Medical Internships in Nepal

Medical facilities in Nepal are generally quite basic when compared to facilities in the west and medical staff are required to have a broad range of skills. As a Medicine & Healthcare intern you will have the opportunity to learn from some of the most skilled practitioners in the country.

Medicine & Healthcare internships in Nepal are based in and around Kathmandu and in the region of Chitwan, about a 6-hour drive from Kathmandu. Interns work at a variety of placements in hospitals and rehabilitation centers for disabled children in the Kathmandu Valley or Chitwan. This can involve a unique combination of working with doctors and being involved with care activities.

Some of our placements are the leading referral centers for the functional mobility of physically disabled children. Most of the cases are neglected orthopedic conditions: cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal injuries, multiple disabilities, etc. You could also work at one of our placements dedicated to providing the best available care in the field of trauma, orthopedics, and rehabilitation.

"We spent the majority of our time at HRDC with the children, playing and talking. Many of the children having orthopedic surgery had to stay in the hospital anything from a few weeks to two years and were often very bored. I hope that in some way we relieved their boredom and gave them the affection and attention they deserved."
Katie Fuller, Medicine & Healthcare Intern in Nepal

Medicine

Alternatively you could be placed at a large teaching hospital that provides intensive care, emergency, and highly sophisticated diagnostic and other therapeutic services at comparatively low prices, with the aim of serving the local community. As such, it offers interns the opportunity to be exposed to a wide range of medicine in practice and learn from experienced instructors.

At many placements you will come into contact with diseases in acute stages of development, which you are extremely unlikely to have seen in the West. Many of these conditions, with symptoms such as diarrhea and origins in malnutrition, are easily preventable. You can be involved in campaigns to increase public awareness around health issues and to help improve the quality of life by educating people about health and sanitation. You can also intern in departments such as general health services, orthopedics, ophthalmology, dental services, ENT, neurology, x-ray, and ultrasound.

If you let us know your particular interests we will try to arrange for you to intern in that specific area.

Physical Therapy Internships in Nepal

There is a real need for people with physical therapy skills in Nepal. As a Physical Therapy intern you will shadow and observe local medical staff and depending on your skills and interests may be able to build up to a more active role. If you are a trained physical therapist, you will find yourself busy and in demand. Whatever your role, you will experience firsthand how a busy physical therapy department works. Physical Therapy interns work in hospitals and centers for people with disabilities. Interns often come across neglected orthopedic conditions such as TB, polio, post-burn contractures, and cerebral palsy. You might work with inpatients and with outpatients who attend a couple of times in the week, sometimes traveling many hours to receive care.

Some of our interns work at rehabilitation centers for disabled children. Here interns often see cases with children who were born with polio or have had accidents that have not been treated correctly. Many placements deal with children with physical disabilities.

Interns can also work at a rehabilitation organization, established through the combined efforts of disabled people themselves and their families and communities. Providing support and care, it offers services to Nepali children to help improve their standard of living.

All of these projects are ones where you can really build your resume - gaining experience you would not get in the West, while helping out these short-staffed institutions.

Nursing Internships in Nepal

If you are part way through your training to become a nurse or if you're a qualified nurse already, you could intern with us on a nursing placement at many of the facilities we work with in Nepal. If you have any preferences of where you would like to be placed simply let us know on your application.

Medical Elective Placements in Nepal

Orthopedic Hospital

If you are in medical school or a related degree program you can do a Medical Elective in Nepal in Medicine, Physical Therapy, or Nursing.

If you wish to do your elective in Nepal, you will be working in and around Kathmandu or Chitwan depending on your elective requirements. You will shadow one of our supervisors who are very experienced at working with western medical, physical therapy, and nursing students. They will be eager to test out your knowledge, as well as give you the benefit of their training and experience.

If you join a Nursing Elective we offer the following nursing specializations: adult, child, and learning disabilities.

Interning in Nepal with Projects Abroad

On a Medicine & Healthcare project in Nepal, you will live with a local host family or in hostel accommodation, depending on where you are working. Your hosts will provide you with all your meals outside of your normal working hours. When you aren’t at work there is plenty to keep you occupied in Kathmandu and Chitwan: art, temples, architecture, restaurants, and cinemas. The surrounding area is fantastic for hiking or cycling, and you can take part in a number of adventure sports. Projects Abroad staff and volunteers are always around too, in case you require some company that reminds you of home!

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