Medical Volunteers Needed—Work in Peru!

I had a great time volunteering for this program. I did not know what to expect from Cusco and it was a cool way to throw myself out there and get out of my comfort zone. For people solo travelling alone, this program made it easy and comforting to do. I learned a lot and had lots of hands on experience.

Monica's: Excellent host! Sweetest woman, genuinely cared for our well being, our time in Cusco. Food tasted great. Niko: Great projects manager! Nico made our trip to Peru a lot better with his recommendations and overall help adjusting. He made ahrd days @ the clinic feel light, helped bridge the language barrier - even though we didn't need it.

Monica was amazing! She was super welcoming, made good food, and even gave us salsa lessons. Making the experience more enjoyable: More instruction on the first day of clinic. Nico & Maximo Nivel were perfect - they were super helpful with all questions & needs we had. They were especially helpful when our coordinator didn’t know anything or communicate fully. Highly Recommend to others!

I absolutely loved this experience and all of the Maximo staff was so supportive and did a good job of fostering growth in our Spanish & medical skills throughout the week. Monica was a joy to stay with! I will say that the portions were not what we were used to, but I would recommend that you notify participants of what portions will be like so they can bring extra snacks if they want. Nico rocks and we love him! Thanks to everyone!! :)

Thank you so much for organising such a wonderful campaign. This trip felt very organised and any questions we had or help we needed were always answered / given. The only thing that I would have liked with the program is more information on the campaign and lodging details before arrival. Michael and Gina were amazing to work with and were a huge part of why the campaign was so great! They were both extremely kind and helpful and Michael gave amazing recommendations for where to go in Cusco after the campaign.

Michael absolutely rocks! So do Dina and Dr. Estrella. I loved this campaign dearly. The patients were so kind and generous, offering us food, love, and comfort despite having little of their own. Monica was also so kind, loving, and understanding. Gracias Maximo Nivel!!

The entire trip was so well planned and organized. Michael did an amazing job leading us and giving us support throughout the entire trip. Estrella and Dina were amazing staff and helped us so much. We were so well supported and taken care of.

I thought this program was very well-planned and organized. My colleagues and I had a blast! Everything was on time and smooth. In addition, we had decent flexibility and input with the itinerary, so that was a plus. Great job! <3

This was the most amazing experience of my life. Helping people in these rural communities was the most eye opening experience, allowing me to see the healthcare disparities that aren't spoken of enough. I learned so much and got to work with the best staff and stay with the most kind host family. I'll never forget this experience.

This experience was absolutely incredible! Some things I would want future volunteers to know is that you get as much as you put into this experience. Make the most out of your time here and be flexible. Nothing could have made this program more enjoyable - other than the flight delays (which wasn´t anyone´s fault lol).

Only had one week off of University and decided to take a leap of faith and travel to Peru. Beyond glad that I did. Maximo helped me feel safe, immersed, and important. My second time with Maximo Nivel, and hopefully not my last.

I am a third year medical student, and I was looking for an experience where I could really earn some on-hand experience. Fortunately, this experience is what I was looking for. The amount of knowledge that I earned is incredible. Together with the kindness of the people working at the clinic, it makes the experience a thing you will never forget.

The staff was so incredibly kind -- especially DJ and Charlotte! The project placement and staff at the placement were so sweet -- it really allowed me to understand the local culture. My living accommodations were lovely, really made me feel welcomed. Overall, every aspect pf the program here in Cusco was perfect. Great communication, very welcoming people, and the organization really eased so much stress of my shoulders and allowed me to just enjoy being here!

I came with my wife and we had a great experience. We volunteered for the medical mission, and the clinic staff was amazing!. The experience has been fantastic and we really enjoyed staying with our host family! Everyone was very helpful. The only downside would be that there was a little less coordination than expected, there were a couple walking tours that had stops that were not open when visited (though we did visit on a holiday). We were sad to miss out on seeing the cathedral but were happy to enjoy the rest of the experience!

The project was excellent. The hospital is in need of a lot resources. The staff was amazing and worked with very limited tools and supplies. The community is using the Hospital and they have a very good care.

This was such a great experience. I recommend talking to as many locals at your placement for the best results. My favorite thing about this program was getting to see just how different everything works here compared to the United States.

This is a perfect opportunity for individuals to gain experience in any medical field they may choose. The hospitality and warm welcomes from the local people made this trip all that much better. I would recommend this to any group of students in our university. Our time here is something we will truly never forget; we will treasure the impact we’ve made on the local people forever. Hopefully I will be able to return as a fully practicing medical doctor!

