Build A Medical Career By Serving Abroad

Watching medicine up close can change your plans fast, especially when you see it practiced in places that don’t have the safety net of big hospitals, endless imaging, and overflowing supplies. We sit down with Brice, a University of South Carolina grad and cardiology medical scribe, to unpack how mentorship and service learning turned his interest in medicine into a clear direction and a bigger mission.

We start with the nuts and bolts of being a paid clinical scribe: learning Epic, sharpening documentation, understanding diagnostic tests, and building the kind of long-term physician mentorship most pre-med students struggle to find. Then we go abroad. Brice shares what it felt like to leave the country for the first time on a Costa Rica service learning trip, why the happiness he saw in underserved communities surprised him, and the patient moments that made healthcare disparities impossible to ignore.

From there, Belize takes it further with a rare mix of free clinics and hospital rotations. Brice describes what resource-limited wards look like, what he learns from physicians who can do “so much with so little,” and a standout OR experience where an orthopedic surgeon teaches fracture care and imaging like a personal masterclass. We close with Brice’s advice for students worried about cost or fear of the unknown, plus details on the upcoming Tanzania gap-year trip built around hospital time, clinics, and cultural experiences.

If you’re thinking about global health, gap year plans, medical Spanish, or finding real mentorship before med school, hit play, share this with a friend who needs the push, and subscribe and leave a review so more future clinicians can find the show.

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 Podcast Purpose

Dr. H 0:11

Hey there, uh Dr. Patrick H 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 are served abroad, both creators and healthcare, education, study abroad, spirituality, and those living in the countries being served. Well, real excited today to have guests with us that's got some adventures coming up, and he's going to be sharing them with us. But I've known Brice for a couple of years now, I believe, through the University of South Carolina. Brice, but before we get going to learn about your service learning trips and some of the plans you got coming up, tell us a little bit about yourself, where you're from, why you

Bryce’s Pre-Med Roadmap

Dr. H 1:20

came to the University of South Carolina, what your major was, and and what your plans are moving forward.

Brice 1:26

Yes, sir. Well, thank you first for having me. But my name Brice. I'm from Fort Mill, South Carolina. I attended the University of South Carolina. I grew up in my whole family of Gamecocks. So for me, the USC was kind of I was born into the life. But I came into South Carolina as a biology major. And I knew I wanted to do something in the health science field, mainly in medicine, but it was really when I first started volunteering that kind of cemented the fact that I wanted to do the MD RAL. And so I graduated last December and I graduated in three and a half years, and then I've been working since then for Propel Clinical, doing clinical scribing at MUSC with a specialty in cardiology.

Medical Scribing As Clinical Training

Dr. H 2:08

Yeah, let's let's talk about every person who comes on, is obviously very unique. Tell talk to us about the medical scribe process because it's it's something I see a lot of healthcare focused students doing as they're in their undergrad.

Brice 2:22

Yes, sir. Well, I thought it was a really interesting thing. Going into the summer before my senior year, I was really looking to increase some clinical experience on my med school resume. And so I I thought I was looking at all the options, and there was like EMT, MA, and clinical scribing. And EMT and MA is like, I had I didn't have a certification yet, and I kind of wanted to get right into it. And so I found a company that contracts with MUSC named Propel Clinical, and they trained me, and then I was trained on site as well to scribe. And I think it's been really helpful. You get a one-on-one kind of mentorship with the physician you work for, but then at the same time, I have a really good understanding of the specialty I was in, and then a really good understanding of how medical documentation works, as well as using the epic user face, which I think will give me a really good like jump start when I start my clinical rotations and in my residency.

Dr. H 3:18

What a wonderful opportunity to kind of get a look, so to speak, at what your future could be because you're basically working with a physician, it's going through the rounds and you're you're learning about the diagnostics tests that they're utilizing. You're learning to interpret some of those diagnostic tests, and then you're seeing the physician's rapport with the patients.

