A survey of international medical volunteers’ experiences of working with Voluntary Service Overseas in Ethiopia

Many skilled medical professionals from high-income countries volunteer to work in poor-resource settings. There is, however, little research to assess the views and experiences of such healthcare providers. Our study sought to explore this among Voluntary Service Overseas volunteers working in Ethiopia for one year. An online survey was distributed to all returned international medical volunteers one year after their return to their base country. Most felt that they had impacted the local community in which they worked and reported a positive experience, recommending this to friends or family, but there was a small subgroup whose experience was otherwise. We believe there is a need for more comprehensive, systematic and robust monitoring in order to evaluate the outcomes of medical volunteers’ placements.