I loved all my adventures through American Inca Trail! My favorite was the ATV riding and salt mines but everywhere we went was incredible and had amazing scenery. Yuri, our host, was incredible! Super attentive and an amazing host! Thanks so much for everything!

I have never felt so safe and welcomed in another country. This company went above and beyond to make sure I was set up in every way and ready to go. Adventuring with associated companies was made a piece of cake. I absolutely love Maximo Nivel and will continue to volunteer with travel with them.

I am very glad with my experience here in Peru. I felt we had our own family at my homestay and ate dinners together. I traveled 45 minutes to and from Chinchero for my placement and loved the view every day. I am happy I was able to ride an ATV for the first time with a fantastic view. Rainbow mountain tested my limits and I am proud of myself for getting to the top without riding on a horse. I will keep the doctors, nurses, and Maximo staff close to my heart. Thank you for this awesome experience!

This trip was absolutely amazing in every aspect. It was wonderful to be able to volunteer and give back within the clinic and working with the Peruvian community, while also being able to experience and learn about Cusco and the culture. A perfect balance. VERY EFFICIENTLY done!!! Thank you

Great experience overall ! I was very pleased with my host family accommodation. I would definitely recommended this trip to friends and anyone who loves to travel and do medical volunteer trips. - Jordan

I loved being in Peru and working with Maximo Nivel team! you guys are amazing, made us feel welcomed and at home. The details you guys provided made us feel like we know the city from the first day we were here. Keep doing the good work!

I am a third year pharmacy student and decided to come to Peru during my spring break to help in the medical field. Maximo Nivel was extremely helpful and made it so easy to work with. I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to give back to the community.

I spent a month in Cusco to do the medical volunteer project. Before this, I had never been out of the country. Maximo Nivel allowed me to feel safe and comfortable. My overall experience was amazing. Not only did I have a blast volunteering, I also enjoyed every second at my homestay. Without the resources that Maximo Nivel provided, my trip would not have been the same. I would highly recommend volunteering through Maximo Nivel and I will definitely continue volunteering with Maximo!

After my experience at Maximo Nivel in Peru, I am more sure that I hope to become a doctor to help people in need. This was actually the second Maximo program that i have done (some students went to Costa Rica last year) and I am hoping to do the Guatemala trip next year as well. The Maximo staff is very professional and helped the entire group adjust to the different culture. Additionally, the people in the communities were so grateful to receive the help that we were able to give to them. It was so rewarding!

A special shout out to our group leader, Dominic, and our medical campaign organizer, Dina, for making this such a special experience for our group. We all felt that this experience deepened our desire to become healthcare professions and we are hoping to do a similar program in Guatemala through Maximo Nivel next year.

The other volunteers and I were able to complete upwards of 30 hours helping over 500 people in 4 communities around Cusco. This was such a great experience! We were able to provide healthcare to people who, otherwise, might not have been able to afford it, and we were able to gain more practical skills in the medical field which, the majority of us hope to go into one day.

My experience with Maximo Nivel has been an amazing experience. I started off my first day with a very frustrating day and the field managers helped me through my meltdown! They have been supportive and have always been so welcoming in their office. Whether it be to answer questions or just to laugh and talk, every member of the Maximo team has been wonderful! As for my program, the medical program has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. The clinic has been welcoming and has let me learn and practice so many amazing skills. As a practitioner it has been empowering to be given the space to learn and practice and be supported by amazing people. I've learnt/practiced suturing, wound management, injections, just to name a few. Thank you Maximo!

I had a great time volunteering with Maximo. I felt really supported by Maximo the whole time I was there. As a nursing student, I was able to use a lot of my skills every day at the clinic. I appreciated the experience to work with a new culture, in a different health care system and in a lower resource setting. My homestay family was wonderful. From day one, they were incredibly welcoming and made me feel at home. Maximo was good about checking in to make sure everything was going well. For traveling around Cusco, American Inca (located in the Maximo offices) made all travel bookings so simple and seamless in terms of organizing taxis, busses, and tour groups. I would definitely recommend Maximo and would volunteer with them again in the future.

My classmates and I had an AWESOME time volunteering with Maximo Nivel in Cusco, Peru. We spent a week working with nurses in a clinic just outside of Cusco and couldn't have been happier. The Maximo staff made us feel right at home from the minute we arrived and always made sure we were having a great experience. I wish I could have stayed longer!

