Anytime You Want – Let Us Know!

Disaster & Event Medicine

 

Anytime You Want – Let Us Know!

Disaster & Event Medicine

 

Anytime You Want – Let Us Know!

International Medicine

Project Medishare: Haiti

 

Anytime You Want – Let Us Know!

Disaster & Event Medicine

 

 

In May of 2010, Calvin started The Monsoon Diaries as his personal travel blog where he would post daily updates to let the world (and his mother) know he was okay. As his readership expanded, a following of good people asked if they could join on his adventures.

So what began with a trip for a few friends now has blossomed 5 years later into the popularly recognized travel style known as monsooning, and has been featured on TEDx, The Huffington Post, USA Today, National Geographic, Business Insider, and Rachel Maddow. Every few weeks Calvin himself and his monsooner guides will lead scores of international young-at-heart travelers on their premier expeditions around the world.

While all this was happening, Calvin also begun, then toiled, and eventually graduated from medical school, going on to completing a 4-year residency in Emergency Medicine. During his 8 year journey to become a doctor, Calvin knew that these 2 very different parts of his life would one day come together; this is the organic evolution of a union long overdue.

Take a look at any of the offered volunteer opportunities below and sign up even if you’re just curious about making a difference; we will take care of the rest!

 

Anytime You Want — Let Us Know!

Disaster & Event Medicine

Anytime You Want — Let Us Know!

Disaster & Event Medicine

Anytime You Want — Let Us Know!

Disaster & Event Medicine

NYC

 

Disaster & Event Medicine

 

The Monsoon Diaries now regularly staffs anyone with or interested in having a medical background to volunteer for large-scale events in mostly the NYC metropolitan area and beyond (extending to the rest of the country).

Whether they’re events as large as the NYC Marathon (the world’s largest organized mass casualty event annually with the treatment of 5600-6000 patients in a span of a few hours), other regional races, concerts, or music festivals, we need you!

Attending Physicians, MDs, DOs, PAs, NPs, RNs, Resident Physicians, Medical Students, EMTs, DMDs, dentists, medical scribes, interpreters, psychiatrists, psychologists, or anyone with a CPR certificate are able to join!

How do I pay?

You don’t pay anything. This is free. Just let us know that you’re interested and we’ll let you know where and when to show up.

What are the requirements?

Currently, space is only available for allied healthcare professionals, including but not limited to physicians, nurses, PAs, and sometimes medical students.

Can I come alone?

Yes, we usually attract people who come from a range of backgrounds and have different levels of experience!

I just wanted to say thank you yesterday. I didn’t join under your group but was lucky to be under your tent, work with some amazing people, and see the most action l’ve ever had in one day. I learned a lot from honestly just watching a lot of y’all do your best work and had a lot of fun triaging 🙂

I had that moment you talked about where I just appreciated going into this field and hopefully doing things like this for the rest of my life. Thanks for being a great leader

Leslie (EMT)

2023

I must say, a couple of medical volunteers that I’ve interacted with that day were nervous because they were worried that they wouldn’t be capable of helping in the moment of chaos. But as the day went on, I noticed that they were more at ease and started to really enjoy the volunteer experience; I believe that it had a lot to do with how organized the P1 tent was and the confidence that you gave us in your pep talk.

Thank you for being an amazing leader and being the Chief Medical Officer of the P1 tent. Hope to volunteer with you again next year!!

Anonymous

2023

Hey Calvin! It’s been a long time since we’ve talked but just wanted to give you an update about my premed journey. (switched phones a while ago so I lost your number) I returned from my 8 month trip in Southeast Asia and East Asia in August and I had some life-changing experiences. I interned this summer at a startup in Hong Kong working in sustainability and urban farming and was also in the middle of the city when the anti-extradition bill protests were first escalating. Now that I’m in my senior year and thinking about I want to do after graduating, I want to explore the world of law, politics and sustainability. Maybe one, maybe an intersection of all 3? I’m not sure yet, but my focus has shifted away from [just] medicine.

I’m really grateful for the words of advice and shadowing experience you gave me, and wanted to say thank you! They were an important part of my journey.

Elisa Zhang

2017

The last rotation was definitely the most fun I’ve had. I would love to participate like that again. Throwing me in to evaluate the patient definitely put my knowledge and clinical judgment to the test.

Of course getting to come together as a team was also great. (This includes working with the nurse to see that wound, speaking with EMS to gather history, suturing with Caroline.) I know you mentioned that you were tired, BUT you lead us despite that. So if it weren’t for your leadership, I think the ship wouldn’t have sailed as smoothly as it did.

Thank you for thanking all the staff multiple times. I’m sure they appreciate being recognized for their efforts. Kept up the positive energy despite the stressful situation.

