CHSC Reserve Corps 

The first step to serving as a volunteer with CHSC is to complete the online Reserve Corps application including two references and upload your CV (in pdf form). You will then be asked to meet online for an informal interview and to discuss possible opportunities. We will review your application and check your references. You will be notified of our decision in a timely fashion, and you will have an opportunity to ask questions.

When you have been accepted to serve with CHSC, you will be enrolled in an online orientation course, which usually occurs once every month on a Saturday morning. During this time, you will be given information on how to begin fundraising for your work with CHSC. We will discuss possible sites for service during this time but will not give a firm answer until we check with locations. CHSC partners with more than 30 hospitals globally, however needs vary and placement location is based on need.

When Healthcare Hurts: An Evidence-Based Guide for Best Practices in
Global Health Initiatives by Greg Seager is required reading. Those that want to continue to serve with
CHSC are required to attend our online or in-person Global Health and
Tropical Medicine course offered twice per year.

After we iron out the details of where you will serve, we will help you obtain temporary licensure where needed, book your tickets, buy traveler’s insurance, and arrange both international and in-country travel for your time of service.

While on the field, we will continue to pay close attention to your progress. After your initial trip with CHSC, we arrange a debriefing time where you can provide feedback on your experience.

CHSC does not charge volunteers to serve, however there are costs associated with your volunteer service. Like our long-term medical workers, we ask short-term medical professionals to raise or donate funds to CHSC.  Once you are accepted to the CHSC Reserve Corps for part-time volunteer service, CHSC will be able to pay expenses from money donated to the organization. Note that CHSC retains a 10% administrative allocation for all funds donated to CHSC for service of staff and volunteers.

Expenses for volunteer service vary according to location and will be discussed independently with each volunteer and hospital location.  An average estimate is between three and five thousand dollars plus airfare.  Examples of expenses may include: airfare, travel insurance, in country medical license, ground transportation, accommodation, meals, translator, laundry, and vaccinations.

Short-term medical service requires at least one month. This time accounts for travel, onsite orientation, service, and conclusion. CHSC Reserve Corps views service beyond 1 year as a long-term commitment requiring the long-term service application. Therefore, time spent as a short-term volunteer is 1 – 12 months. Licensed surgeons and anesthesia providers will be considered for shorter periods of service since Reserve Corps surgical projects are typically 10 to 14 days.

The CHSC online orientation happens once per month, usually on a Saturday morning. This orientation focuses on all the needed information for joining CHSC Reserve Corps as a volunteer. It also reviews core concepts outlined in When Healthcare Hurts: An Evidence-Based Guide for Best Practices in Global Health Initiatives. Those that want to continue to serve with CHSC are required to attend our online or in-person Global Health and Tropical Medicine course offered twice per year.

All established mission hospitals with CHSC long-term staff are open to receive volunteers on a case-by-case basis. CHSC Reserve Corps will assist you in finding the best fit for both you and the onsite volunteer location. CHSC partners with more than 30 hospitals globally, however needs vary and placement location is based on need.

Yes. CHSC has engineers, accountants, mechanics, photographers, and IT professionals already working with our established mission hospitals. There is often a place for you to walk alongside them and join their work or create a niche of your own.

Most CHSC hospital partners are established medical facilities with guest housing available. Some based in urban areas may have housing close by.

There are a few locations that you are permitted to work with a US license under the authority of the hospital. However, most require temporary licensure for your time of volunteer service. The complexity of the temporary licensure process varies from country to country, but CHSC staffing coordinators will assist you through the process.

CHSC arranges all travel through our travel agent. This is because we have a better knowledge of all arrangements required for traveling to your specific location and can arrange safe, secure transportation even to remote areas.  Because of our experience, we can often obtain a better fare and offer you 24-hour assistance during your trip. 

A transport company chosen by CHSC, a CHSC staff member, or a representative from the hospital will meet you at the airport. They will make sure both you and your luggage are transported to the hospital, and that you are introduced to the long-term mission staff there.

