Volunteer or Intern in a Medical Clinic in Peru

Volunteering with Vive Peru has been one of the best decisions I have taken in my life. Since day 1 of the program, the coordinators and staff are dedicates to your well being and cultural immersion in a new country. You are exposed to different aspects of the culture that allows you to develop a sense of appreciation for it. Working at the clinical site opened my mind to develop clinical thinking skills and taught me valuable lessons on how it is to practice medicine in an under-resourced setting, on how to deliver compassionate care and exposed me to the basics on how to make independent clinical decisions.

I was recently in Peru during the end of December and beginning of January for 2 weeks. I was able to experience the rich culture, kind people, and different living conditions of Trujillo, Peru. I was also observing medical clinics/hospitals daily. The staff of the program were very helpful, structured, and kind. My home stay was amazing as well (and probably my favorite part because of the Peruvian food). All in all it was a 10/10 experience.

It is a great experience to learn about the culture, improve your Spanish, acquire medical knowledge, and meet amazing people. I loved that I got over my fear of speaking Spanish and spoke to the locals.