out to me @ DrH@islonline.org

Transcript

Welcome And Mission Of The Show

Dr. H 0:11

Well, hey there. I'm Dr. Patrick Hickey, or Dr. H, as many of my students refer to me. I want to welcome you to another episode of the International Service Learning Experiential Medical Education Podcast. During each episode, I will be interviewing healthcare-focused students and faculty from high school to university that have had an opportunity to participate in an international service learning trip. Additionally, I will be discussing the benefits and challenges to international service with healthcare professionals that have served abroad, as well as industry leaders in healthcare, education, study abroad, spirituality, and those living in the countries being served. Well, good morning. I'm very excited today to have Anna as as my guest. And this is kind of an unusual podcast. And excuse me, in that uh, and I haven't matched until just now. I actually reached out on LinkedIn probably two or three weeks ago, and I was interested just to find out if anyone had done medical mission trips. So I just kind of Googled or messaged medical mission trips and up popped two or three names. And and I read uh Anna's story and and I was kind of intrigued. And and as a stranger, I just reached out to her and told her who I was and and about my podcast. And she was very excited to jump on board and and join us today. So Anna, tell us um a little bit about yourself before we get going, if you don't mind.

Anna 1:39

Absolutely. I'm honored to be here, and I'm I'm so excited to be a part of this, and I'm so happy that you reached out. So thank you for that. So a little bit about me. I am actually in medical sales, so I'm a territory representative for a company called Caldera Medical. It's a female pelvic reconstruction company. And I've always had just such a passion to serve, and that's why, you know, I started getting into well, this was my first medical mission trip, but that's kind of how I got started doing that. But with this company, they actually sponsor a bunch of humanitarian projects. And so I've been working with them for, I want to say, I'm coming up on a year now with this company. So I do that, and then I also work for the St. Louis Cardinals doing like fan engagement, team Fredburne. And yeah, that's a little bit of my background. I studied biology and neuroscience in college. I did publish some research in college. I was kind of on the pre-med track, and then I ended up switching routes and getting into medical sales, and it's it's been great ever since.

Dr. H 2:42

Well, and uh just on the topic of medical sales rep, uh that's an interesting field. As you know, I've shared with you, I'm nursing faculty. This is actually my 50-year anniversary of becoming a nurse. So I've worked with all sorts of uh people in the healthcare industry, and I've worked a lot with with medical sales representatives. A lot of our students in in college really don't know much about that field. Can you just expand a little bit before we go into your your your your services? Can you just expand a little bit on what does it take to become a medical sales rep and what are the opportunities and and how does one prepare themselves for for that field?

Anna 3:20

Absolutely. I actually didn't even know that it was an industry that I could get into either. So before this, as I was saying, I was pre-med, and I was actually my story is I was I was in the OR shadowing a doctor to get my to my shadowing hours in. And there was a medical sales rep in the OR with the surgeon talking to the surgeon. And I was like, you know, this isn't another doctor. Who is this guy? Got to talking with him, found out that he did medical sales, um, which is exactly what it sounds like selling medical equipment. And there's so many avenues, right? I'm a lot of people have heard of pharmaceutical sales, there's durable medical equipment. There's there's so many avenues that you can go down with medical sales, but you know, that's just the the bigger picture there. But I ended up talking to him and found out that it's an extremely competitive industry to get into, but a very rewarding industry because, you know, you're still getting to help all of these patients and work, you know, one-on-one with these surgeons and obviously with the medical medical teams that are in the OR. So it felt like kind of a good, like the best of both worlds, right? I was able to kind of use my background, you know, studying biology and neuroscience, but also use my personality and still help others. So he said it was a very competitive industry. As far as getting into medical sales, everyone kind of has their own way to what they call break-in. But for me, I networked a lot and I reached out to a lot of medical reps. I asked to shadow them. I already had some shadowing experience. I had a little bit of sales experience and I prepared my resume, I prepared for interviews, I studied the surgeries and I studied the anatomy. And it's usually a lengthy process. But then once you're in, you know, then you right are selling equipment to surgeons, to big hospital corporations, GPOs, you know, all of that. And it's to again help the patient in any way possible. So that that's kind of like a an overview, but you know, it can kind of get like a I guess a rep for itself.

