How to join a mission trip
Typically, second year optometry students embark on mission trips after being trained on the necessary clinical skills. Students are selected for trips on a points-based system, where points are earned by volunteering at Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) school events. In October, students rank their site preferences, and those with the most earned points are assigned to their chosen trip. There are approximately 10 to 15 spots for University of Waterloo Optometry students per trip.
What
to
expect
on
a
mission
trip
Your travel, accommodations, and meals (breakfast and lunch) will already be set up for you. Upon arrival, you will be part of a large team that will set up clinic at the site. During clinic, patients are first screened using charts for visual acuity (VA), auto-refraction, and tonometry. They are then triaged to either a health or prescription check. Retinoscopy, trial frame refraction, and ophthalmoscopy are some of the many techniques performed. Finally, glasses and/or sunglasses are dispensed to our many grateful patients. All medical referrals are sent to a local ophthalmologist.
Rest and relaxation
During the mission trips, there are usually one or two days that you are off clinic, and are given a chance to explore the sights of the area with your fellow volunteers. After the mission trip, many students choose to stay on for vacation.