Karen Huang

2019

I didn’t understand what you meant last year about your cup being filled each year by the marathon…until I served at my second this year. Even as a student it revitalizes passion for what we do in medicine, and the joys of collaborating with new and old friends. My classmates and I are expanding (y)our ranks and are getting interest from students of all years for upcoming races!

Julia L.

2023

When Melanie suggested that I reach out to you to explore my interest in emergency medicine, I hadn’t anticipated such a warm welcome or so many opportunities to learn. I’ve been so inspired by the community and good vibes that you’ve built around you; it’s one of the many reasons I keep coming back to shadow and volunteer. It means a lot to me to have a recommendation specifically from you, and I look forward to continuing to learn from and work with you at many future races and shadowing experiences to come!

Caroline Chiu

2019

Dr. Calvin Sun is caring, humble, and a leader. I’ve worked with him before at previous NYRR runs at Central park. The TCS marathon, this particular event was going to be the largest scale I ever worked with. As I was volunteering I observed how calm you need to be regardless of the how extreme the scenario is. You need to be articulate, organized, and collective.

It’s great working with Dr. Sun. If you’re looking for a doctor to shadow, he’s perfect (not to mention really funny). There’s also many volunteers who I met along the way who are approachable and you can pick up a few tips from them.

There were numerous roles of the event. We were reminded that we as the medical team are the first to really interact with the runners after a rigorous 26.2 mile run. The medical team must be caring, professional, and patient. This experience showed me how much dedication the medical team contributes in the positions: interpreters, physical therapists, nurses, EMTs, pre-med students, medical students, [and] doctors. We all have to work together and communicate well in a condensed area. It’s an opportunity to observe from all the pros.

As my Physiology professor puts it “I honor the student who gets 4 out of 10 questions right and learns from it vs the student who gets 10 questions right and learns not much because everything is already learned.” [For] me as an underdog, it stimulates serotonin levels when you have those WOW moments, finally understanding how things work [and] things making sense.

It’s motivational! This day was filled with learning moments.

Robert Wuman

2019

 

Interested in joining us?

E-mail us at calvin[at]monsoondiaries[dot]com if you want to sign up for updates (replaced bracketed text with appropriate punctuation, obviously).

 

 

 

Anytime You Want — Let Us Know!

Project Medishare: Haiti

Hospital Bernard Mevs, Haiti

 

 

International Medicine

Project Medishare: Haiti

Please read about our experience here on our first outing in May of 2018: Project Medishare & Hospital Benard Mevs

Project Medishare relies on volunteers to provide medical care to Haitians, and assist in the training and education of Haitian doctors, nurses and other medical staff. Since the January 12, 2010 earthquake, more than 9,000 medical professionals have volunteered with us in Haiti. We are currently seeking licensed medical professionals to volunteer with us at Hospital Bernard Mevs in Port-au-Prince, and our rural public health programs in the Central Plateau.”

Since our project with One Small House in the winter of 2010, we spent years trying to find a suitable, sustainable, ethical program abroad for which to volunteer aid and medical relief. After one of my colleagues in residency Dr. Shazia Rahman, volunteered in the ER at Hospital Bernard Mevs for Project Medishare, and referred this as a viable project for us in the still continuing relief efforts after the devastating 2010 earthquake (we had visited in 2012), we volunteered ourselves by sending a team over in May of 2018. We assisted with an understaffed and resource-strapped hospital and learned how we can do more with very little, both back home and elsewhere overseas. And we want to go back again.

To all my fellow nurses, physicians, surgeons, and physician assistants looking to make a difference abroad: We need you.

Let us know if you want to volunteer alone or if you can assemble a team together, and we’ll make a trip out of it. Just let us know when.

If you can’t come volunteer but would still like to donate to our cause: Donate.

How do I pay?

A full down payment is needed to secure your spot on the trip. We accept credit cards, cash (in person), mailed check, PayPal, Chase Quickpay, Square Cash, or Venmo.

What are the requirements?

Currently, space is only available for allied healthcare professionals, including but not limited to physicians, nurses, rehabilitation, radiology techs, biomedical engineers, etc. They are unable to accept medical students due to space limitations. Due to the presence of the Zika virus in Haiti, volunteers who are pregnant are not eligible for deployment as a safety precaution.

What are accommodations like?

On-site hostel located within the guarded hospital compound

What days should I book my flights to arrive?

Tuesday before 2pm.

Do you provide flight advice/support to get the cheapest flights?

Yep! We boast expertise in this area and would be happy to assist you in booking the cheapest flights, finding hack fares, or work with loyalty mile programs to getting you free economy, business class, or first class flights.

Can I come alone?

Yes, we usually attract people who come from a range of backgrounds and have different levels of experience with travel.

Will you accommodate food restrictions (vegetarian, kosher, halal, cardiac, diabetic, lactose intolerant, peanut allergies, etc.)?

