About the Project: If you are considering medicine as your profession, this community hospital has developed a pre-med schedule which would involve you in every aspect of the hospital thus giving you an excellent insight into working with limited resources and basic facilities. The hospital specializes in Leprosy treatments and there would be opportunities to watch surgery both in the specialized Leprosy Operating Theatre and the general OT.
If you are a part or fully qualified medical practitioner in any field, there are opportunities throughout the hospital to help.
Your Role: The hospital welcomes interns to come and learn about health care in a developing world. As a pre-med intern you will be given a schedule to visit and observe the different departments of the hospital, this will include the pharmacy, out-patients, administration and operating theatre. Depending on your areas of interest and level of qualification there could be opportunities to interact and help the nurses in their daily work.
Other areas available to work in the hospital include:
- Physiotherapy.
- Helping with awareness programmes in the community.
- Health & Eye Camps in the community
What you Gain: If you are considering medicine as your future profession but are not sure if it is for you, or which area of medicine would suit you, then this is a great opportunity to see each department close up.
There will be the chance to observe surgery in one of the operating theatres, something impossible to do in the UK.
You also get a chance to live and work alongside the local community who come into the hospital either as out patients or for longer durations. Becoming ill just adds another challenge to these lovely people to those that they face on a daily basis.
Skills and Experience Required: This is a well run hospital with a dedicated Board and Director. You need to show similar dedication in wanting to learn and take as much from the placement as possible. In order to be considered for this placement you must:
- Be 18 years old at the date of departure.
- Have a genuine interest in medicine to undertake the pre-med course.
- Be a qualified nurse / doctor to help in the hospital.
- Bring energy and enthusiasm to the hospital.
- Communicate clearly and effectively with the members of the staff.
- Have patience and a sympathetic ear.
Accommodation: Wherever possible you will stay in an Indian home or share an apartment with other Gap year volunteers. Home-stay hosts are carefully selected for quality and safety and you would normally share a non-air conditioned room.