Brice 3:40

Yes, I think one of the best things was I've I shadowed throughout undergrad, but for shadowing, you might be there for a day to a week. I never really had an extended shadowing. And with scribing, although I was doing work, typing the notes, prepping the charts, and like in the room pending orders with the physician, I thought it was really cool to see. I saw patients over the past year at MUSD cardiology and seeing their return visits and kind of how their health changes over time, as well as the rapport they have with the doctor. I saw some patients that came in on monthly basis, some that came on six months and yearly. And I think the coolest part was seeing some of those people that came very frequently that I continue to see, trying to build my own rapport with them, as well as the most shocking thing was the physician I worked for, he was more at the end of his career as a physician. And so he's seen patients that were coming in that he's seen longer than I've been alive. So I thought that was really cool to see the trust the patients had in the physician, and also on the other side, how the physician also had respect for the patient.

Dr. H 4:41

Well, for a uh pre-med student, this sounds like a gift. And he yes, sir.

Brice 4:46

No, I I I highly recommend scribing for any pre-med that's looking for uh mentorship and as well as more clinical experience.

Dr. H 4:53

And they paid you for this, right?

Brice 4:55

Yes, sir. It is paid. That was that was one thing. I I volunteered and was doing that to get my clinical experience. So getting a little bit of payment on the side was definitely nice.

Dr. H 5:05

That's that's fantastic. Thanks for sharing. That's a good shout out to all the pre-med kids look into scribing opportunities, correct?

Brice 5:12

Yes, sir, 100%. Propel clinical if you go to the University of South Carolina.

Dr. H 5:16

Excellent.

Costa Rica Service Trip First Steps

Dr. H 5:17

Well, listen, the topic of us getting together is to talk about service learning. And and I know you've been on a couple of different trips. So tell us about your first service learning trip and what motivated you to sign up for that.

Brice 5:29

Yes, sir. Well, my first service learning trip was spring break of my junior year. So last last spring, and I was in the pre-med fraternity called Phi Delta Epsilon, and they organized a trip every year. And I remember during the recruitment process, some of the members were telling me about how they were planning to go on a trip for that year. And I was really interested in it, and that was one of the biggest reasons that I had found interest in joining the uh the fraternity. And when the time came along, my junior year, I had a spring break that I didn't really have anything planned, and the opportunity to go to Costa Rica was presented. And so I was in Alauela, Costa Rica for one week.

Belize Hospital Time And Mentors

Dr. H 6:11

That was my first and your second uh service learning trip. Can you tell us about that one?

Brice 6:16

Yes, sir. So with me graduating in December of 2025, this past February, I was in my gap year, and Dr. Hickey actually came up with and presented me the idea of a pre-med and or not a pre-med, a gap year and medical school combo trip. And I thought that I I think one of the biggest things in medicine is mentorship. And so I had the the idea to kind of join in, and I had to work around my schedule a little bit and get my time describing kind of covered, but I went to Belize for a little over a week, and this one was a way different. We had not just the community visits, but with the med students or the med students, we were able to incorporate hospital time too. So I got to see in inpatient in the hospital as well as do the free health service clinic. So I think that was the biggest, the like the biggest life-changing service trip I've ever had for my path to medicine. And especially what really stands out to me was the combo trip having those medical students. I now have five medical students that will mentor me for the rest of my life. I stay very in contact with them. And that was to me the big the biggest part of that service trip.

Dr. H 7:30

Well, yeah, I'm glad you share that about the mentorship because again, uh I've known you for a few years and I do a lot of mentoring, as you know, myself at the University of South Carolina. And many times I've we we've done a handoff. I've I've worked with you to, you know, help help tag teams, so to speak, on on mentoring. I can only do so much, then I would recommend a few students to follow up with you. And you were always so timely about looping back to me and saying, hey, I I met with so-and-so, here's where we're at, here's what we did, and and uh and then you got to experience it in in Belize being mentored by uh the med students. So full circle, and and that's that's yes, sir.

Brice 8:09

And I and I I I think within medicine too, it is throughout the your entire career a full circle of mint being a mentee and a mentor. Like as a pre-med, I had people like you and these med students, and the physician I scribe for, and like older, older members of my pre-med fraternity meant being mentors to me. And then it kind of changed as I became an upperclassman where I was mentoring some of your younger students. But I think this continues as like as a first-year resident, you're gonna have older residents residents mentoring you and attending physicians. And then as you go keep continuing, there's always people to mentor you as well, but you have to also pay it back as a mentor to the young.

