Sonography: where technology meets compassion. Every day, ultrasound professionals perform a delicate dance of innovation and care, riding the wave of western medicine's evolution, yet never losing sight of our mission - to provide care for the public. Going on international medical missions can provide an invaluable perspective, sparking an overwhelming sense of gratitude among both patients and team members.

Emily Apolinaro, a recent sonography graduate, learned this firsthand during her March 2025 five-day service volunteer trip to Santiago, Dominican Republic.

New Graduate, New Faces

Emily always knew she wanted to be in the medical field. Originally, she was in school to be a physician assistant and was inspired by the sonography industry. So, Emily changed direction and immediately fell in love with sonography upon starting her program at Misericordia University. She felt that her experience throughout the program gave a solid foundation to the skillsets needed for this international volunteer trip.

Having never previously been out of the United States of America, the volunteer program called “Mission ILAC” -- sponsored by the Cuban Association of the Order of Malta, a non-profit focused on charity, humanitarian efforts, and health services – Emily was able to offer her newly-minted sonography skills alongside a full group of nearly 85 medical professionals servicing the Dominican Republic.

“Everybody was so kind and welcoming that it didn’t feel intimidating… Every time I turned around, other volunteers were there to offer help, guidance, and support.” Emily said. “I met so many medical professionals, some of which I would have never had the experience of networking with outside of this volunteer experience.”

Beyond the experience of networking, Emily decided to volunteer on this service trip because she believes in the mission.

“I want to help people,” she said. “I want to step out of my comfort zone, and so when the opportunity arose, I had to jump on it. I am so happy that I did. People need that care, that support, and that empathy.”

Her Impact

Alongside her small sonography team, Emily focused on scanning patients and dedicating as much time of her volunteer service as she could to providing ultrasound care to as many people as possible. Over the course of two and a half days of the trip, Emily estimated that her team completed over 100 ultrasound scans with great efficiency. The days were long, but Emily assures readers that it was incredibly rewarding. She even got the opportunity to scan with equipment that she was not used to practicing with.

“It was more of a point-of-care ultrasound than the type of ultrasound I would complete in my program or in my standard medical practice,” Emily said. This allowed for quick and accurate

scanning. From there, the team of sonographers would relay the information to the doctors in service before starting on the next patient.

Whether scanning with point-of-care ultrasound or on a device Emily was formally trained with, she handled the scans with the same accuracy and intent as she would in a medical office.

“You still want to be optimizing your images and making sure you’re giving the best quality image that you can. No matter what, you must be able to relay that information to those that are examining the scans to ensure a proper diagnosis,” Emily explained. “Every single patient deserves that care and accuracy – no matter the tools used during the scan.”

A Spark Ignited for Volunteering

Emily greatly enjoyed her time volunteering and thought it was an enriching experience. It granted her an extended perspective of sonography care outside of the hospital and/or medical office. This trip reminded her and so many other volunteers that we must treat people with care.

“Treat people how you want to be treated, or how you would want your family to be treated in a medical office. Each person you are scanning is a family member of someone. It could be someone’s daughter, father, mother, son… and every single person deserves the highest level of care that you can provide.”

Emily encourages other new sonographers to take the time to volunteer postgraduation.

“It was an amazing experience to get that feel of patient care in an environment that makes you work outside of your comfort zone. There are so many communities that depend on these service trips to give aid to populations that don’t have the access to such technology and medical expertise,” Emily explained.

“Have empathy and give yourself that perspective through volunteering.”