GoAbroad Interview

Wanwisa “Imm” Sirikhampa - Medical Internship Coordinator

Wanwisa Sirikhampa, nicknamed Imm, was born in Phrae, a small and quiet province in the north of Thailand. Before working for Friends for Asia, she was an English teacher at a private school in Chiang Mai. Imm has a bachelor’s degree in English Education from Chiang Mai Rajapahat University.

What is your role with Friends for Asia and where are you based?

I lead the Medical Internship program. It’s located in Chiangmai, Thailand.

Medical internship in Thailand. Photo credit: Friends for Asia

How many participants typically participate in Medical Internships in Thailand annually?

There are about 60 participants per year.

What requirements must participants meet to attend your internship programs?

The participants have to have their degrees or be studying in Science or Medicine.

Local nurses in Thailand. Photo credit: Friends for Asia

What makes Friends for Asia’s Medical Internships ideal?

Since we work with the high experiences, literate, and enthusiastic doctors who can communicate in English very well. The interns will gain a lot of knowledge and see many things that they’ve never seen before, such as Caesarean section.

How do you prepare for the arrival of new participants?

The participants need to provide us their documents, which are an application form, CV, reference letter, letter of motivation, and department selection, one month prior to their arrival. Once we get all of those documents, we will contact the hospitals and place them in their interesting departments.

What is a typical day like for a medical intern?

The interns will follow the doctors and nurses to observe them interacting with the patients.

How do you make sure participants know how to be safe in Thailand?

We have the presentation about it during the orientation.

How do you help participants learn about Thai culture and the work environment?

We also have the presentation about it.

Interns on duty. Photo credit: Friends for Asia

What optional activities do you offer to participants in their free time?

There are many excursions to do, such as White water rafting, Zip lining, Biking, and a Cooking course.

How do you hope to continue expanding programs in the future?

We’ll ask the hospitals for more available departments to accept our future interns.