Are you a doctor craving adventure? Here are some ways you can achieve that: 1. MSF Doctors “Working with MSF brings together three of my big interests in life; and that’s medicine, politics, and travel.” (Barbara, Pharmacist with MSF) While the passion for travel will certainly be met upon joining doctors without borders (Medicine San Frontier’s), the deeper reason for anyone to join their cause is of humanitarian context: where, MSF is a non-governmental organization dedicated solely for the service of those in need of medical attention and who lack the resources whether financial, political, technical or logistical. Their qualified personnel include physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, technicians, and also engineers. They cover places from South Sudan to Belarus including but not limited to Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Pakistan, Greece, Kenya, Nigeria and many others. Working as a doctor without border is an extremely rewarding career for anyone who has ever dreamt of “saving the world” and who has a sense of adventure and is a little bit of a danger seeker. MSF, being a NGO, communicates the truth of what takes place in these countries in the hopes that speaking up may better the situation. Travelling with MSF exposes different cultures and life conditions, some even life threatening if you have a mission somewhere where there’s active combat or occurring natural disasters, but nonetheless rewarding to those on a quest to push their limits and experience all there is in life. 2. Military Doctors While in a way similar to being an MSF doctor, where the risks of working close to active combat is a common factor, being a military doctor is also fundamentally different, where, being an MSF doctor means belonging to and serving a non-governmental organization that allows you to live and work overseas, working with the military means serving your country, your country’s people, your country’s policies and army: in summary, definitely a doctor with borders. While it’s really cool to get to wear combat boots and army apparel, what’s cooler is to save the lives of those soldiers who risked themselves fighting for your country. It’s a definitely rewarding career choice whether on the social, psychological or financial level. 3. Ambulatory care doctors Being a first responder (whether firefighter, police officer or EMT) makes you a hero no doubt, but being a medically trained first responder! That’s a cause for applause. Ambulance doctors get to be the first saviors in the sight of danger, they get to work fast and under extremely stressful conditions to utilize their skills and training to save emergency situations. If you have ever dreamt of being a hero, this job is for you! 4. Trauma surgeons Also similar to ambulatory doctors, trauma surgeons only work on cases of extreme danger and under extreme stress, you can always see them running around hospitals and blood banks, and while this job may be “traumatic” for some individuals (pun intended), it’s a job that allows you to put on your hero gown (in this case: scrubs) and save the day the way only you can. 5. Forensic pathologists All doctors encounter death sometime in their career, some more than others; surgeons and geriatric physicians encounter it more than other specialties, but no one comes as close to death as forensic doctors. Forensic pathologists carry out autopsies, biopsies and examine the cause, time, and also manner of death which gives this job a slight tinge of detective vibes that many doctors find interesting. Forensics is also a specialty that is always in close contact with the law where examiners are often summoned to testify in court if criminal activity is proven. If you are a fan of Hannibal and crime solving series and liked to play detective when you were young, then this is definitely the job for you!