My experience doing this medical trip in Cusco has probably been the best volunteering experience that I have had so far. Our group did the medical project for one week and the medical campaign for another week. Cusco is a beautiful city and I loved that we were able to walk everywhere. Our group's host family was very kind, extremely accommodating, and made delicious food. They were the best host family I could ask for. For the medical project, I volunteered in a small clinic with three other volunteers. I had the great opportunity of taking height, weight, and blood pressure of babies and adult patients, carrying out HIV tests for patients, and learning the paperwork process of the doctors as well as assisting them with it. For the medical campaigns, our group traveled to four different locations during the week and set up make-shift clinics at those locations. I was amazed at the amount of supplies and medications we brought to these these campaigns and the amount that we had available. In addition, it was cool to see how the campaigns were set up and it felt so great to be able to help so many people. On some days, we were even able to see and provide care for 200 patients! Overall, this medical volunteering experience was unforgettable and I would recommend it to anyone interested in healthcare.

So I volunteered with through Maximo Nivel for 8 weeks. As a working nurse going to volunteer, I expected a different experience. With that said, I did have a great time still. I think their program is perfect for students or people that are interested in being in the medical field. My first 6 weeks I volunteered at a clinic and was able to help them quite a bit. My last two weeks I was assigned to Hospital Antonia Lorena and worked in their pediatric oncology unit and it was the most amazing experience. These kids need someone who isn't afraid of what they're going through. They want to be seen for who they are and being a volunteer there will bring a whole new joy to your heart! The staff are all very appreciative to have the helping hand there! Request to see if you qualify for this placement.

Working with Maximo Nivel was spectacular! A team from NYITCOM consisting of 12 students traveled to several rural villages and provided free healthcare to the populations. We all took histories and completed physicals as well as other roles, such as teaching children how to brush their teeth and wash their hands. The experience was eye-opening and outstanding! The host family/guest house Maximo Nivel organized was fantastic as well as the food they provided! Maximo Nivel made getting to and from the airport easy as well as from site to site. They were also very helpful with pointing out interesting stores, restaurants, and other spots in Cusco, Peru! All for a great price as well! I highly recommend volunteering with Maximo Nivel!

Volunteering with Maximo Nivel was amazing! I worked as a medical volunteer during my time in Peru and was blown away by how much healthcare was lacking in many parts of the country. Through the efforts of the volunteer program, these medically underserved populations were given the opportunity to receive the healthcare and health counseling which they otherwise would not have free access to. The entire volunteering experience was extremely enlightening. Furthermore, as a current medical student, the experience provided me with unparalleled clinical experience in that I was able to assist a variety of patients from various age groups who presented with unique complaints. Thus, from this experience, I gained vast insight and skills in the field of healthcare which will follow me for the remainder of my career. The leadership of the program was also magnificent. The leaders made sure the volunteering efforts ran smoothly with no major hiccups. They guided us through our services and made sure we got the most out of our time in Peru. The entire experience was well organized and lacking in nothing. In regards to the living situation in Cusco, all my expectations were exceeded greatly. The host family treated my fellow volunteers and I as members of their own family. From preparing our meals to joyfully greeting us every time they saw us, the host family went above and beyond in making us feel at home in a foreign country. Overall, my experience with Maximo Nivel is one I will never forget.

I am a Canadian nurse who went to Cusco in November, 2015 and was assigned to the Santa Rosa clinic. I cannot say a bad word about the Maximo Nivel experience. I signed up for a volunteer nursing placement via IVHQ and Maximo handled everyone once there. I was placed 10 minutes walking distance from the office which is about 5 minutes from the Plaza des Armes. The accommodations were lovely. I felt safe, cared for, and comfortable. I had 2 room-mates in different volunteer programs and we became close instantly. My first day of placement a physician came to the office and took us by bus to the clinic so that we knew how to get there and back. We were given a full tour of the clinic and introduced to everyone. The Spanish language classes were extremely helpful and a great way to meet people from other programs. The workers of IVHQ were always available for tips and travel suggestions, probably the friendliest group of individuals you'll ever meet. The office is located 5 minutes walking from the plaza des Armes. I worked in health care and my two room mates worked in child care and we all left saying that as much as we helped them, they changed us for the better even more. Cannot praise this company enough.

