Counting Down, 1 Week to Departure!

Hey everyone,

After months of anticipation, I am now only 7 days away from departure to Costa Rica!

Many of you already know the basic details of my mission trip this summer, but I’ll take this opportunity to update everyone and fill in the gaps before heading out. From June 17th to August 15th, I’ll head to Central America with about 26 other engineering students from around the globe. This is through the Engineering World Health(EWH) Summer Institute, dedicated to enhancing medical technology in developing countries. We plan to spend one month in San Jose, Costa Rica, for lessons in Spanish and medical equipment troubleshooting before partnering up and traveling to selected hospitals in either Nicaragua or Honduras to repair medical devices for a second month.

In these developing nations, a surprising amount of medical equipment can’t be used because the resources for basic repairs are lacking or because medical staff simply haven’t been trained on equipment operation. We’ll bring tools and equipment to put into practice what we’ve learned in school as well as what we learn through our training in Costa Rica to tackle what we may in just a few short weeks. Some of the tasks might include performing inventory, repairing devices, writing instruction manuals, and training others.


During the second month, from mid-July to mid-August, I’ll be working at the public hospital of Roatan, located on Roatan Island, Honduras. Check out the map. Roatan is circled, one of the three main Bay Islands, or “Islas de la Bahia.” Of several hospitals, this is the single public hospital on the island and the only affordable option for many. I’m no expert on the conditions there, but will be learning much more in the coming weeks. Ironically, just west of where I’ll be is one of the most popular scuba diving and snorkeling hot spots in Central America.

As you can imagine, I’m looking forward to an awesome cultural immersion experience and to being a part of this larger effort to improve healthcare around the globe! I’ve created this blog to help stay in touch with everyone at home in the US, and will try to post here often and as internet access allows.

Please check back often, and I’ll do my best to keep it interesting!

Tom