Caldera’s Humanitarian Focus

Dr. H 5:32

It's it's uh I'm I appreciate you sharing that. And I've in another life I worked as an operating room educator where I was the person that dealt with the medical sales representants in the operating room setting. So I I got to know a lot about medical sales, and and as you said, you studied, you prepared. I was always so impressed with medical sales representatives because they their knowledge, the depth of their knowledge was huge. I mean, if you're selling for your company Caldera Medical, if you're sell selling you know women's products, you you've got to know the anatomy, you've got to be able to go head to head with the surgeon, talk to the staff. That that's huge that you're able to learn information. And and I'm sure if you don't know what you're speaking about, the surgeons or the staff can see through you. So it does take a lot on your end to make sure that you can chat with them. Well, we're talking about the medical sales field. Tell us a little bit about Caldera. I'm I'm blown away by their humanitarian program and and what they've done for women worldwide. If you don't mind, just tell us a little bit about your product line.

Anna 6:38

Yeah, absolutely. So Caldera was established in 2002, and they uh strictly specialize in female pelvic reconstruction and female pelvic health. And so what I sell is stress urinary, incontinence slings, and then sacred copopexy mesh for prolapse in women. And what really actually drew me to the company was their humanitarian efforts because a lot of these bigger corporations, these bigger companies, that's not something that they, you know, push or it's not something that is shown on their websites. But Calderas, they really highlighted that on their website and to their customers and to their surgeons that they sponsor humanitarian trips. So the our company then will provide product for surgeons going on these trips to, you know, then have the product there for the patients and for the procedures. And it's it's strictly the female pelvic products that we sponsor because that's what we have, that's our portfolio. And then we're continuing to expand. I know Caldera actually just recently acquired Johnson ⁇ Johnson's Gynacare TVT line, which is like the original, you know, stress urinary incontinence ling. But what's what's even crazier to me too is that speaking about Caldera and like what we sell is like one in three women develop stress urinary incontinence, which is just crazy, right? A lot of women are affected by this. And it's something that as a woman myself, I felt like I wasn't even taught that much about. And so so many of these of women in these, you know, lower income countries and are struggling with this, right? And there's no way, and it and it just affects the quality of life for them, right? And so being able to support that and these procedures down in in other countries where women aren't getting this help, it's just it's in it's crazy, yeah, mind-blowing. And and I love that my company is able to do that and sponsor those trips and the products.

Building An All‑Women Care Model

Trip To Honduras: Team And Setup

Dr. H 8:34

Well, it's yeah, it's kind of interesting and exciting that that I met you when I did, because right now, with my role with International Service Learning, the company that I've used for 15 years of service learning medical mission trips, right now we've created a team and they're in Belize right now. They just arrived on Saturday, and it's an all-women's healthcare team that I put together. And the reason I put that team together was from my 15 plus years of doing service learning medical mission trips, I've seen way too many women suffering in silence. I've seen way too many women that have gynecological issues, breast slumps, etc., that that maybe are intimidated by male surgeons or male docs. So what we've got going on right now is an all-women healthcare team and an all-women health care team, which is the doctors, the translators, etc., with hopes that more women will come to our clinics because they do walk around with a lot of pain, with a lot of symptomology, and they're not getting treated. So kudos to Caldera for what they do. And just looking, you mentioned their website. That's what that's got that's what got me really excited about them. They're partnering with over 600 surgeons globally. They've already helped 480,000 women to receive life-changing treatments with a goal of treating one million women in underserved populations by 2027. That's huge. Incredible. Yeah. I mean, kudos to your company and for you for doing your research and and what you're doing. Yeah. So the let's let's talk about your your service learning trip. Tell us about um where you went and and when that was.

