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A single sentence can change a life. For Blake Jones, it was a cold prediction at 16 that pushed him toward medicine with a vow to lead with skill and compassion. Years later, two service learning trips—first to Costa Rica, then Guatemala—turned that vow into a calling, as he learned to practice “medicine from a backpack,” partner with local physicians, and make focused decisions when resources run scarce. Those days in makeshift clinics didn’t just teach vitals and physical exams; they hardwired a mindset: do the most good with what you have, and never lose sight of the person in front of you.

From there, Blake layered in the discipline of research, the urgency of EMT training, and the realism of full-scale disaster simulations at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. The Health Professions Scholarship Program opened a path to serve as an Army physician, blending a taste for austere medicine with a deep commitment to patients who run toward danger. Now at a Level 1 trauma center within a military-civilian partnership, he’s steeped in high-acuity cases, tough rotations, and the kind of repetition that builds judgment fast. Along the way, he shares two cases that still anchor his why: an elderly patient with a palpable abdominal aortic aneurysm who needed swift escalation, and a woman who needed a $20 antibiotic that changed everything when a student reached into her pocket.

We get practical and personal: what service learning clinics actually look like, how to think about research that opens doors, why HPSP may fit a mission-driven student, and how to face burnout without losing your center. Blake’s message is clear and hard-earned: if you’re chasing money or status, medicine will drain you; if you’re here to make someone’s life better, it gives more than it takes. For students nervous about cost or comfort zones, we talk scholarships, mentors, and why saying yes can reshape your career—and your character.

Subscribe for more stories that connect global health, medical education, and real-world emergency care. If this conversation sparked something for you, share it with a friend, leave a review, and tell us the moment that shaped your path.

I also want to thank our listeners for joining us as it is our goal to not only share with you our guest’s introduction to international healthcare, but also to share with you how that exposure to international healthcare has shaped their future path in healthcare. As true patient advocates, we should all aspire to be as well rounded as possible in order to meet the needs of our diverse patient populations.

As a 45+ year nurse that has worked in quite a variety of clinical roles in our healthcare system, taught healthcare courses for the past 20 years at the university level, and has traveled extensively with my students on international service-learning trips, I can easily attest to the fact that healthcare focused students need, and greatly benefit from the opportunity to have hands-on experiential healthcare experiences in an international setting! I have seen the growth of students post travel as their self-confidence in their newly acquired skillsets, both clinical and cultural, facilitates their ability to take advantage of opportunities that previously may not have been available to them. By rendering care internationally, and stepping outside one's comfort zone, many more doors of opportunity will be opened.

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