Description

Interning on a Medicine & Healthcare project in Peru is a fascinating experience. As a Medicine & Healthcare intern you will gain a great deal of valuable international work experience alongside skilled medical and dentistry professionals. The facilities are generally of basic standard, although the huge disparity between rich and poor means that there are also a number of well-equipped private hospitals in the country.

Our Medicine & Healthcare program in Peru is based in the World Heritage city of Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incan Empire. We work with several hospitals in the city and interns are placed according to their experience and preferences.

Interns who are qualified or part way through their medical training often intern at Es Salud hospital, the biggest in Cuzco. The hospital is modern and well equipped and interns can work in a variety of departments with specialists. We also work with the second biggest regional hospital in the Cuzco area as well as with a specialist hospital for anyone focusing on obstetrics and gynecology.

Interns can also work at one of several health clinics where interns with less experience will usually work closely with one doctor who has more time to explain the illnesses and treatments than the staff at the bigger hospitals. The main areas here are general medicine, gynecology and pediatrics. Outreach visits to local communities are also sometimes arranged.

Finally we have the option of working at a children's rehabilitation hospital. This hospital is run by a priest and looks after many children with special needs. Interns here help feed and play with the children.

Our program coordinator is Patricia Davila, a dentist, with many years of experience in the social health sector in Cuzco. Patricia previously worked for German and Dutch NGOs and understands the needs of our interns.

Throughout the year we are also invited to help with some specific health campaigns. For example, in September 2008 we were invited to assist with the CIRPLAST campaign where children with a harelip undergo operations. All interns who apply for Medicine & Healthcare in Peru will be kept up to date with these extra projects.

Interns on the medical internships usually work from Monday to Friday and have the weekends free. Daily hours vary from place to place and will be decided during your first meeting with Patricia and your internship supervisor. Please remember that these medical internships needs to be taken seriously and the doctors with whom you work will expect you to be punctual and attentive. Interns with a positive attitude and pro-active approach will get a great deal out of the program.

If you are a trained or training nurse or midwife or simply on a gap year or career-break and interested in gaining some experience in the field, you could intern with us on a Nursing or Midwifery internship in Peru. Our interns work in a variety of hospitals and health clinics in and around Cuzco. Like all our medical-related internships in Peru, intermediate Spanish is needed. Your exact role will be determined by your knowledge and experience, but a willingness to learn and a flexible, enthusiastic attitude is essential.

Dental internships in Peru take place in health centers and clinics in Cuzco. Our supervising dentists are happy for interns to get involved, regardless of how much experience you have. However, it is important that you are eager to learn and speak intermediate Spanish.

You can do an Elective in Peru in Medicine and Dentistry.

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

Outside of the hospital you will live with a local host family, who will provide you with all your meals outside of your normal working hours. When you aren't at work there is plenty to do in Cuzco with ancient Inca buildings awaiting discovery amongst the cobble-stoned streets, as well as plenty of bars and restaurants. At the end of your elective why not take a short holiday and trek up to the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu?

Highlights

For your accommodation, you will live with a local Peruvian family who will provide you with meals and the opportunity to practice your Spanish.

Peru is a country of contrasts, a place of extremes: desert and jungle, snow-peaks and sand dunes, great wealth and grinding poverty. Peru is the perfect place to immerse yourself in South American life while you're volunteering abroad. In the towns you can sample local foods and delicacies and you may even find yourself celebrating your birthday with Cuy - guinea pig - as the main dish!

From Urubamba it's easy to visit Cuzco and Machu Picchu. You can also go rafting on the Urubamba River or see traditional Andean theater and dance. If you're seeking thrills of an adrenaline-driven nature, venture into the Andes, which offer some of the best mountain-climbing and trekking opportunities on the planet. Take a weekend trip to explore the enigmatic Nazca Lines, or enjoy a boat ride on Lake Titicaca, the world's highest lake.

Puerto Maldonado is a dynamic young town, home to 25,000 people. On your days off from the Rainforest Project, as well as taking the boat back to enjoy life in a frontier town, you may have the opportunity to take a river trip to the Sandoval Lake where you can enjoy fishing, wildlife watching or just meeting with the locals.

Although Peru is a great gateway to the rest of South America, there are so many rich things to see within the country itself that you may not ever want to venture over its borders! It's a magical melting pot of different cultures, stunning scenery and bio-diversity.

Qualifications

An intermediate level of spoken Spanish.

Intern Types

• Medicine
• Health Sciences
• 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 abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

The price of each placement includes all your food and accommodation, transfers to and from the airport, full travel and medical insurance plus support and 24 hour back-up from our staff based around the world.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Community Health
• Culture
• Health
• Health Care
• Hospital
• Volunteering

Typical Volunteer

Open-minded with a desire to travel.

Age Range

16-80

This Program is open to

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

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

10 days

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