Dr. H 8:49

I like your sentiment that you always have to pay it back. That that's a wonderful sentiment. I feel the same way, but unfortunately, in our present system, it it's a challenge to be mentored by physicians in their daily practice because they're all so busy. And and you know, I I think we're creating a new generation of healthcare providers, you know, with people like yourself and others that that learn the value of mentoring, you know, at an early juncture. And then hopefully as you move forward through your career, that you'll be mentoring too. You know, my hope is that, you know, five, six, eight years from now, and someone comes up and says, Hey Dr. Bryce, I've got a high school kid here today. Would he be able to shadow with you? And uh, you know, I hope your your response is going to be, but of course, you know, because I need that.

Brice 9:31

Uh of course. No, I I I think at least for me, like I had no family in medicine. And so when I first got to the University of South Carolina, that was like the one thing I needed to find was kind of guidance within medicine because there was no one to tell me how to study for the MCAT. There's no one to tell me like how to get shadowing. And so I think coming from at the beginning, having no connections to the field at all, that's something like absolutely as a attending, I would be more than honored and willing to help help anyone's shadow. That that's definitely a goal.

Cardiology Versus Orthopedics Pull

Dr. H 10:03

Well, you you've you've had a recent dilemma in the last six months to a year where you've developed a wonderful relationship with your mentor who's a cardiologist and wants you to come over to the dark side of cardiology, whereas you have let him know that your interest is orthopedic. So so who's winning that tug of war?

Brice 10:24

I don't know. When I my last day on Wednesday at the clinic in Columbia with him, he asked me the same question at the end. And I I said it's almost it's almost 50-50 now. Like I would consider trying to double match and just let the match choice pick which one for me.

Dr. H 10:40

Well, it it all comes down to quality of life. And you know, when you have very passionate mentors, like you've had the tendencies, I want to have what they have, you know, and they got that passion because of what they're doing. So you know, I always say never say never, and and that's a that's a good way to leave it with your mentor. Now you've been on a couple of service learning

Patient Stories And Resource Reality

Dr. H 10:59

trips. Obviously, you've you've you've met and and dealt with a lot of patients. What stands out? Is there, I mean, from from your first or second trip, are there any situations, scenarios, patient care stories that that resonate with you?

Brice 11:13

Yes, sir. So I I have a couple from both ends, from both trips. The first one in Costa Rica, my overall, like when I'm I that was my first time like truly leaving the country. And so I was really just starstrucked at everything. I've never been in communities like that. But the one thing that I that continues to happen every service trip, whenever I go to some of these places, I I'm always starstruck at the fact that they might not have like the same house I have, the same technology I have, or anything. But everyone's just so happy. And it's just throughout the whole thing, it's just all great experience the entire time. Like everyone I've met, whether that be a patient, whether it be children within the community that were patients that I played like soccer with, or the physicians, or the translators, or even the tour guides, um like everyone is just so happy. And like I think that's also comes with while you're serving others, you get that joy, but it just that's the biggest thing that I think stood out throughout all of it was everyone's just so happy, and there's just so much spirit and just so much goodwill being done. But then being a little bit more specific with specific patients in Costa Rica. The one that will always resonate with me was we went into it, we were doing our community visits and doing our house visits before the first day clinic. And this is my first time in this community. I walk into this house and it was made with like semi-permeal material, and it was more of a farming community, and there was a child kind of hung up with like ropes and like cords and a little baby carrier, but that child ended up having cerebral palsy, and so that was something that I really kind of was able to take it all in at once. And I was in the middle of Costa Rica, there was not like a major hospital anywhere close to us, and they're managing a child with cerebral palsy, whereas in the United States, like being from Colombia, we have like Prisma Richland and like these huge hospitals with all the technology, all the scans, all the physicians, all the research, all localized. And so that was my biggest thing. You could really see that there's a discrepancy for some of the access that we have in the United States compared to they have in different countries. And then going into another one in Belize, I think for me, the the biggest thing that I took away was being inside those hospital wards. I was used to in Colombia these massive hospitals that are multiple stories in Belize. It was like one story, and there was like indoor and outdoor. So like you walked under like breeze waves to get into a different department. And like I remember they had like six beds, and so there's their medicine ward, and it was split up like medicine men, medicine women, surgical men, surgical women. And there was, I want to say, like, six beds in each of those four things, and then like two contamination beds. And so, like, you walk into a big hospital in the United States, and there's floors for those subspecialties, and whereas there it was kind of all in one. And so I think the biggest takeaways I had is just the difference in access and utilities and equipment between the two the two, being foreign and being in the United States.