I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to volunteer! Go to Cusco!! I had such an incredible time volunteering for Maximo Nivel. From the moment we arrived in Cusco to the moment we left, we had an absolutely wonderful time. The Maximo Nivel staff set up a week of volunteering with the medical campaign (I led a group of 14 students), that allowed us to see different parts inside and out of the city. We got to engage with so many different members of the community and got to do meaningful volunteer work even though we were there for only a week. It felt like we were actually making a difference each day, and that was a really energizing feeling. We all got up wanting to go volunteer each day. We also got to work closely with a doctor that is affiliated with Maximo Nivel and he was incredible. He answered so many of our questions and was really responsive to us wanting to learn more! In addition, the Maximo Nivel staff helped us to get situated in our host mom's house. Our host mom was one of the kindest people (and best cooks) I have ever met. We all felt extremely welcome from the moment we stepped into the house. We were "her children!" In addition the Maximo Nivel staff was very welcoming and make us feel as though they wanted to get to know each volunteer personally. They took us on a walking tour, and a few nights they came to dinner with us to name a few! They were amazing, and it was the best way I could have spend spring break. I am saving up money to get to Cusco in the future.

Maximo Nivel is such a fantastic organization that is incredibly well organized. I volunteered with them for a week in Cusco, Peru and my accommodations were beautiful. Everything was well planned out that we actually help people and use our time wisely. I would volunteer through them again in a heartbeat!

I would just like to say how amazing all of our hosts were in Cusco! Including both our homestay hosts as well as our Maximo Nivel staff hosts. We were only there for a week but from the very first day our host mom Betty made us feel like we were her own kids that she wanted to take care of. Maximo Nivel staff, notably Daja and Beth, kept us safe and sane as they helped us navigate the city. I couldn't have asked for better hosts for this experience overall, and I couldn't have chosen a better way to spend my spring break than exactly where I was in Cusco, helping and learning from the community in the best possible way that we could.

My program through Máximo Nivel in Cusco, Peru exceeded my expectations in every way possible. I was not expecting to make any long-lasting change, and so my goal was to learn as much as I could by participating in the medical campaign while not being a liability. However, after meeting with hundreds of patients, and making long-term relationships with the people I worked with, I can happily say my experience with Máximo Nivel was life-changing, and that I will happily participate with it again in May.

My 6 weeks volunteering in a medical center in Cusco were amazing. It's definitely an experience that I'll never forget. I loved every second of it. It made me be even more sure about my decision to pursue a career in healthcare. I met amazing people while I was there, the staff at the medical center were amazing. They really appreciate you, and they're are completely willing to teach you what you need to know. I also met some of my best friends there, and we had so much fun. There is a great night life in Cusco as well, with people from all over the world. Got to visit many other places and do all sorts of activities such as Machu Picchu, the salt mines, sand boarding, canyoning, rock climing, the list goes on. You won't regret going there. There is a big need for volunteers, and it's a really gratifying and eye opening experience.

I sincerely enjoyed this volunteer trip. I felt that I was able to give to those in need, and in return, I met amazing people. From the first day I arrived to the very minute I left, I felt like Cusco had become a second home for me. The friends I made and the experience of volunteering will be with my forever. I hope to work with Maximo Nivel again in the near future.

I am a fourth year medical student getting ready to graduate. I spent 3 weeks working in a government health center 1 hour outside Cusco. I learned so much and hope I gave back something as well. The doctors, nurses, midwives, and other staff I worked with were wonderful, patient, and welcoming. I had the opportunity to help deliver 2 babies! I was also able suture, do wound dressings, attend rounds, and assist consults. The staff at Maximo was also great and extremely helpful. A stray dog bit me a few days in, and the staff immediately rushed a doctor to my home stay to clean the bite and get me my rabies vaccines. My Spanish teacher Ricardo was excellent--I took 1 week and wish I could have done more. And it was wonderful making new friends in the other volunteers and my Spanish conversation partner. Overall, this was the best possible way to get ready for residency and I hope the sense of courage and caring this trip helped instill carries through my career. I want to move to Cusco--it's a magical place.

My placement was for several weeks in a community clinic. I was able to choose the area/specialty of the clinic that I wanted to work in. There was no english spoken there whatsoever, so a basic understanding of spanish is recommended, as well as the lessons offered at Maximo Nivel (excellent teachers and staff and great central locatin). If you have any questions about the experience please check ut Facebook group "IVHQ Cusco and Peru" - IVHQ contracts through Maximo Nivel so although you pay IVHQ, from thereafter you work directly with Maximo Nivel. I believe you can go straight through MN, however for some reason when I looked at this option before my trip, it was considerablly more expensive, which I don't understand. But I suggest looking into the price differences before you book because things can change. Overall awesome experience and Cusco is a great little, big city to spend some time : )