FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nova Southeastern University's medical school recently expanded its international medical outreach programs to serve more developing nations with medical and humanitarian aid from medical students.

Countries such as Vietnam have been added to the list of nations that already receive medical outreach from NSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM). Those nations include Jamaica, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.

In December, second-year medical students will take time off from their winter vacations to travel abroad to rural and medically underserved communities in Vietnam, Peru, and Jamaica to provide medical services such as physicals, cancer screenings, and other medical examinations.

Many of these medically underserved patients from poor, rural communities have never seen a physician before and suffer from illnesses such as tuberculosis, scabies, malnutrition, hypertension, and diabetes. The students, supervised by the college's medical faculty and local physicians, are bringing medical supplies and provide health and wellness lessons to help patients live healthier lives.

"We decided to expand the medical outreach programs to reach out to more countries that need medical services because there is a great need," said Robin J. Jacobs, Ph.D., M.S.W., director of international medical programs and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine, preventive medicine, biomedical informatics, and public health. "The outreach programs serve two purposes: they benefit patients living in communities that lack sufficient health care and provide our students with hands-on medical training. Also, the experience provides students an opportunity to learn about other cultures."

In addition to volunteering their vacation time, participating students will pay anywhere from 1,100 to $3,800 for trip expenses (includes travel, lodging food, and administrative costs). The COM international medical outreach programs will continue this spring with a trip to Ecuador and a summer trip to Jamaica.

About NSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine: For students pursuing their education at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-COM), the matriculation experience has proven to be both challenging and rewarding. By combining the most contemporary teaching modalities with the newest technology, our students are assured of obtaining the most comprehensive education possible. Thanks to the synergistic energy of our students, faculty members, and staff members of all of our programs, the pursuit of excellence has become a daily reality at NSU-COM. http://medicine.nova.edu/

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels. NSU is the eighth largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally with more than 28,000 students. NSU awards associate's, bachelor's, master's, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. Classified as a research university with "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie's Community Engagement Classification. http://www.nova.edu

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NSU's Medical School Expands Medical Outreach Trips to Developing Nations