Medical Experience in China with Projects Abroad

  China

• Shanghai: 
Shanghai
• All Other Areas in China: 
Wujiang

Term: Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Winter 
Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: All year round

Description: Volunteering on a Medicine & Healthcare project in China is an exciting opportunity to work in hospitals and gain excellent medical experience overseas. As a medicine or healthcare volunteer you will gain a great deal of valuable work experience alongside some of the most skilled and inspirational doctors in the country. The facilities are generally of a high standard, on a par with many hospitals in the west.

Our volunteers work in major city hospitals in Shanghai. Volunteers shadow doctors in a number of different departments. At many Medicine & Healthcare placements in China there is a unique combination of western and traditional Chinese medicine.

The facilities in Shanghai are large enough to enable volunteers wishing to broaden their medicine and healthcare experience in different areas to work in just one hospital. While the hospitals are modern, each city hospital has a department devoted to traditional medicine, which runs in conjunction with western medical practices in China. You may find that you want to concentrate your time in one area, or simply learn about the interplay of both types and the holistic approach that is taken to medicine.

All Medicine & Healthcare volunteers in China must have completed at least one year of medical school by the time they join this project.

Volunteer Medical Elective Placements in China

If you wish to do your Medical elective in China, you will most likely be working in a large training hospital in Shanghai. You will shadow one of our supervising doctors who all have high levels of English and are very experienced at working with western Medical students. They will be eager to test out your medical and healthcare knowledge, as well as give you the benefit of their training and experience. You are likely to work in close proximity to Chinese medical students, who are always interested in medicine and life in general in the west.

Outside of the hospital you will live with other volunteers in a centrally located shared apartment. There is much to explore and discover in Shanghai and the surrounding area, and our volunteer community is traditionally a lively and a varied one.

Highlights: China is a country of staggering contradictions. A hybrid of western influence and a strong Eastern identity. There are skyscrapers that dwarf traditional noodle-houses, old tramlines run past new metro stations. The Chinese economy is flowing at breakneck speed leaving billionaires and the destitute in its wake. It is a new dawn in China, and exciting time to live and work there.

For those living in Shanghai, you will be housed in private apartments rented by Projects Abroad. You will usually share with other volunteers, with anywhere from one other to 4 others in an apartment. If you are placed in Wujiang, you will be living with a host family, which will allow you to fully experience a culture that is different from your own.

In Shanghai you will gain first hand experience of how quickly business is growing and adapting to western influence. In this city you will be able to sample local dishes and Shanghainese entertainment or dance at the newest nightclub - the choice is yours.

The lakeshore of Hangzhou, the gardens of Suzhou, the beaches of Putuoshan - all of these offer a break from the pace of the city. Further a field you can visit Beijing or go off the beaten track along the silk route or even spend some time in a Buddhist monastery. The possibilities are as wide ranging as the country itself!

In addition, become fully immersed in the culture in a manner which even the most hardened of backpackers could never hope to do.

Qualifications: All medical volunteers in China must have completed at least one year of medical related studies or training by the time they join this project.

Minimum Education: Bachelors

Cost in US$: From USD 3,895 and up

Experience Required: yes

Typical Volunteer: Open-minded with a desire to travel.

Age Range: 20-70

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to China Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Projects Abroad's Mission Statement: As part of the global economy, Projects Abroad helps create local employment wherever we send volunteers. Employing local staff overseas and using their talents and knowledge is important to us. This local knowledge and support enables the organization to channel the skills of the volunteers from more affluent countries to regions around the world where they are needed. Volunteers also learn from their placements and the people they meet, and they gain experience in a chosen field. In the 21st century, we believe this mutual respect is what cultural exchange is all about.

Year Founded: 1992