Anna 10:16

Yeah, so I went February 7th through the 14th, and we went to To Coaculin in Honduras. I know my accent probably isn't great pronouncing that, but so we went to Honduras and it was it was February 7th through the 14th, and it was a medical mission trip. It was faith-based, and it was a mission team based out of middle Illinois, like kind of rural Illinois area. It's Ion Missions, is who I went with. And I actually found out about this trip through one of the surgeons that I worked with closely that used our products in Caldera. And I was actually, when I had found out, it was almost a year ago now when I found out about the trip. I was meeting with the surgeon. I was newer to the company. I knew that he had done humanitarian trips, and I knew that he used our products. So I went to go meet with him and sit down for lunch and, you know, expressed my interest in humanitarian projects and a medical medical mission trip. And he was like, Well, your company, you know, sponsors are the slings to go down there and for me to do those procedures. And I go with this team every year, and it was the ION missions team. And so that's kind of how I even got to learning about it or hearing about the trip. And so, yes, we went down there with a a team of probably around 30 people. And we had an ahead team, and then we had uh like a behind team. So the ahead team was full of just the doctors and the you know, surgeons that had gone multiple times, and then we had a team of like other individuals who went after. So about I want to say 18 of us that went after. And so yeah, that was that was I'm trying to think of was a team industry sponsored?

Dr. H 12:09

Was it sponsored by Caldera then?

Anna 12:11

So it it wasn't, but Caldera sponsored like the product for the surgeon to use because it was we just had I think we had two surgeons in the hospital. They actually didn't place me in the hospital for this trip. So I was actually working in the pharmacy, which was a little bit different, which you know I can talk about in a little bit too. But so we had a general surgeon and then we had Obigain, and so he was doing the procedures that he would do here, which was you know, gynecological procedures that required the slings.

Dr. H 12:44

So yes, and he did a well, I was gonna say, sorry, tell us about your work in the pharmacy. So so you you were on the trip, but you they placed you where the need was. Is that how that worked?

Pharmacy Workflow And Patient Volume

Anna 12:54

Exactly. Okay, yes. And and this trip, it was a medical mission trip and it was medical based, but we also had teams that were, you know, kind of all over the place. We had a couple people that were working like in the special needs school, a couple people that were working in a feeding center. And so what we did actually, so we we were in this little village, La Cebida in Honduras, and we turned a church into a clinic. And so we spent the first whole day, right, turning this church into a clinic where we had several different setups with several different physicians and providers, you know, like ophthalmol was there, we had women's health that was there, and then primary care. And so, and then we had the pharmacy. And so the pharmacy is is it was a lot of work because you know, we have to set up everything and then try to be as organized as possible. And I'll kind of run you through too, like what this looked like and what every day was kind of looking like. You know, we were seeing 200 plus patients, some days more than others, and and some days, you know, we were only saying, you know, about a hundred, but that's a lot in one day. And so we would show up to the village and we'd show up to the clinic, and you would see all the patients outside waiting in line. And we had iPads. And so they would check the patients in, they would take a picture, check the patients in. The patients would then go see the physicians or the providers, and then we would get the prescription sent to our iPad in the pharmacy, which was another section of the clinic. And then we would there was, I want to say four of us on a team, four to five of us on a team in the pharmacy. And then once we would get the prescription, we would go and fill the prescription with all of the medications that we had. And it was like just a working train, kind of like constantly going, going, going. We were getting just patient after patient after patient and filling the prescriptions and making sure that they had the right dosage and whether if it was kids or adults. And so I was just on my feet, go, go, go all day. We, you know, labeling, again, just trying to be as efficient as possible, as organized as possible. And so it did. It it took a lot of teamwork, but it was again so rewarding to know that we were helping so many people and and helping this community. So it was just so fantastic. But the pharmacy was great.

Observing Surgery Abroad

Dr. H 15:17

Now, were you able to get in to see any of the surgeries while you were there?

Anna 15:22

Yes. So I actually did take, yeah, yeah, yeah. I took a surgery day with the surgeon, Dr. Rominger, that I have worked with here. And so I actually like took the whole, I want to say like first half of the day to spend with him. And so we arrived to the hospital and we did a I want to say three cases. We did two sling procedures and then anterior, posterior uh vaginal repair. And so that was an incredible experience just to see like the medical setup in Honduras versus what we have here in America is just totally different.

Dr. H 16:00

Isn't amazing. Um, so that was the differences. And that that was a question you kind of laid into one of my questions. What were the differences in health care that you saw in Honduras as compared to the United States?