Any international travel has its risks, especially in low- and middle-income countries.  However, CHSC minimizes this risk because we have long-term staff who are constantly assessing the security situation on the ground in every partner location. We are part of a security network that provides CHSC leadership with security briefings weekly and more often for high-threat areas. We do everything possible to track areas of instability that pose higher than normal threats, but it is impossible to guarantee total safety. All volunteers travel and serve at their own risk. 

CHSC has a couple of partner facilities that will consider medical students on a case-by-case basis. However, we prefer our nurses have at least two years experience.

Many of our long-term missionary staff in CHSC partner mission hospitals live with their children on the field. We will take your family dynamics into consideration when we discuss possible areas of service. If you wish to take your children with you as you serve, special arrangements must be made, and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. The safety of all our volunteers is our primary concern.

It is important to have adequate funds while traveling internationally. Depending on location, CHSC may cover your housing costs at the facility directly or we may ask you to submit them for reimbursement out of your CHSC account. Usually, you will be responsible for your own meals. You will be able to purchase necessary food and supplies on your way to the hospital location and at various intervals during your time on the ground.

We encourage you to have enough cash with you to provide for your other basic and special needs.  You will have access to foreign currency by exchanging money at a bank before traveling to your area of service. In rural areas, it is hard to count on the ability to use credit cards .Cash from debit cards is often available but may also be limited.

We can give you specific instructions based on the country of service. Be sure to inform your bank both when and where you will be traveling so they do not lock your funds. Information about your specific area of service will be made available to you as you prepare for your trip.

Please advise CHSC of any dietary restrictions or health conditions at the beginning of the application process.

We all have dietary preferences which may be amended for a short time while serving in a foreign country. However, if a dietary restriction is due to a serious food allergy, we may not be able to accommodate your limitations. Simple things like dairy or eggs may not be a problem, but a peanut or gluten allergy could pose a serious constraint.

While packing for your trip, do not forget to carry essential medicines.  Also, carry a prescription of all the medicines that you are carrying in case authorities decide to check at immigration.

Bathroom availability varies by location, but it’s best not to count on having your own bathroom. While we do our best to provide you with a nice place to stay, many accommodations provided will have shared bathroom facilities with other volunteers.  It is likely you will have running water, but hot water may be a temperamental luxury available only during certain times.   

Fiber-optic is the least widely available option for internet access, but it still may be an option depending on where you serve. Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots are often available in rural areas but a local SIM card or cell phone may be required to access it. Many of the hospitals have public Wi-Fi but it is not usually a high-quality connection.

This depends on the location, but dedicated translators are usually not an option for individual placements. However, many staff can help with translating local dialects as needed. We prefer providers have some language skills or we may need to place you where you can function in English.

Reserve Corps surgical teams and specialty outreach initiatives will usually have interpreters in non-English speaking locations. Hiring a local translator may be an option based on location. Please be aware that interpreters may not speak English fluently and some things will be lost in translation.

CHSC staff and volunteers raise their own funds through individuals, friends, family, and churches. Support is provided through this process. A CHSC account is assigned to all staff members and volunteers, and training and support is provided to raise funds needed for service. A donation webpage, text-to-give number, and peer-to-peer fundraising tools are provided. For long-term CHSC staff, we provide a monthly salary and expenses with those funds designated for their ministry. For Reserve Corps volunteers, expenses are paid and reimbursed out of their CHSC account. Note that CHSC retains a 10% administrative allocation for all funds donated to CHSC for service of staff and volunteers.

Christian Health Service Corps is an interdenominational organization that ascribes to the Apostles Creed as our statement of faith. We support multiple Christian denominational and nondenominational hospitals. However, CHSC is an independent public 501c3 healthcare organization and is not formally affiliated with any government, denomination, foundation or corporation, though it maintains positive working relationships with all of these.