Description

Volunteering on a Medicine & Healthcare project in Mexico is a fast-paced and exciting experience. As a Medicine & Healthcare volunteer you will gain a great deal of valuable work experience alongside some of the most skilled and inspirational doctors in the country. The facilities are generally of a good standard, with many hospitals that are quite similar to those in the west.

Volunteers work in city hospitals in Guadalajara. You will spend time working in departments such as gynecology, hematology, obstetrics, pediatrics, pathology, anesthesiology and surgery, with the opportunity to specialize if you wish. Your supervisor can ensure that you work in a variety of areas during your placement, and learn as much as possible about medical and healthcare practice in Mexico.

Doctors and nurses welcome volunteers with a range of experience, so long as they are enthusiastic and eager to participate. By showing initiative and building a good rapport with your colleagues, you can get very involved with the doctors and patients with whom you are working.

Volunteers need to speak some Spanish to join our Mexican Medicine & Healthcare program. If you are unsure as to whether your Spanish is good enough for the program please give us a call. Many volunteers who lack confidence in their Spanish language skills join a Teaching, Care or Spanish project before joining their Medicine & Healthcare program. This gives them the opportunity to brush up their language skills before the medical part of their placement.

If you wish to do your elective in Mexico, you will most likely be working in a large hospital in Guadalajara. You will shadow one of our supervisors who are very experienced at working with western medical and healthcare students. They will be eager to test out your knowledge, as well as give you the benefit of their training and experience.

Highlights

Mexico is a real meeting-place of cultures: a modern, industrialized and well-educated country that's full of history. American, Spanish and Indian influences all come together to make it a fascinating place that mixes developed and developing worlds. Mexico is a stimulating mixture of wealth and poverty, and offers amazing opportunities for volunteers to learn and travel within its expansive borders.

It's a paradise country of mountains and volcanoes, deserts and beautiful beaches and ancient ruins and civilizations, with nearly 30 World Heritage Sites. It is one of the most diverse countries in the world in terms of biodiversity, with over 200,000 different species of flora and fauna.

Qualifications

An intermediate level of Spanish, though no medical experience or qualifications are necessary.

Intern Types

• Medicine
• Nursing

Languages

• English
• Spanish

Cost in US$:

Please go to our website for prices.

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Travel while in host country
• Written materials pre-departure
• Written materials abroad

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Community Health
• Health
• Health Care
• Medicine
• Nursing

Typical Volunteer

Open-minded with a desire to travel.

Age Range

16-70

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement

As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded

1992