Comparing Hospitals: Passion Over Resources

Anna 16:12

Yeah. Well, they they have wonderful teams there and very passionate nurses and very passionate doctors, but I would say the biggest difference is the actual like setup of healthcare, right? It it's just not as, and to put this in the simplest terms, not as fancy as what we see here in the States. Yeah, so the hospital was very run down in the nicest way possible. And it just was very, very, very outdated. But something that I saw that was a little bit different was a lot of passion, right? These nurses were very, very passionate about their patients. Was the setup great? No, but you could tell that everyone was like very efficient with it. But there was only two ORs in this entire hospital, which also was so different. So just very tight, tight corners. And and like in the States, I a lot of these big hospitals will have several OR rooms and several different specialties, like designated to certain areas, right? Like, okay, this is just urology, this is just ortho. Here, this hospital had two ORs. And, you know, when I had walked in, there was a little boy who had completely broken his femur in half, and he had to then take one of the OR rooms that we were gonna use. But it was just so it was a little chaotic, and again, a lot more outdated, but very passionate, if that made any sense.

Dr. H 17:42

And that does make sense, and and that's something I share with my students before we go on our trips, is is the level of passion that they'll see. And and I try to prepare them for what you just shared, also that they do as best as they can with what they've got. And exactly. And it is it is kind of a culture shock when you do go to some of these underserved countries. And and I was released just a few weeks ago in a similar hospital as to what you describe, and only a few operating rooms. And and again, they do as best they can. But yes, the passion does does stand out uh with the with the whole healthcare team. I mean, you mentioned the nurses, but but the physicians also and and all the other people. We did chat, even though we just met face to face for the first time today. We did chat by phone uh a week or so ago, at which point I asked you as a medical sales rep, do you have training to be in the operating room? And but you you had alluded just now that you did some shadowing when you were on your pre-med track. Yes. Healthcare industry, do medical sales reps are they prepared for the operating room scenario? Because you know, I've been a perioperative nurse for 15, 20 years, and and I'm I'm always so wary of people in my operating room. The concern is contaminating the back table or contaminating some of our sterile supplies. So, how well are you prepared as a medical sales rep to step into a sterile environment?

OR Readiness For Medical Reps

Anna 19:06

Very well prepared. We are very well trained. There's a lot of in-depth training too. We take a lot of courses and online courses that help prepare us for that. And then obviously we go and train and do field rides with our managers and with other people that are in the field to get us as prepared as possible for being in the OR setting. And and the OR setting is, you know, there's a lot going on. There's a lot of people. There's obviously a patient on the table, there's the sterile area. So as a medical rep, I am at when you're first going in there of least importance, right? You know, I know my place. I stay far away from the sterile field. I'm usually backed by one of the head nurses. I'm never, we're never scrubbed in ever. And then whenever the surgeon goes to use our product, if they've got questions or if there's ways that I can bring value or support them, right? That's when I can use my voice and speak up. Other than that, I stay out of the way. And that's something that they and again, this is different for all specialties of medical sales reps because there's some medical sales reps that are that more engaged in the surgery if the surgeon's using a lot of their products at one time or if they're doing something with like a screen. But like for me, I'm most of the time out of the way. And being prepared for the sterile field is just always staying as far as possible. And again, just knowing your place in the OR. Uh, but they do prepare us very well for that.

Dr. H 20:31

And again, whether that's with the field rides or with doing a lot of online courses to just going back to your trip, what was the most surprising thing that you encountered and and what was most challenging about the trip?

Culture Shock And Community Strength

Anna 20:44

Yeah, most surprising was was probably, and I mean this in in the best way, the culture shock. You know, I wasn't prepared, and I think that it's just not the same in the states. And what I mean by that is like they're very family-oriented, and everyone there is almost like they're showing up for one another. And I feel like we lack that so much in the United States, is is that that sense of community and and coming together. And actually, it was like the minute I walked into to the airport, there was just like hundreds of people waiting for like family members to like come, you know, off the planes, and there was like balloons and signs, and and I was just like so overwhelmed with the amount of like love and support from you know these people. And it it was just incredible. And that was honestly the most surprising thing is everyone showing up for one another. And they had like whenever we were eating lunches, everyone just made lunches for one another, and just leaning on family and leaning on community is something that I just don't see enough of in the States.

