Our Vision & Strategy

 

The Summer Medical Institute trains 30 health professions students each year from around the nation to integrate biblical principles and healthcare in preparation for being compassionate and excellent caregivers. Serving on the cutting edge of issues of faith and medicine, the SMI is a leadership institute, providing life-changing training and interpreted experiences to its participants. Through workshops led by visiting faculty, discipleship groups, bible study, and personal application, students develop a deeper understanding of biblical medicine while growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ and with their peers. SMI students are equipped with the character and the competency needed to become leaders in the heath profession and to change the world for Jesus Christ.

 

The "lab practicum" of the SMI is a medical outreach campaign in underserved communities in Harlingen, Texas and Matamoros, Mexico (across the border from one another). Participants spend two days per week in each community, reserving a fifth day for workshops and Bible study. The summer begins with appropriate orientation and training in the areas of health care delivery, research protocol, and cultural issues. Under the leadership of Valley Baptist Medical Center and their Family Practice Residency, the SMI offers a health-fair style event in each community in Harlingen, followed by door-to-door canvassing to provide further healthcare services and follow-up. Students offer diabetes screenings, hypertension screenings, and a pediatric health intervention such as free bike helmets with bicycle safety education. Integrated into the health survey are questions assessing people's spiritual needs. These often lead to opportunities to share about God's love and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Working together with local churches, SMI participants also take part in the spiritual follow-up of the families served, ensuring that those interested connect with local churches for further spiritual care. In Mexico, students and faculty run day-long church-based health clinics offering health screenings and services for local residents along with gospel outreach and preventive health education.

 

When not leading the outreach campaign, students benefit from a variety of activities. SMI participants live and eat together at an academy in Harlingen. SMI faculty and staff also live on site, providing wonderful opportunities for relationships and mentoring. Each student participates in a discipleship group with three or four peers for deeper Bible study, fellowship, and prayer. Others from the community join the SMI for a weekly fellowship meeting. In addition to a weekly day of worship and rest, one day a week is reserved for sightseeing, recreation, or catching up on sleep.