Internships in Trujillo, Peru

Vive Peru was a wonderful experience because I was able to meet and interact with wonderful people. I learned a bit about cultural values, education, food, and family life. I learned a lot of Spanish as well! My program involved shadowing doctors to gain clinical experience for about seven hours a day. Students can select what specialties or areas of medicine they are interested in learning about, and program directors work very hard to connect students with local hospitals in those fields. Because I was in Peru at a time with fewer volunteers, each student had a translator assigned to him or her which helped facilitate the shadowing experience. It was very friendly, safe, and lots of fun. Students also have opportunities to participate in weekend trips to interesting sites and cities. These trips were always exciting, although they were less immersive because I spent more time with American students.

My experience was amazing with Vive Peru. I made long lasting friendships, and met some wonderful people along the way. I also gained hands on experience on what it’s like to do public health work within a community. I worked with health promoters, kids, doctors, social workers and nurses. We worked within the communities, in schools and in the local health clinics. I learned a lot about health education and how to implement heath topics into a classroom setting, and encourage life style changes for the better.