Dr. H 21:58

Well, and this is the Reason why I put this podcast together is just to hear this passion that you're sharing with us, because I know this isn't an audio podcast, but I'm smiling from ear to ear because I I've been there, done that, and I totally understand what you're saying. And it's just amazing to see how important family is. Not that our families aren't important here in the United States, but it's in a different way. The level of support is amazing. When we do our home visits when we go to these countries, they may only have one loaf of bread and they offer you the bread. They may only have one chair, they offer you that chair. It's just it's it's just it's amazing to see, and and and and I can see the scenarios that you're describing in my mind, and that's why I'm smiling so much. What's the most challenging aspect of your trip?

Anna 22:44

The most challenging was how hard it was on my heart, you know, to see some of the living conditions, and again, to s to see how kind and how loving everyone was, and the fact that I felt like I just wanted to give more and I didn't know how to do that, you know, and and honestly reflecting every night, and and obviously the days were very long. And we were very tired and waking up early, and that's challenging on your body alone. But mentally it was challenging. Mentally seeing that and wishing that I could give more is is what I felt like was some of the most challenging things.

Language Barriers And Team Bonding

Dr. H 23:28

It's a challenge that I try to prepare my students for, and it's it's very hard to prepare for something like that. But it is life-changing. I mean, when you see that, you you can't forget the lessons that you learned. And I always tell my students, we're gonna learn a lot from the people that that we encounter in these countries, and my students kind of look at me like, how can we learn something from them? And I'll say, You'll see. And you're you're perfect, you're a perfect example of of what you learned. You learned about their compassion, you learn how family's so important, and and it's it sticks with you. What was language an issue? Because you were in Honduras. Did you have interpreters or were you able to speak from Spanish, or how did that work?

Anna 24:07

We did have interpreters, which was so nice. Um, I actually, in my educational career, I took Spanish, you know, growing up. But I would say my Spanish is very basic. I definitely needed to uh study up a little bit more. And I know now for next year that or the next trip that I go on, if it's sooner than later, that I will have better Spanish. I'm gonna start taking, you know, some more Spanish classes. But with us having interpreters, that helped tremendously. And a lot of our interpreters too had some medical background, which was really nice.

Dr. H 24:41

Now you mentioned the healthcare team, it was a pretty symbiotic relationship with the surgeons and and the staff. Yeah. Um were were you made to feel a part of the team? I mean, you're able to to to I mean, obviously working in the pharmacy or a part of the team. Did you feel like it was everybody working very well together, or did you feel because you were from America that you were an outsider and you weren't pulled in?

Anna 25:06

No, we worked so well together. It was like we speaking about family, it felt like we were just all one big family. Like no one sat down. We were all there to help one another. But I actually made a really good friend. So working in the pharmacy, there was another young person that was because I I was actually one of the youngest on the trip. So I'm 23. And so there was actually a lot of more older adults that were with us. But there was his name was Jose, and he was actually from that what's the word that I'm looking from from that village, but now he does professional soccer for Honduras. And he came back, he took his PTO to come back and help serve for the week that we came down for the medical mission trip. And so he was working in the pharmacy with me, and we actually became really good friends, even though we had such a language barrier. We were like using Google Translate, but it just felt like we worked so well together and we got to a point to where everyone kind of knew what their role was, and it just was so fluid, whether we were speaking the same language or not.

The Little Girl Who Changed Everything

Dr. H 26:10

Was there um, in addition to this gentleman, was there anyone, a patient or other community member that made a difference that that that that tugged on your heartstrings a little?

Anna 26:20

Yeah, they they all did, but there was actually one little girl in particular. So she they had a like a vacation Bible school for some of the kids during the day, and while their, you know, parents were at the clinics and and stuff. And my mission leader, Mike, had asked, Hey, do you don't want to step over here, like just take a break from the pharmacy for a little bit because it was long hours. And there was a little girl who had an eye infection, or and so her mother couldn't make it up to the clinic. So we got her some prescription eye medication drops, and we were gonna take her back to her house and then show the mother how to use them. And when I met this little girl, I just felt like such a connection to her. She was so sweet. She was five years old, very quiet. You could tell she, you know, the language barrier was hard for her. And she had asked if she could hold my hand. And I held her hand and we walked to her home. And to see her living conditions was something that I had never seen before in my entire life. And it's something that I was not prepared for. And although I had seen a lot of the village, this part of the village I had not seen. And I had again, it was just something that I had never been exposed to. And this sweet little girl to see her mother and her little sister who was there. That it just was something I I can't even describe. And I I felt so connected because the mother looked even a little bit younger than me, and she was expecting another child. And then this little girl also had a sister that was there. And whenever, you know, we showed the mother how to use the eye drops, and whenever we were leaving, I took the little girl back to vacation Bible school. And she gave me a hug and she just didn't want to let go, you know. And oh my gosh, it was it was so emotional.

