"Groups such as Surgicorps International provide much needed care to underserved populations throughout the world. Bhutan is a country of about 800,000 with very little access to any form of medical care for a large portion of the country.

"This was a two-week mission trip to the town of Paro, Bhutan; a journey that Surgicorps makes every year. My role as a medical student included patient screening, scrubbing for surgeries, assisting in the recovery room, managing post-operative care and working in the knee injection clinic. We screened about 200 patients and operated on about 55. Common cases included cleft lip repairs, cleft palate repairs, and reconstruction of burn and traumatic injuries. Gaining first-hand medical experience in the developing world was an invaluable experience and providing care to the people of Bhutan was incredibly rewarding."