Dr. H 14:33

Well, it's an amazing, uh great observation on the happiness. Know that the good majority of those people are very appreciative that you have gone out of your way to come to see them. And you probably never thought about that. You gave up your spring break, friends were off summer partying, you spent money, you went to an underserved area, this case, there but the country, you went into an impoverished area and you're under healthcare. So they're they're just so happy that you have extended yourself in a service format to reach out to them. And yes, uh it is a good observation also that that they may not have half or a quarter of what we have, but they're happier than we are. And sometimes the more values we have, the more headaches we have. So it's a simpler life that sometimes these people experience it that we wish that we could have. I've had many times where students have come back and have been very challenged. I've got a cell phone, I'm connected, I've got a car, I've got a home. I I feel so bad. But but know that these people are very happy and appreciative that you came by. And also in your second story, know that they can do so much with so little. I mean, they probably uh rigged up that that device for that child, and and they're doing as best they can for probably what could have been a very complex medical situation that would have been handled completely different in the United States. And you know, I've I've done so many of these trips, I'm humbled every time I come back from these trips. And and uh it's just great that you had that observation.

Clinical Teaching In Clinics And OR

Dr. H 16:07

What was it like working with the healthcare professionals, both in Costa Rica, the team you work with, and and then maybe more importantly, the team you work with in Belize? What was that process like?

Brice 16:18

So in in Costa Rica, we had doctors or two physicians and then a pharmacist come visit and spend the days with us while we did the community clinics, and they were amazing. And I honestly both trips, the physicians and the providers that came with us were amazing, but more specifically in Costa Rica, I feel like there, all of us were pre-med students, and for the most part, majority of us had experience in healthcare in the United States, and so we were able to do their workups and everything pretty smoothly, but they were phenomenal at teaching as well. Like I remember that was my first time really doing like taking a patient history and doing a presentation with a physician, and so the physician worked a ton with me on making sure my presentation came smoothly and clean, and I covered all my parts. And so I think the the big thing for them was like teaching us, and they accomplished that tenfold. It was amazing. And Belize, I got well Brian.

Dr. H 17:17

Before we go into Belize, let me just uh touch on that point about presentation to a physician. I spoke to a fourth-year med student recently who said they had been on an ISL trip, had had the same experience as you had had when they were in undergrad. Now they're a fourth year med student, and they shared that they did not learn how to do a presentation to a physician until their fourth year of med school. And you learned you learned it in your undergrad as a junior, which is which is cool.

Brice 17:47

Yeah. And it was cool too. Like I I have a little bit of background in uh speaking Spanish, so I could do a little bit, I could, I could kind of flip between the two. There were some words and terms, especially on the medicine side that I didn't know, but I was really able to kind of get what they were saying to me in Spanish and present to the physician English. So I thought that was really cool on the side to also work on my Spanish speaking skills.

Dr. H 18:10

Well, that's great that you got that that that process, that presentation to a physician experience in in Costa Rica. And I apologize, I didn't mean to cut you off. You were you were just going you were just going back to Belize, and in Belize?

Brice 18:22

Yes, sir. And in Belize, I kind of break the trip up into two different points. We had the clinics and then the hospital. So in the clinic, it was the same thing. We had uh physicians and a pharmacist come join us in the clinics, and again, they were phenomenal with teaching me. I remember for them in Belize, I worked a lot with the physician on proper diagnoses, and it was really interesting. She was a pain doctor, and so we had a lot of pain, uh, patients come in with like sciatica pain or joint pain, and she was able to teach me, and I got to watch her do some pain relief, like uh with mobility and stuff like that on the patient, and I thought that was the coolest thing, and she was so happy to share about like her specialty and kind of how she treats pain in the field, which was really interesting to see. And then in on the hospital side of it, we had a ton of physicians that were more than more than help, willing to help. And so I worked in internal medicine and then general surgery. And so for internal medicine, the two physicians that came and spoke with us and like kind of walked us through the patients there were amazing. And again, they were just so happy and inspiring to teach, which was awesome. But I really saw my biggest moments in the general surgery in the OR. I was lucky enough, I was able to sit in on a handful of cases. And not only did I have the surgeons there teaching me and like explaining and walking me through the cases, I had uh medical students but that were able to give advice. But overall, I had or like overall of that, there was an orthopedic surgeon that rotates between the hospitals, I believe. And he set me down and we had a pediatric um wrist fracture, and so he sat me down, walked me through his entire step-by-step of surgery. He would retract stuff to let me get up to the table and view. But then the best part was after me and him sat in the his office after, and he pulled up all the pre-op and post-op imaging on the his computer, and we were he explained all of that, and we me and him were able to have like a review session on like the different types of fractures and what they see commonly and believes and how they treat it. And so, like that right there was like the best one-on-one training and like in-person teaching I experienced throughout all of them, and I will forever remember that working through those fractures with them.