Dr. H 28:18

I'm sure you didn't want to let go either.

Anna 28:20

No, I didn't. And I I wish that I could just show it to you through through my eyes and through my experience. It's so hard to explain, you know, just vocally, but it it was such it just like changed my life, and that little girl changed my life.

Coming Home And Finding Purpose

Dr. H 28:35

Well, I uh I appreciate you sharing that. And it it it it it kind of brings up, excuse me, a story I always tease my students about is that before we leave the country, I'm gonna check their bags to make sure they're not bringing any little kids back with them because typically we we do meet young children like that, and and the connection we make with them is just unbelievable. Every one of my every one of my students to a T can tell you about uh Susie or a Jose or whatever, you know, that that they've met along the way that that really tugs on their heartstrings. And and it is amazing when you get outside the clinic scenario, and we typically will use a church or a school setting like what you shared. When you go into their homes as we do on our trips, it's just humbling to see the the basic amenities that they have. Right. It makes you want to come back. In my case, teaching at the University of South Carolina, I would go year after year after year, and I've uh different students had gone four years in a row with me during their undergrad experience only because they they they didn't complete what they started. And and and that's the beauty of service learning trips, whether it's faith-based or or or medically themed, the opportunity to go into an underserved area and make a difference in their life is just is just huge.

Anna 29:54

Right. There's there's nothing that compares for sure.

Dr. H 29:58

Speaking of that, what uh I mean, obviously you're pretty emotional in talking about that situation. How did you deal with your emotions when you returned home? How how was it readjusting back to life when you know when you went into her home and you saw the conditions and you come back to to our lifestyle?

Anna 30:17

Right. It definitely felt like another culture shock because you know you're there for over a week and then you come back and you're like, oh my goodness. But it really motivated me to want to inspire others, just like you know, what you're doing. It it really yeah, I I all I want to do is continue to inspire others to take that chance to go out and do this and help other people. It it just gave me such a different perspective on life. And and it's what you said, it's like everyone says, Oh, you're gonna be changed, oh, you know, this is try to prepare yourself for this, but it you truly don't understand it until you go on the trip. And then you're it is, and and then you're like, wow, this is what they meant.

Rethinking U.S. Healthcare And Giving Back

Dr. H 31:03

Well, the passion that you're sharing is exactly what we need to hear, and that and that's what other people hear. And and you probably don't know it right now, but you're you're role modeling, and I'm hopeful there's people that are listening to us that say, you know, I want that passion. I I haven't felt that before. I want what Ann has, and and maybe I need to get out of my comfort zone, and maybe I need to look up a faith-based trip or a medical mission trip. Maybe I need to to do that. And it is huge once you make that leap. And and yes, you are forever change, and it is hard for people to understand that. And that that's why we set this podcast up, is to hear that passion. Yeah, because it's to hear that. Well, you can see a picture on Instagram, you can see a little reel or a picture on Facebook of somebody holding a little child, and it does look nice and is it's very inspiring, but but you don't hear what you're sharing, and and that's that's why I wanted to do this so other people would hear that passion. How is it how's this trip changed your perspective on healthcare here in the United States? I mean, you you saw some of the conditions where you were and how they do as as best they can with what they have, but how's that made you look at our healthcare system differently?

Anna 32:16

It it definitely, one, it makes I feel blessed, right? I feel lucky to be where I'm at and to have access to our healthcare system. However, I feel like we could be doing more. And I feel like there's so many, uh, again, so much more opportunity to give back. And I feel like our healthcare systems could maybe be giving back a little bit more, or we could have more surgeons doing trips like this, or or more people in the medical field doing trips like this, whether it's nurses or medical device reps or surgeons or scrub techs, like I think we could be doing more. And and and that's another reason that I wanted to to do a podcast like this with you is because I want to inspire others to, again, get out of their comfort zones and do something like this.

