Medical Volunteers

Meet our global community of volunteers who strive for excellence for all patients – for every child and every family.

Operation Smile medical programs are almost entirely volunteer-based, so we rely on medical professionals who can take charge of their roles with confidence, conviction and world-class skill. These traits have made Operation Smile a global leader in performing safe cleft surgery in resource-limited environments for more than four decades. Guided by our Global Medical Standards, medical volunteers must be able to work as a team to balance the highest possible quality of care with efficiency to serve as many patients as our time and resources will allow. This demands stamina – physically, mentally and emotionally – as long hours and a fast pace are expected of our volunteers. Our work also requires travel to locations across the globe, which presents its own set of demands and challenges.

Medical Programs

Operation Smile’s medical programs deliver comprehensive care services to patients with cleft conditions, including both surgical and non-surgical interventions offered at hospitals, clinics, cleft care centers or in community settings.

Length of Time

Medical volunteering work can be short-term (ranging from one day to two weeks) or involve long-term placement of medical professionals to support service delivery, educational and technical exchanges and capacity building activities.

Areas of Expertise

In addition to surgical work, additional opportunities for involvement in medical programs include areas that support the building components of health systems involved in the delivery of safe surgical and anesthesia care.

Support and Training

Operation Smile is dedicated to providing education and training initiatives throughout all of our clinical programs in partnership with local volunteers and health care professionals to support building local capacity.

Location

Our programs are locally led and internationally supported. Volunteers are recruited to participate internationally and in their home-country, local program sites. The criteria and specific skills needed by volunteers will vary by program and country.

Specialties

Volunteers from these medical specialties make up our medical program teams. We recognize that countries have varying job titles and educational requirements.

Anesthesiologist / Pediatric Anesthesiologist / Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist / Anesthesia Clinical Officer

The administration of anesthesia is a critical aspect of performing safe surgery – without it, none of our work would be possible. Our anesthesia providers deliver the highest level of care to a broad age range of patients from infancy to adulthood in varied environments across the globe. They work in harmony with the surgical and nursing teams to deliver anesthetic care and pain management.

Download credentialing requirement s.

Biomedical technicians ensure that we can bring state-of-the-art medical equipment to even the most rural and remote hospitals. Their responsibilities include guaranteeing the integrity of hospital infrastructure and systems. They assess, monitor and repair equipment supplied by both local foundations and Global Headquarters. Our biomedical technicians are essential in ensuring the safety of our patients and volunteers on the medical program.

Download credentialing requirements.

Pre/Post-Operative / Surgical Circulating Nurse / Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU/PICU/NICU) / Operating Room

Our nurses provide patients with their professional skills and personal touch. They embody the compassionate and caring spirit of Operation Smile’s medical volunteer community. Their knowledge of pediatric principles and their diverse abilities ensure that every patient receives the exceptional care they deserve.

Download credentialing requirements.

Our oral health volunteers provide care to surgical and non-surgical patients. This may include extractions, creation of obturators and other strategies that improve intra-oral function, speech and aesthetics of our patients. Throughout the program, they also provide preventative and home care instructions to patients and their families.

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Most of the patients we serve are children, so we rely on the knowledge and insight of pediatricians to interpret the entire health picture of each patient. The pediatrician’s input is critical to our pre-operative comprehensive health evaluations, which determine if children are healthy enough to receive surgery. They continue to care for patients after surgery and ensure families are prepared when taking their child home.

Download credentialing requirements.

Our psychosocial provider volunteers are trained professionals that guide the patient and family through the surgical experience. They utilize their knowledge of child development to ease patient fears and anxieties by explaining and demonstrating every aspect of care. They facilitate therapeutic play and activities, working with parents and act as the child’s and family’s advocate in the often confusing world of the hospital.

Download credentialing requirements.

Recovering from anesthesia is a critical period for our patients. The placement of PACU physicians in the recovery room allows us to provide a safe environment for patients undergoing surgery. Recognition of potential complications and responding with life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills are essential to providing the best level of post-operative monitoring and care. We will consider pediatric anesthesiologists and pediatricians for this role if all qualifications are met.

Download credentialing requirements.

Our speech language therapists have a wide range and depth of educational and clinical experiences in cleft and other craniofacial anomalies. They partner with the medical team to provide insight into which types of procedures or non-surgical options ensure the best speech outcome for every patient. Additionally, they work with patients and families on nutrition and general speech and language education.

Download credentialing requirements.

Become a Volunteer

Are you interested in becoming a medical volunteer with Operation Smile? If so, please complete this form.

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Medical Volunteers

Medical Programs

Length of Time

Areas of Expertise

Support and Training

Location

Specialties

Become a Volunteer

Thank you!

Make Your Gift

Medical Volunteers

Medical Programs

Length of Time

Areas of Expertise

Support and Training

Location

Specialties

Anesthesia

Biomedical Technicians

Nursing

Oral Care

Pediatricians

Psychosocial Providers

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Physicians

Speech Language Therapy

Surgery

Become a Volunteer

Get Involved

Make Your Gift