FAQs
- What happens after I register as a volunteer?
Once you have submitted your interest, NECO's coordinating team will be in contact to assess your suitability for Orbis programs based on professional, clinical and educational experience. After this, your details will be forwarded onto Orbis International.
Once a suitable Orbis program presents, Orbis International will be in contact.
- What are the qualifications I need to volunteer?
Credentialing requirements include US or international optometry board certification plus a minimum of five years experience post completion of academic training. Suitability will be assessed at the discretion of NECO and Orbis Intentional program coordinators.
- What does a typical program involve?
Although Flying Eye Hospital and Hospital Based programs are different, optometry training is always held in a hospital setting.
A typical training week for optometry consists of morning lectures proceeded by clinical workshops. A list of lecture and workshop topics will be provided by Orbis coordinators. Lecture templates will be provided by NECO's coordinating team, in addition to previous lectures given by NECO Volunteer Faculty. Clinical workshops are designed to help trainees learn new techniques and work through challenging patient cases. Real patient cases may be provided by trainees or theoretical cases provided by NECO's coordinating team and led by the Volunteer Faculty. All training material is complied with the help of NECO's coordinating team.
Occasionally, on the larger programs, Volunteer Faculty may be invited to present a lecture of their choice at a symposium of local health leaders and fellow Volunteer Faculty prior to the program beginning. Notice will be given if this is included in your program.
- Will I be accompanied on the trip?
Flying Eye Hospital and hospital based programs have quite different atmospheres.
Small hospital based programs may host other Orbis Volunteer Faculty including an ophthalmic surgeon, an anesthetist, a nurse and/or a biomedical technician. However, on some hospital based trips you may be the sole Orbis Volunteer Faculty. Regardless, there will be an Orbis program support person on site assisting you with whatever you may need and keeping you up-to-date on daily plans.
Larger programs, particularly those being run alongside the Flying Eye Hospital, will include many more Orbis managers and Volunteer Faculty as the scope of the program is larger. In some cases, more than one optometry Volunteer Faculty will join a program, however, this is not always feasible or necessary.
- Who arranges my travel details?
Volunteer Faculty will be provided with all the information necessary for smooth and easy travel, including during your program. Travel arrangements are made by Orbis including flights, accommodation, visas, hotel-airport transport and daily transport to the hospital. Volunteer Faculty are asked to consult with their personal physician regarding necessary vaccinations for the region. Volunteering clinicians are expected to make their own arrangements with clinic directors to take time off from clinical duties.
- What details will I be given about the program topic, available facilities and the trainees participating?
Prior to your program beginning, you will receive confirmation letters including details regarding program logistics, hospital facilities, program topics and hotel details. Additionally, you will receive a profile on the trainees and the objectives of the partner hospital. Any further information you are requiring during your preparation can be obtained by contacting the Program Coordinators at NECO and Orbis.
- Will the lectures I give on an Orbis trip be made available to trainees and upcoming Volunteer Faculty?
Yes, all materials will be made available to those trainees signed up to your program and, through a secure resource portal, to proceeding Volunteer Faculty. Furthermore, you may be asked to contribute to educational material on the Cybersight portal which is accessed by all Orbis participants.
The contribution of content by all Volunteer Faculty ensures the optometry academic program remains up-to-date and minimizes the time burden on individual Volunteer Faculty preparing for a program.
- What kind of time commitment should I expect for a program?
Each Volunteer Faculty will be given as much notice as possible of topics and travel plans. NECO's coordinating team will work closely with you to prepare any lectures and workshops required to minimize your time commitment prior to the program. You may be asked to correspond with trainees prior to your program to begin building a professional relationship and better understand the needs of trainees. At the end of training, Orbis ask that you fill out a brief evaluation form.
Each program usually runs for one week, including travel.
- What if I am offered a program and I am unable to participate because of other commitments?
That is fine, another NECO Volunteer Faculty will be asked. We only ask that Volunteer Faculty answer as quickly as possible if they are unable to attend and that those who have confirmed attending a program standby their commitment.
In some programs, the date of the program may be flexible and able to be scheduled around your current commitments. The coordinating team will discuss this with you from the beginning of program recruitment if this is the case.
- Where in the world is Orbis offering optometry training programs?
Currently, Orbis International work across the globe in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, South Africa, Vietnam and Zambia.
New England College of Optometry volunteers are currently working Bangladesh, Cameroon, India, Zambia and China. We hope to extend optometry training to other countries in the near future.
- Do I need to contribute funding to the programs?
This is a volunteer program and, similar to other mission programs, clinicians will be required to take vacation time to attend a trip. Vacation time is to be arranged between the doctor and their clinical director through the normal procedures for that clinic.
However, unlike most mission trips, these faculty programs are generously supported by Orbis International, NECO and private donors, to cover all trip related expenses, including travel, visas and accommodation.
If you would like to fundraise for Orbis International programs we are happy to supply information and support for your event!
- What does a clinician get out of these programs?
These mission trips are unlike any other!
The effects of your participation in these programs will continue well beyond the week you are volunteering. Inevitability, professional relationships are formed each trip with trainees, health partners and fellow Volunteer Faculty from across the globe. Orbis is a family of healthcare professionals working together to build sustainable ocular health care systems and relationships.
Not only does a clinician gain international experience in patient care but also international experience in clinical teaching and program development. Furthermore, as Volunteer Faculty you have the additional opportunity to partake in and possibly provide live international webinars, live procedural demonstrations, healthcare Q&As and educational resources.