Inspiring Industry To Serve More

Dr. H 33:04

Because I think we do that, Anna. How could we how could we do more? Just out of curiosity, what what what what's your ideas or your vision?

Anna 33:12

You know, I I've been thinking I've been reflecting on that a lot lately. And I've actually met with some surgeons in in the St. Louis area about asking what is it that we could be doing more, not even just in other countries, but in our community. And I hear different opinions from everyone because it's hard because we in America, you know, there's insurance and there's there's so many other factors. So I don't really know what that looks like yet. But I I have been brainstorming on how we could be doing more and impacting even just the communities where we're at in healthcare, you know, because there's also a lot of underprivileged people here as well that we could be impacting, right?

Dr. H 33:50

Well, the good thing is you're asking the question. The good thing is you're stirring things up a little bit when people haven't had that question asked before. And you're right, we have a lot of underserved in our backyard, so to speak. We we don't have to go internationally. And a lot of people give me a hard time saying, What why do I do so much international work and uh when there's so much need here? And and I agree there is a lot of need here, but there's so few of us that want to go internationally to provide help because it it is getting more out of your comfort zone to a country where it's a different language, a different culture. For sure. It's more expensive for us to do what we're doing. But yes, you're right. I mean, you can look look into our own communities and and start to work with underserved populations, some of which are from the countries that you're serving in. I mean, we have a lot of people from Honduras, from Guatemala, from Nicaragua, that are in our cities that that may not be able to access our own healthcare system.

Anna 34:51

Right, right. But uh, like you said, I think serving out of the country, it really allows you to get out of your comfort zone and become better. You know, and so I wish that more people would have the opportunity to do that or were willing to do that. And so I think that we have a lot of healthcare individuals that could have the ability to take that leap and just maybe don't want to.

Advice For First-Time Mission Volunteers

Dr. H 35:19

I think I think Ana, you've got a really, excuse me, good opportunity as a medical sales representative to work within your company and to inspire other representatives like yourself or to even develop better or more programming to allow them to go to underserved areas. And the more people that go, the more people that see what you've seen. And obviously, your company has seen that because of their humanitarian work. Maybe more medical sales reps, or if you go to conferences, or I I would even encourage you, and I don't know if you have that opportunity, to go to conferences and speak openly about your experience. And by doing that, yeah, more people hear it. I mean, I'm speaking at the National Student Nursing Association annual convention uh next month in in Houston. So there'll be a large audience of not only student nurses but faculty who maybe have never done what I've done and are going to hear about it, and they're gonna hear my passion, just what you're sharing. And I'm hoping I'm planting a seed with them to say, here's something you can do, here's here's an opportunity. So, in your case with medical sales reps, I don't know if there are conferences or other venues, but but with what you're sharing with me, that passion, I could see that that would go a long way to inspire other people. And again, hopefully a lot of people will hear this podcast and also be inspired.

Anna 36:43

For sure. For sure, absolutely.

Dr. H 36:47

What uh for industry representatives like yourself that are considering a similar trip, what advice would you give to them as far as how they prepare for the trip?

A Lifelong Commitment To Service

Anna 36:59

I think that's a great question. I I think some of the best advice that I was given was just to have an open mind and an open heart. And you know, as as sales reps, which I kind of I always hate calling myself a sales rep, but I I think we there's some reps that can be a little uptight and and you know they're and work doing stuff for a reason. But when you go on these sort of trips, it's you're putting that aside, right? And you're there to serve and you're there to bring value to these people and to the community. And so the best advice I would give is to to go in with an open heart and an open mind and that just will to serve, right? And to to be there and to help others. And that's how I would prepare. And I really, really tried this this first trip to to do that, and I feel like it went super well. And I was again, they were like, let's go put you in the pharmacy. And I was like, Whatever you, wherever you guys need me is where I will be. And if that's you know not in the OR, then that's not in the OR. I'll I'll be where I am of you know the most value.