We can accommodate vegetarians.

Do I need visas?

Depends on your nationality and type of passport. People with USA nationalities do not need visas. Otherwise, we can help you with this if you need any visas. Please ask!

Will someone provide me with a list of tasks I need to complete for visas or pre-entry credentials?

Yes, of course!

Do I need travel insurance?

Up to you! Some credit cards already include some sort of travel insurance (check with them). We tend to find the cheapest ones at: https://www.travelinsurance.com/

Terms and Conditions between The Monsoon Diaries LLC, henceforth called “MD,” and the customer, henceforth called the “customer.” Booking a tour with MD acknowledges customer understanding and agreement to the following terms and conditions.

BOOKING POLICY

  • A 100% deposit is due upon booking confirmation and is non-refundable. The balance of payment is due 4 weeks before the trip commences. Following receipt of deposit customer is required to send relevant details for issuing of relevant permits.
  • Failure to send true and correct information may result in refusal of visa, or permit, and thus results in forfeit of deposit.
  • Should visa, or permit be refused through no fault of the customer, the customer shall receive a full refund minus associated banking costs.
  • In the event of personal injury, or bereavement that prevents the customer taking part on the tour, MD reserve the right to increase the deposit minus associated fees.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Contributions are donation-based and 100% of proceeds will got to Project Medishare. All contributions are non-refundable.

  • MD may change these Terms & and Conditions at any time. MD will notify customers if changes to the booking terms and conditions are made.
  • It is the responsibility of all customers, regardless of nationality and destination, to check with the consulate of the country they are visiting for current entry requirements. As visa and health requirements are subject to change with-out notice, we recommend that you verify health and visa requirements with the appropriate consulate prior to departure.
  • Price quotations are subject to change without notice, until a booking has been confirmed.
  • MD fully reserves the right to change or amend all itineraries on a case by case basis depending on the situation on the ground. MD will always provide a suitable replacement for anything cancelled on an itinerary.
  • Train, and flight tickets are subject to availability. MD reserve the right to change the mode of transport depending on availability.
  • If for any reason, a client does not complete any portion of their tour or abandons their scheduled tour after departure, MD will not grant a partial refund, nor shall there be any credit given towards future travel.

VISAS

As with all travel there is always a minor chance that a visa will be refused. MD has an excellent track record for visas with a relatively insignificant amount having ever been turned down and all were with good reason.

If the customer has provided accurate information to us and their visa is refused and refunded, MD will in turn grant a full refund of any payments made to MD minus associated transfer fees and costs but will not be held responsible for any costs incurred by the customer in traveling to Beijing, Kuala Lumpur or any other location from which their tour was scheduled to depart. In the event you have intentionally misled us in an attempt to enter a country, we will retain your deposit.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Medical treatment in many destinations is not free, and it is strongly recommended that the customer take out their own travel insurance, AND check with the issuer whether it is valid in the country of the tour. MD does not provide, nor imply provision of health/travel insurance.

LOCAL LAWS

  • Customers are required to follow local laws and regulations at all times. In the result of a breach of local law, MD will not be held in any way responsible and the customer will take responsibility for any consequences, financial or otherwise, that arise from their actions.
  • Customers are required to follow the guidance and company rules of MD at all times. MD reserves the right to expel customers from the tour who do not follow company rules, without refund.

 

 

TRAVEL EXCEPTIONS

MD reserves the right in extreme cases to refuse service to anyone we deem unsuitable for one of our tours, in the event that MD deems you unsuitable prior to a tour any payment made to MD will be refunded minus associated transfer costs

 

 

Price inclusive of:

    • All Accommodation
    • Logistics
    • Breakfast & Lunch

Price exclusive of:

    • International Flights to begin and end the trip
    • Dinners
    • Personal expenses/souvenirs
    • Personal/Optional cab rides, public transportation, and/or Uber rides
    • Optional activities/day-tours/excursions
    • Travel insurance
    • Visa application process & fees



 

 

Thank you so much to everyone that donated and made my trip to Haiti possible. I’m still processing all that I saw and experienced, but the trip was incredible, and I can honestly say that we made a difference.

We learned from the staff of Hospital Bernard Mevs and we shared with them our knowledge and experience as well. We worked on patients with spinal injuries, gunshot wounds, electrocutions, and congenital illnesses. We treated babies that were so malnourished, they required intensive care. We gave our blood, sweat and tears, and will be sure to return one day and do it all again.

Thank you again to Calvin D. Sun for organizing the trip, to the staff of Bernard Mevs . . . thank you so much.

Zach Leopold

May 2018

 

Interested in joining us?

E-mail us at calvin[at]monsoondiaries[dot]com if you want to sign up for updates (replaced bracketed text with appropriate punctuation, obviously).

 

 

 

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