Medical Ambassadors
What is a PCP Medical Ambassador?
A PCP Medical Ambassador is a compassionate, dedicated medical professional volunteer investing their skills in service to Congo.
The Medical Ambassador program seeks to come alongside our partners in Congo for lasting change. We believe in training-the-trainers and learning from our Congolese medical colleagues who are experts in their field. Though they may not have the same resources, they are highly capable and experienced in caring for the people in their communities. Our goal is to come alongside in support and be transformed.
Training the Trainers
Through the “Training the Trainers” method, our goal is to multiply medical training for long-term impact. Medical teams traveling to Congo train a group of local medical professionals in their area of expertise. Congolese professionals return to their facility, where they train 8-10 people on the specific skill.
"When western doctors visit, they can treat people, but they will go home. However, through training, we can improve our skills and we can care for our own people."
Ann-Marie Zuku, a nurse at the IPOK clinic in Gemena, DRC, received a training called, “Helping Mothers Survive: Bleeding After Birth.”
Focus Groups
Adult Medicine/Public Health
Dentistry
Emergency Care
Eye Care
Hospital Administration
Maternal Health
Nursing
Pediatrics
Pharmaceuticals
Surgery/Anesthesiology
Long-Term Approach
Our approach is to equip, inspire confidence, and then step aside and take on a supporting role to encourage long-term viability and sustainability of the medical system in Congo.
Traveling to Congo
Medical Ambassador teams travel to Congo several times per year to build relationships, meet with their medical colleagues, and train in specific skills and procedures. Not every volunteer will travel to Congo; we have opportunities for volunteers to support the work from home.
Upcoming Medical Ambassador Trips to Congo
October 2019
Coaching the Trainers
From October 2-17 2019, a Medical Ambassador team will be returning to Congo to coach several nurses as they train staff in various locations.
- Dr. Eric Gunnoe, Karen Goeke RN, and Sheryl Noren EMT will be coaching trainers, Alphones Ndombe and Jonas Yundonago, as they train Loko health nurses in pediatric care at Karawa Hospital.
- Dr. Jim Walker and Marta Klein PA will be coaching trainers Astrid Wombalando, Ann-Marie Zuku, and MD student Antoinette Zambite, as they train Bogose Nubea and Bokada staff in maternal care at Bogose Nubea Hospital.
- Ann Hagensen RN will be training nursing students in assessments and nursing protocols.
Please be in prayer as the team prepares for their trip!
Trip participants:
Dr. Eric Gunnoe
Dr. Jim Walker
Karen Goeke, RN
Ann Hagensen, RN
Craig Anderson, PCP Director of Medical & Health Programs
Typical Costs
Medicines: $1,000-$2,000
Supplies: $2,000
Translating training materials into French & Printing: $750
Transporting Medical Supplies: $300
Follow-up Training: $1,000
Total Approximate Costs: $4,300-$5,300
Flights, Visas, Vaccinations, In-Country Travel and Expenses: $4,250/person
Donate
Medical Ambassadors raise support for their travel costs, training supplies, and medicines. All donations will be used towards the Medical Ambassador Program in Congo (at this time, we can only receive monetary donations due to weight limits and specific needs). Thank you!
MEDICAL AMBASSADOR STORIES
Our Medical Ambassadors are dedicated to working alongside their Congolese colleagues to learn, grow, and support the work in Congo. Here are a few stories of their experiences and challenges along the way. To receive these stories by email, sign up for our newsletter!
We are very saddened to share with you the passing of Dr. Kurt Lindquist on June 15, 2019. Kurt was a PCP Medical Ambassador and [...]
In the fall of 2018, the MST (Medical Steering Team) of the PCP Medical Ambassadors voted Ann Hagensen to serve as President of PCP Medical [...]
In September, a small Medical Ambassador team from the U.S. traveled to Wasolo for the first time, bringing with them skilled nurses from Karawa to [...]
by Dr. Eric Gunnoe, Medical Ambassador It was Thursday afternoon and we had finished the hardest days. We were now testing the clinical skills of [...]
by Flory Buki Manager of Sourcing and Contracting at Swedish Covenant Hospital, PCP Board Member, and PCP Medical Ambassador From May 19 to May 26, I [...]
Part 2 of "Will This Training Make a Difference?" Dr. Gado, the CEUM Medical Director, provided PCP with a report that 42 clinic nurses received the [...]
Part 1 of 2. Dr. Jim Walker, PCP Medical Ambassador The word that most often comes to my mind about the medical situation in Congo [...]
This past May, a three-member Emergency Medicine (EM) Medical Ambassador team from the Paul Carlson Partnership served six days in the small village of Loko, [...]
How can we help one dentist in Congo change dental health from thousands of miles away? Slowly, over time, and with a strong focus. Some […]
Happy Holidays! We want to wish you a very joyous Christmas season and provide you with an update on the recent conference a group of [...]
by Craig Anderson, Director of Medical and Health Programs Hello Medical Ambassadors! I hope you have enjoyed the summer months. We at PCP have been […]
by Craig Anderson, Director of Medical and Health Programs At the end of March, I took my first trip to Congo with a group of […]
by Dr. Jim Walker, PCP Medical Ambassador Last year, we learned about Anne Marie Magolo Zuku, a nurse at the IPOK Clinic near Gemena. She […]
When Healthcare Hurts was the topic and a seemingly oxymoronic phrase. How can healthcare ever be hurtful? Yet this was a key theme of the […]
When you are looking for a new physician, how do you find one? Most of us ask our friends and family to find a doctor […]
March 23, 2015 The latest PCP Medical Ambassadors training team has returned from Congo! The stories of their experiences are overwhelming. Dr. Bob DeMaster, RN […]
Partners on the Journey: A Special 50th Anniversary Blog Series, Part 12, By Mike Hertensteinn Dr. Jim Walker had never seen a mother die in […]
By Stan Friedman RED WING, MN (July 23, 2014) — Julie Malyon, a nurse and director of a free medical clinic, was curious about the [...]
March 22, 2013 Three volunteer doctors are gearing up for the next Paul Carlson Partnership medical mission trip to Congo, coming in mid- to late […]
BECOME A MEDICAL AMBASSADOR
If you are a student, currently in practice, or retired, and have always wondered how you can use your training in international service, this program is for you!