Dr. H 38:10

So and I I appreciate you sharing that that you you'll feel a need wherever they need you. That that's great. Yes. And you mentioned first trip. Does it are you alluding that this may be the beginning of something?

Gratitude, Challenges, And Closing

Anna 38:22

Oh, 100%. I I plan to to continue to go back every year and if not multiple times a year, to to different places and with different groups. And I'm always open to what more I can do. And you know, I I it's so funny because some of my friends and family had asked, you know, why do you do this? And and I say, you know, I have one life, and and so do these individuals. And if I can change someone's life, even if it's just one person, then I want to do it. And if it's just 1% better that I can make the world, then I want to make the world one percent better. And so I hope that I continue to to just do that and to inspire others and and to continue to provide my support.

Dr. H 39:06

Well, you're uh we need more Annas in our life. I love your passion. Thank you. Thank you for wanting to make such a difference in people's lives. And and we're on the save way, same wavelength. You know, I'm I feel passion trumps everything. And and you know, for 15 plus years, I've led service learning medical mission trips. And most of my students have never been out of the country, have never spoken another language, have never encountered another culture, and they're scared, but they hear my passion for making a difference, and and they go willingly and they come back and they're transformed, and they're just like you, and and then they go on, they inspire more people. So, again, right we need more Annas in our life that that have had this experience and and are paying it forward. And and that's what the world's all about. As you said, we've only got one life to live, it's a short one. Why not do as much as you can in the short time you're here? Exactly. It's getting out of your comfort zone and traveling to another country and making a difference, even if it's just one person's life. And I don't know if you listen to my podcast this past week, but it was a dental student from the University of South Carolina, and she was so cute. She said, If I can make one of my patients smile when they leave the dental clinic, then I know I've made a difference. And yeah, I love that. That's all it takes, you know. And that experience that you had, that that impression and memory you had with that little girl, she probably has the same memory of you holding her hand and and and reliving that hug many, many times over. So it doesn't, it doesn't take a lot to extend ourselves, and and I really appreciate you sharing that. Is there anything else you want to share with us, Anna, from from your experience in in the country that you traveled to, and and what other recommendations would you give for people that are considering doing something what you did?

Anna 40:51

Yeah, I I have such a respect for that country for Honduras. I have such a respect for the people and for the culture. And I just want you know to remind everybody that we, you know, this is one world. And again, like what I said earlier, is we're we have one life. And so why not use that for good and to impact others and to just again make the world a better place? And so that's that's all I want to do.

Dr. H 41:17

Well, kudos to you, Anna, for sharing initially, and this is how we met on LinkedIn. Yeah, you shared your story on LinkedIn, and you had a lot of people, you know, congratulating you for getting out of your comfort zone and and doing what you did. I mean, I heard your voice, that connected us. A lot of people are gonna hear your voice and hear this uh this podcast, and that's how it works. So I commend you uh for what you did. I commend your company, Calderas, for for their humanitarian efforts. And I guess I challenge uh other companies that don't have the humanitarian efforts like what your company does to step up and make a difference and help other people. And I'm hopeful that you'll be able to continue your service learning trips. Know that there's other venues, you know, international service learning is the is the one that that I work for. It's but one of many. We've been doing what we've done for 30 plus years, and our trips are very similar to what you describe, uh, where you're working in the community or and you work in a variety of settings. And there's just a great number of people doing what we do, like what you've experienced, but there's not enough. Right. So I think it's gonna be through the inspiration of people like yourselves and others that are gonna inspire people to want to step up to the plate. So thank you, thank you, thank you for your efforts, Anna. It's been a true joy to uh hear your message and and uh wish you the best as you continue with your humanitarian efforts.

Anna 42:39

Thank you. It's been an honor talking with you. Thank you so much.

Dr. H 42:42

My pleasure. I want to sincerely thank our guest Anna for her willingness to join us today on the International Service Learning Experiential Medical Education podcast. But most importantly, I want to thank Anna for the passion that she has shared with us today. After interviewing Anna, I have no doubts that she will continue to make a huge difference in the lives of others, as she has a great opportunity to inspire other medical sales representatives to do as she has done. And as she shared, this was the first of what may be more service learning medical mission trips in the future.