Real clinical need decides the map — not convenience, and never tourism.
Every destination we choose is chosen for one reason: a community with genuine, documented healthcare need, and a licensed medical team already working there for scholars to support. Here's where our first cohorts are headed.
We fund the trip — we don't run it
The Next Shift doesn't organize or lead medical missions ourselves. Our role is to raise, in full, the cost of a scholar's trip — flights, program fees, and travel expenses. Once that amount is raised, we cover those costs so the scholar can apply to and travel with an established, independently-run medical relief organization, such as International Medical Relief (IMR), a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002.
The Next Shift is not sponsored by, endorsed by, or formally partnered with IMR or any other named medical mission organization. Every scholar we fund still has to meet that organization's own requirements and go through its own application and acceptance process — we don't control or guarantee placement, we simply make sure the cost is never the reason a family says no. Before any scholar travels, The Next Shift finalizes a written agreement directly with the receiving organization, and every clinical activity in the field is led and supervised by their credentialed staff, not ours.
We'll name each confirmed partner organization on this page once an agreement is signed. If you lead or know a vetted medical relief organization interested in hosting one of our cohorts, we'd love to hear from you.
Where the need is greatest, and the welcome is warmest.
These are illustrative regions guiding our first partner search — exact villages and countries will be confirmed as each partnership is finalized.
Highland villages with long travel distances to the nearest hospital
Many Andean and Central American communities sit hours from the nearest full-service hospital. Mobile clinics fill that gap with basic care, screenings, and health education — exactly the kind of hands-on, well-supervised environment where a scholar can see medicine at its most human.
Villages where a single visiting clinic serves thousands
In many rural East African communities, a single mobile clinic day can be the only access to a doctor families see all year. Scholars support triage, patient flow, and basic screenings under direct clinical supervision — witnessing the scale of need and the resourcefulness it takes to meet it.
Mountain and rural communities with seasonal access to care
From Himalayan foothill villages to rural Southeast Asian communities, seasonal weather and terrain can cut off access to consistent care. Scholars join established teams during accessible seasons, supporting patient intake and recovery-area care under full supervision.
Five checks, every time — no exceptions.
- Documented healthcare need — verified through public health data and our local partner's own patient records, not assumptions.
- A licensed, established medical partner already on the ground — The Next Shift never runs a clinic without one.
- Current U.S. Department of State travel guidance reviewed for every destination before booking, especially where scholars are minors.
- Dedicated chaperone supervision for minor scholars that meets or exceeds our policy at every hour of the trip.
- Genuine cultural exchange — scholars learn from the community as much as they contribute to it.
About our destinations
Help us reach the first destination.
Every dollar raised brings a real clinic day, in a real community, closer to reality.