Medicine in Argentina with Projects Abroad

  Argentina

• Cordoba: 
Cordoba

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 3-6 months
Dates: all year round

Description: Projects Abroad offers volunteer Medicine & Healthcare work-experience placements in Argentina, in Medicine, Physiotherapy, Nursing & Midwifery, Occupational Therapy and Electives. Placements are for anyone volunteering abroad on a gap year or career break, or a training or qualified doctor, physiotherapist, nurse or midwife.

Volunteering on a Medicine & Healthcare project in Argentina can be done as part of a gap year, a career-break, or during a short break in your studies. As a Medicine & Healthcare volunteer you will gain a great deal of valuable work-experience alongside some of the most skilled doctors in the country. While the shell of some hospital buildings may look slightly neglected, the facilities within and the healthcare provided are generally of a decent standard, on a par with many hospitals in the west.

Our Medicine & Healthcare volunteers work in rotation at different hospitals in and around Villa Allende, enabling them to have a broad and varied experience of different medicine and healthcare departments. You will have the opportunity to experience medical procedures in both the over-burdened multi-disciplinary government hospitals, and the smaller Dispensarios that operate on certain days each in more rural communities. Within the hospitals you will be given the chance to shadow doctors and nurses, help to take patient histories, observe surgery, attend medical lectures with medical students, and perhaps even perform basic medicine and healthcare procedures. In the community you could find yourself giving a child a general health check, assisting in the provision of vaccinations, and giving advice on nutrition or pregnancy prevention for example.   

An intermediate level of Spanish is required for this placement to ensure that you can interact fully with both the local staff and the patients. Volunteers should also be of smart appearance.

Volunteer Dentistry in Argentina

Volunteers who wish to work in the field of dentistry can gain superb work experience in Villa Allende Hospital, located in the beautiful Sierras Chicas not far from where our office is based. As one of the largest government run hospitals in this area, you will be learning from staff who are very experienced at providing all aspects of dental healthcare to people who travel here from the surrounding regions. If you wish to have a broader Medicine & Healthcare experience, both hospitals have many other areas, besides dentistry, for you to work in.

Volunteer Occupational Therapy in Argentina

As a training or qualified Occupational Therapy volunteer in Argentina, you'll be placed in one of a number of institutions for people who are mentally and physically disabled. While residents receive the necessary physiotherapy care, staff are limited in number and don't have enough time to spend one-to-one with these individuals. By coming into the home and using your skills to assess and treat the wide variety of physical and psychiatric conditions you come across, you can help these people to find purposeful activities they can participate in, and help to promote independent function in aspects of their life for what may be the first time since they moved there.

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

Elective Placements in Argentina

If you wish to do your medical, dental or occupational therapy elective in Argentina, you will be working in a hospital in or close to Unquillo. You will shadow one of our supervising doctors and dentists who are very experienced at working with western students. They will be keen to test out your knowledge, as well as giving you the benefit of their training and experience.

You will be required to bring proof that you are a medical elective student with you to Argentina, along with any transcripts or certificates that state your previous areas of experience. This paperwork, along with your initiative and outlook, will determine the level of trust that is built between yourself and your supervising doctors. As with any job and certainly those in the medical profession proving your knowledge and reliability will ultimately determine the level of responsibility you are assigned, and how much you take home from your experience in Argentina.

Highlights: Whether you are a student joining us before going to a medical or dental school, or already have medicine and dental knowledge and experience, the doctors and dentists in Argentina are keen for you to learn from them. Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn - and also to help staff with their duties - will ensure that your experience is second to none.

Due to the inter-personal nature of the work, this placement is an excellent opportunity to practice your Spanish.

For your accommodation, you'll live with a Spanish speaking host-family, which is great environment for developing and improving your language skills. All the families involved are extremely supportive of the projects carried out by Projects Abroad and are keen to experience an intercultural exchange and learn about the lives of volunteers. There is so much to do in the area, and there are always plenty of other Projects Abroad volunteers, from different projects, to explore it with!

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

Qualifications: Spanish proficiency

Cost in US$: from US$2,695 and up

Experience Required: no

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

Age Range: 16-70

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

Participants Travel to Argentina Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Written Application

Post 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