Dr. H 20:45

Isn't that great that that physician took the time to sit down and do that with you? And and I know that you're gonna, as you mentioned earlier, paid forward and do the same somewhere down the line with someone else and make their experience. Sounds like you had a fantastic experience. I'm I'm sure you're making a lot of people saying, I wish I was on that trip.

Brice 21:04

No, and I I I hope they do. It should be it should be something like at least it's it's done so much for me going on these mission trips. I advise everyone and encourage everyone to try it to just step out of your comfort zone. Because I I mean, the first time for me leaving the country, I was stepping out of my comfort zone. But I feel like every time I've stepped further and further out of it, I've experienced more and more, and there's more perspectives and more things that will only help me further in my career.

Dr. H 21:30

And again, that that is a common theme I see amongst a lot of the pre-med students, stepping out of your comfort zone, and you know, doors of opportunity will open for you, you know, if you push yourself a little bit. And and by doing so, you're gaining fantastic experience that is increasing your self-confidence and your self-esteem, which is fantastic.

Bringing Lessons Back To US Care

Dr. H 21:47

Uh, how has this changed your perspective on health care uh you know in the United States? Because you're you're already kind of sort of working in the system in the United States. You've been a medical scribe, now you've been to two underdeveloped or developing countries. How has this experience with the patient population, the lack thereof of resources affected you moving forward?

Brice 22:08

Yes, sir. Well, I I have a couple different points for that. I think first of all, me, I continue to work on my Spanish speaking skills. And as time continues, it's only going to be more beneficial for me to be able to speak Spanish as well in the United States, especially in the southern parts of the US. And so I think getting one-on-one experience and like hands-on experience using Spanish in a clinical setting was very beneficial and something I definitely will keep continuing within my career. And then I think secondly, I think just viewing like you said earlier, and I think you said a great how much they can do is so little is something I really want to keep in mind. Like I was I remember for the going back to the orthogonal surgery, we didn't have a handheld x-ray or portable x-ray to use in the OR. And so he was able to do it all manually. And so I think it only will continue to improve my skill if I'm able to not just rely on the super fancy equipment in the OR or like in like the ER doing an exam and also taking it back kind of to the roots of medicine is a kind of a humbling thing. And then thirdly, I think just the overall humility and like how humble I was and or like was coming back from that trip. I I always am going to be so grateful for what I have here. But I also know that there are communities and people in need of healthcare and assistance. And so like for me, global health has been like a huge stamp now on my application, I'd say. And like I want to continue doing mission trips as I continue to get older. And like for me, like working with like a doctor's beyond borders or something as an attending physician is definitely kind of in my deck of cards.

Dr. H 23:50

Well, I can I can definitely feel your passion for global health. And I can see that that your experiences have left an indelible impression upon yourself, and and that's only going to better serve your patients moving forward, as you said, you know, by by becoming bilingual, by learning Spanish, by joining Doctors Without Borders, or continue to do what you're doing in the future. That's that's huge. Fantastic experiences that you've had, Bryce. Well, for students that are considering a similar trip, that may be sitting on the fence, wondering, you know, maybe a little expensive. I'm not sure if it if it will help me or not, what would your advice to them be?

