Volunteer abroad on an international medical internship in Bolivia

International Medical Internships in Bolivia

Bolivia is a great place to intern abroad on a medical internship in South America. Interns on our Medicine & Healthcare internship work at various Centros de Salud – public health clinics that are open to everyone living in Cochabamba regardless of their ability to pay. Since the facilities are basic, the clinics mostly attend to minor emergencies, accidents and routine visits. There isn’t enough funding to maintain the facilities in complete working order or provide the hospital with sufficient staff or materials. As an intern you will be able to observe many types of health issues while working in facilities that are very different to what you’re used to back home.

At the Burns Unit At the Centros de Salud, you have the opportunity to intern in a variety of departments; possible options include nursing, pediatrics, gynecology, admissions and pharmacy work. You can also get involved in the local community by assisting in vaccination programs and dental health campaigns that the clinics organize throughout the year.

The Burns Unit in the Hospital of Cochabamba treats children from 0 to 15 years old. Around 200 patients pass through their doors each year. With fifteen beds - three in the intensive care unit - and quite basic medical facilities, you'll find there is a lot to take in.

The doctors often have to reuse bandages and the intensive care unit lacks respirators and monitoring equipment, though the staff remains extremely dedicated. Currently, our supervisor is the senior resident doctor and other members of staff include a nurse and her assistant, three interns, two physical therapists and an anesthetist.

Aside from your observational work at the clinic, your assistance may be needed with basic duties such as making beds, bathing and lifting the children onto beds and into wheelchairs. Equally important are the basic medical tasks such as bandaging, taking blood pressure, and dressing wounds. The doctor may also need help in the surgery room, passing equipment and monitoring patients. This international medical internship is ideal for people who are already qualified or currently studying medicine or nursing. If you do not have any previous experience or qualifications, your role will be limited to that of an observational intern.

The Burns Unit can only take interns who are able to commit to working with them for three months or more. The Centros de Salud are happy to have interns from a month onwards.

Interns on the Medicine & Healthcare internship will need intermediate Spanish in order to communicate directly with the majority of doctors and patients. However, we can arrange a translator for interns who do not have sufficient Spanish language skills. Many interns who lack confidence in their Spanish normally take a Language course or join a Teaching or Care project before beginning their Medicine & Healthcare internship. This gives you the opportunity to improve your language skills before starting the medical part of your internship.

 

Physical Therapy Internships in Bolivia

Eye control At the Burns Unit there is also the opportunity to observe physical therapists. If you already have qualifications we can normally find a specialized role for you.

Working in the Burns Unit can be shocking and interns need to be well prepared. Situations where patients are badly burned and treatment is painful and uncomfortable can be very hard to witness, especially when you are new on the medical internship.

 

Nursing Internships in Bolivia

If you are a trained nurse, nursing student, on a gap year, career break or vacation period and interested in gaining some experience in the field, you could intern abroad with us in Bolivia. Our nursing interns work with the Hospital Ibuelo in the town of the same name, which is about three hours outside of Cochabamba. Many of the patients suffer from tropical diseases, such as Dengue and Yellow Fever, Malaria and Leichmaniasis. Interns can also get involved in some of our very rewarding community outreach programs.

 

Dentistry Internship in Bolivia

Dental internship in Bolivia Whether you are planning to study dentistry, already a student, or a trained professional looking to gain some work experience, a Projects Abroad Dentistry internships in Bolivia will be a one of a kind opportunity for you.

The municipal government in Cochabamba has initiated a unique project to improve dental care for young children across the region. The “Escuelas Saludables” (Healthy Schools) project offers free dental care and education to children aged 5 to 16. It is the only project of this kind in Bolivia that offers rehabilitation, prevention and educational activities.

Each Escuela is situated within walking distance of four or five schools and has a catchment area of some 140,000 students. The Escuelas are open from 8:00am-12:00 and 2:00-6:00pm. Interns must work either morning or afternoon hours, but depending on your energy you could work a full day.

Projects Abroad Dentistry interns on this project will be assigned to a specific Escuela and work alongside a qualified dentist as a dental assistant. You will have the opportunity to observe and depending on your qualifications you may be able to help out with some dental procedures. Observational opportunities include seeing fillings, root canals, tooth extractions, and complex orthodontic surgeries.

Outside of the surgery, dentistry interns are encouraged to get involved with all aspects of this regional program; dental campaigns to educate children about how to care for their teeth, donation programs providing dental equipment to schools, orthodontic campaigns and even monthly meetings to share ideas on how to improve and develop the service.

Interns on this project will have all their learning organized and supported by our own dental supervisor who runs regular workshops and training sessions in dental techniques to help develop or introduce new skills.

 
Occupational Therapy Internships in Bolivia

Occupational Therapy As a training or qualified Occupational Therapy intern, you’ll be placed in an institution for people who are mentally and physically disabled. While residents have access to the necessary physical therapy care, there’s limited number of staff who don’t have enough time to spend one-on-one with individuals. Physical facilities in these care institutions are often ill suited for those with disabilities and are in dire need of a skilled redesign. By coming into the home, you can use your knowledge of occupational therapy to assess and treat the wide variety of physical and psychiatric conditions. You may be able to help patients find purposeful activities they can participate in as well as promote an independent lifestyle.

Depending on your interest, you could also choose to spend some time at a center for older patients who have diseases such as dementia. Here your skills could be put into action by training patients to compensate for cognitive decline or teaching their caregivers in coping-behaviors and supervision. The one-on-one attention you are able to give them could make a vital difference to their condition.

Intermediate Spanish is recommended for this placement to allow interns to communicate with both staff and their patients.

 
International Medical Electives in Bolivia

You can do an Elective in Bolivia in Medicine, Physical therapy, Nursing or Midwifery.

If you are currently enrolled in medical school and choose to do your elective in Bolivia, you will most likely be working in a hospital or health center in Cochabamba. You will have a supervisor who will coordinate your internship and act as interpreter in departments where the standard of English is not so high. They will be eager to test out your medical 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 that is near your work. Cochabamba is a lively and entertaining city and there are always a number of other Projects Abroad volunteers and interns around for you to explore it with.