Peace Corps/Senegal: Basics & abbreviations

Mission:

  1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
  2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
  3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of all Americans.

 

Application process: generally lasts 6-9 months

  1. Submission of application
  2. Interview
  3. Medical and legal clearance
  4. Placement invitation

 

Period of service: 2-3 months as a Trainee, 24 months as a Volunteer
 

Location of service: developing nations around the world, divided into seven regions: Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, North Africa & the Middle East, Eastern Europe & Central Asia, Asia, and Pacific Islands
 

Types of service: Education, Youth Outreach, and Community Development; Business Development; Environment; Agriculture; Health and HIV/AIDS; and Information Technology
 

Abbreviations:

  • Ad Sep: Administrative Separation (occurs when Peace Corps administration decides to end a PCV’s service early)
  • APCD: Associate Peace Corps Director (the director, often a HCN, in charge of your program)
  • CD: Country Director (senior Peace Corps official for a country)
  • COS: Close of Service (completion of Peace Corps service)
  • ET: Early Termination (used as a noun or a verb, ET refers to a PCT or PCV choosing to leave service early)
  • Field Sep: Field Separation (occurs when a PCV ends her service early but arranges to remain in the host country rather than immediately return to the US)
  • HCN: Host Country National
  • IOS: Interruption of Service (occurs when an entire program is pulled from a country. PCVs who don’t meet the minimum requirement for a COS—usually at least one year of service—are listed as IOS)
  • IST: In-Service Training (usually held twice during a PCV’s two years of service; to expand technical and/or language skills)
  • Med Evac: Medical Evacuation (if a PCV is sick/injured and can’t be treated in-country, she will be sent either to DC or to the closest reliable medical facilities)
  • Med Sep: Medical Separation (Med Sep occurs when a PCT or PCV is sent home for medical reasons)
  • OMS: Office of Medical Services
  • PCMO: Peace Corps Medical Officer (the MD, PA, or RN in charge of a country’s medical office)
  • PCT: Peace Corps Trainee (prospective PCV currently training in-country)
  • PCV: Peace Corps Volunteer (PCT who has been sworn-in)
  • PST: Pre-Service Training (the three months of in-country training before you are sworn in as a volunteer)
  • RPCV: Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (a Peace Corps Volunteer who has successfully completed service)

(gathered from peacecorps.gov and the peacecorps2 yahoogroups site)