Cost Concerns And Why Go Anyway

Brice 24:28

I I think first, like if if you're nervous more for like the leaving aspect of like leaving the US, leaving kind of like your bubble and what you're safe to, I would say I I was as too as nervous as you leaving to go to Costa Rica, but like I said, stepping out of that comfort zone is always gonna be beneficial for you, and experiencing new things is always gonna be beneficial. And I think too, it's such a great time as a pre-med to do it early. Like is as you continue to go through the journey of medicine, and as you get into medical school, you get into residency, it's only gonna be more and more time consuming. And so I think the best time to do it is is as an undergrad when you have the extra spring break or the extra time in summer to go take that step. But I think overall, just if you look at all the testimonies from the people that have went and done mission trips like this, they're always so positive and they've impacted us so much. And so, like, I know sometimes costs can be a restriction. And there are, I know, like I used a scholarship at USC to help cover the first one, but there are ways to kind of help reduce that. But at the end of the day, it's just so it's like so beneficial to me, and I think also just to like how I view everything now. I think the benefit you get from it is unmatched.

Dr. H 25:48

Well, and yeah, again, I hear your passion. I appreciate that. And I'm sure a lot of people are gonna be tripping over each other to go on these trips now because of of what

Leading A Tanzania Gap-Year Trip

Dr. H 25:57

you've shared. Well, you know, I I I alluded in the beginning as we chatted that you you had some major plans coming up in in addition to your service learning trips. You're kind of already paying it forward. Tell us uh about an opportunity you've got coming up here real soon.

Brice 26:13

Yes, sir. Well, so real soon, me and me and behind the scenes, we've been working on doing a gap year plan going to Tanzania, Africa for two weeks. And it's gonna be a little bit more similar to what I did in Belize, where we have clinic and we have hospital rotations. I felt like the hospital rotations as a hopefully a future MD were really what I was looking for. I really wanted to see that inpatient, like true medicine care, and so it's gonna be, I want to say, a 60 60 33 split between 66 hospital and 33% clinic. So you get kind of the best of both worlds, and as well, it will be going to Tanzania and Africa. So I was always like a Nat GL wild kid growing up, and so the safari and Africa was just like one of the destinations I always had marked on my list. So I think that everyone that if you're willing to come, I think it'll be the great experience.

Dr. H 27:06

So you had such a great time on the two service learning trips that you wanted to get back, and now you're leading a trip, you're going to Tanzania. Yes, sir. The dates on that, Bryce, are I want to let me I can double check with you real quick.

Brice 27:19

It I can pull up it's September 14th.

Dr. H 27:22

I want to say to September 20th. No, September 7th to September 20th. There we go. Sorry, sorry. I've got the flyer in front of me. Right now the cost is $29.95. I'll be posting the flyer on on Instagram. You're the trip leader. So there's some optional recreational excursions, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, if you if you're in condition for that, which which you are, you're training for an Ironman triathlon, I know. Safari, hot air balloon, a lot of potential optional recreational excursions. And and that's I know that's what the ISL trips are all about. I mean, you work, work, work real hard, but then you play hard too. And and and some of those are optional, and and for students want to want more information, you'll be able to share that with them. Is that correct?

Brice 28:06

I yes, sir. I I reach out to me. I'm happy to talk to any of y'all. I can show you all the itinerary and like all the tentative plans we have. And I do know a big thing as well is kind of the the play hard side of it too. And so there are built in to that cost already. I know we are doing like a hot spring, a coffee tour, and then a another waterfall as well on the first weekend.

Dr. H 28:28

Yeah, we always want to make sure there's cultural activities. But the unique thing about the Tanzania trip is the hospital rotation, and and that's that's gonna be amazing to kind of sort of replicate the experience that you had in Belize. I don't think language is an issue where you're going. And the culture is going to be amazing. I I've seen previous trips to Tanzania, and that's just fantastic. So this is uh targeted for gap year students. And the reason I believe the reason we're doing this with with international service learning is we've found that a lot of students that are in their gap year have not had the opportunity that you had during their undergrad. They worked hard on their grades, they did what they needed to do, they got through academically, now they're taking a year off, maybe working in healthcare, doing something, but yet they've never had this opportunity to get. Maybe they shouted a little bit, but very rarely did they have a hospital opportunity where you had physician mentors. Here's that opportunity. Is that correct?

Brice 29:40

Yes, sir, completely. Like I was able to squeeze that first one while I was in undergrad to Costa Rica over a spring break. But like I knew I'd like the same as I bet many other pre-meds and people in their gap year now experienced like just like you said, I was so busy or study for the MCAT working on classwork that like I really couldn't set aside a couple weeks to leave the country. I wasn't able to go to Belize until I was graduated. And so I think as a Gap year student, when you do have the extra time, this is the the perfect just like final stamp to that med school present.

