Earn CME credits while
making a difference

In partnership with Floating Doctors, we insist on a minimum commitment for the full course itinerary, from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon.

Floating Doctors is always searching for volunteers who are interested in longer commitments. If you wish to coordinate Floating Doctors volunteer time after the Orientation to International Aid Work CME Trip is finished, you may do so by scheduling and registering directly with Floating Doctors for the dates you are available. Please keep in mind, extended volunteering requires separate costs that are not included in the RemoteCare Education CME cost. For extended positions, Floating Doctors offers Fellowship positions for most leadership roles on site (click here for more info).

While we have no required age to register, we recommend that participants are at least 18 years old. Participants under 18 are welcomed by Floating Doctors as long as they attend with a parent or legal guardian.

Absolutely! One of our highest priorities is getting young medical providers proficient in the skills we teach so that you can spend your career putting into practice what you learn during your time in the course and with Floating Doctors. There are also some medical schools that already recognize our training and may offer credit for completing our courses. If you are interested, we would be happy to discuss it with both you and your school administrator.

Yes! While most of our participants are physicians, many range in prior skill and experience from first responders to Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants as well. The course is designed to provide solid medical foundational knowledge that is presented in effective ways for many educational backgrounds.

We understand that it can be hard to get away for a full week without your family, so we have programmed this course with the solution in mind! We encourage you to bring your partner or kids (over the age of 10) to Panama when you come. For an additional fee, paid directly to the Floating Doctors, they can stay with you on base, participate, help alongside you in clinic, and during the time you are in lecture, we can help coordinate additional adventures and excursions for your family to local beaches, nature preserves, snorkeling, fishing, cultural exchanges, and great places to eat! We have years of experience in planning these experiences for our families and have secured great discounts on activities, restaurants, and even hotel stays (if families prefer to be off base.) Contact us for additional information on bringing your family along for an unforgettable and rewarding vacation!

Many Floating Doctors staff and volunteers speak Spanish and translators are provided for clinical deployments and other administrative intake to ensure participants and patients can communicate effectively. 

Panama is one of the safest countries in Latin America for tourists, and Bocas del Toro is generally very safe and family friendly. RemoteCare Education and Floating Doctors are committed to promoting the safety and well being of all volunteers and course participants and while safety and security incidents are very rare in our community, general safety guidelines should be followed to help ensure you have a fun and safe experience.

Participants will engage in all aspects of the deployment to develop complete context for the specific logistic needs and solutions of a successful, efficient mobile clinic. This will include preparing clinical field gear and the mobile pharmacy, setting up the clinic on arrival, and optionally rotating through different clinic stations: Medical Provider Station, Patient Intake station, Administration station, and Pharmacy station. If available, a Dental station will also be staffed and physicians will assist Floating Doctors dentists with extractions and other dental care. Veterinary stations may also be present, and providers may assist Floating Doctors veterinarians with animal care and owner education. Rotation through all stations promotes understanding of mobile medical clinic needs and all participants will receive one-on-one support from Floating Doctors medical and logistic leadership during the clinic.

Generally, all participants must stay at the Floating Doctors headquarters. Occasionally, there are extenuating circumstances that may make it difficult for volunteers to stay on base. If you believe you will not be able to stay with Floating Doctors, please contact us to confirm that this is possible before registering.

The course cost covers accommodation at the Floating Doctors base and all meals Sunday through Friday. The FD kitchen is managed by chefs from our neighboring community, and they are justifiably proud of the meals they create.

Floating Doctors has internet access at the volunteer headquarters. There is rarely access to the internet while in the communities where we work. There are many restaurants in town with Wi-Fi (free with purchase) as well. Additionally, wireless internet service is also available to purchase (called a Claro Stick) via a USB stick and service. These are about $75 initially, plus monthly data usage, and available at pharmacies in town.

It depends on your nationality. Citizens of most countries DO NOT need a visa to enter Panama because their countries hold treaties with Panama that entitle their citizens to visit for up to 180 days without a visa. For more information, please click here.