Dr. H 30:14

That's a fantastic price, $29.95. I mean, that doesn't include some of the options that we talked about. Yes, sir. Excursions, but students can get more information from you on that. It's a two-week trip. Normally there's seven or normally nine or ten days, but you've got to fly so far. The nice thing about going to Tanzania, should people want to do this, it's in September. You can jump from Tanzania to mainland Europe or or to travel to other places, which is a nice option.

Brice 30:41

Yes, sir. And when when I've spoken to the in-country coordinators in Tanzania, they told me that September was like the perfect time to be in Africa. And so they said Tanzania in September, the wildlife is like amazing at the time, the temperature is not too bad. And like overall, this is that was like the day, that was the time frame that they gave me. They're like, this is the best time to go to the city.

Dr. H 31:03

Well, that this sounds like a bucket list trip of a lifetime to go to Tanzania. Yes, sir. And you know, I I I I know how hard it is for for pre-med students. I've I've worked with them pretty exclusively for the last what 15-20 years. I know how much sacrifice you put into working on your grades, doing well in the MCATS. This is an opportunity to treat yourself, uh, so to speak, you know, go on a trip like this. A little bit of conditioning required to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but if if people are so interested, you you can help them with that. It'd be kind of cool if if you did go on this trip to climb Kilimanjaro, it is one of the seven summits of the world.

Brice 31:42

Yeah, so I was inspired to climb it from you, Dr. Henney. So you you put planted that seed for me, but I I do want to add too, I know with the safari, it is gonna be around the Norangoro crater, which is one of the most uh this from my natural wild research, but is one of the most like wildlife biodiverse places in the world. And so it'll have all of the major wildlife game that you see in Africa. So all the bucket list animals that you always saw in the zoo and everything, we'll see them in their natural habitat within this crater. And so it's it's it's gonna be completely different than going to see like a lion at the zoo, is what they told me.

Dr. H 32:20

Having been there and done it, and I did the Norangoro crater also, it is fantastic capitalize. It's an unbelievable once-in-a lifetime experience. So I highly recommend it. Uh, I'll be I'll be posting the graphic on Instagram so people will have your number. I'm hopeful a lot of people will be calling for

Final Push To Leave Your Bubble

Dr. H 32:40

information. Anything uh else you want to share with us, Bryce, before we sign off. I mean, I I could go on and on. I love your passion for everything you shared.

Brice 32:48

Yeah, so I I I just want to re-reemphasize that like I I stepped out of my comfort zone. I would encourage all of y'all that are on the fence about it to do it as well. This has been so impactful into my career and just myself in general, like it's really opened my eyes. And so I encourage every single one of y'all, if if you're if you're able to and willing to either come to Tanzania or look at other trips throughout ISL, it has really kind of impacted me just like completely. I I encourage everybody.

Dr. H 33:19

I would I would also, since I'm going to be posting your your your number, you know, for those that are interested in the trip, you know, reach out to Bryce also for pre-med information. I mean, he's a wealth of information. And and you know, you you just don't see people or meet people like Bryce very often that are so willing to pay it forward and and to help other people. And I I just think we'd be a much better world if if we had more Bryce's in the world.

Brice 33:43

Well, I I appreciate that. That that means a lot to me. Thank you so much.

Dr. H 33:46

Well, Bryce, thank you for your time so much. I'm I'm so excited. I'm looking forward to following your journey to Tanzania, and I'm so wish I would be returning with you, but it'll be a unique experience for you, and I'll I'll um I'll enjoy seeing those travels.

Brice 34:01

Yes, sir. Well, thank you for having me today. Uh, it was amazing to be able to talk to everybody and promote this. Good day. Thank you. Thank you, you as well.

Dr. H 34:08

I want to sincerely thank Bryce for his willingness to join us today on the International Service Learning Experiential Medical Education Podcast. But most importantly, I want to thank Bryce for the passion that he has shared with us. Bryce is a great ambassador for international service learning, and I'm hopeful that by sharing details from his service learning trips, he has inspired students to step out of their comfort zone and to pursue similar opportunities.