Medicine & Physical Therapy in Romania with Projects Abroad

  Romania

• Other Cities in Romania: 
Brasov

Durations of Program: 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: Inquire for dates

Description: As a medical volunteer in Romania you can choose from two placements. One is based in a day care centre where volunteers with some previous experience in the fields of Neurology, Orthopedics, Paediatrics, Physiotherapy, Psychiatry or Psychotherapy can specialise in their chosen area and help with the treatment of the children. The second option is based in a hospice and is specifically for volunteers with some physiotherapy experience.

All volunteers joining these two projects should have at least a year of related studies or training. We recommend that all medical volunteers stay for a minimum of two months, in order to build a greater relationship with both the patients and staff, and to witness improvements in patients after treatment.

By volunteering abroad on these projects you will gain a large amount of valuable work experience alongside some extremely skilled and talented doctors and physiotherapists. Through showing initiative and building a good rapport with your colleagues, you can get very involved with the doctors and patients with whom you are working.

Volunteer Abroad on a Medical Project in Romania

Volunteers joining the medical project at the day care centre work with children aged from one up to 18 years old. The centre receives about 30 children each day and they have a variety of conditions from treatable physical disabilities to Downs Syndrome.

The centre offers a variety of treatments to the children including physiotherapy, massage, educational programmes, kinetotherapy, psychological treatment and speech therapy. The centre is keen to have up to four volunteers, with each volunteer specialising in one of the following areas; Neurology, Orthopedics, Paediatrics, Physiotherapy, Psychiatry or Psychotherapy. Please let us know which areas you would like to work in when you apply.

On arrival you will be introduced to your supervisor, you will work very closely with your supervisor and have regular meetings about treatment options, recovery methods and procedures. Your exact role will depend upon your specific skills and experience. Volunteers initially shadow the local staff, however, if you show enthusiasm and a good level of knowledge you will help arrange and evaluate the patient's treatment program; implementing new ideas and methods to aid their recovery.

Volunteer abroad on a Physiotherapy Project in Romania

The second physiotherapy option is based in a large hospice offering palliative care to 70 children aged from babies to teenagers and over 600 adults. This placement is physically and emotionally challenging and volunteers should be prepared to see patients with advanced illnesses and incurable diseases.

The local staff try to improve the quality of life for all patients and the hospice provides hope once other medical institutions have concluded that there's nothing more they can do. Volunteers assist the local staff to help the patients remain as functional as possible and help them to retain some dignity and control at the end of their lives.

Physiotherapy volunteers will work closely with their project supervisor who will be a local qualified physiotherapist. Together you will plan and carry out various treatment programmes for the children at the hospice. The physiotherapy programme includes work with the children in a sensory room using visual and audio stimulation as well as hydrotherapy sessions.

Highlights: Romania has a unique Latin culture, in the heart of Eastern Europe. Projects Abroad is based in and around the historic city of Brasov, capital of Transylvania. Brasov is set in the mountains with its ski resort nearby, and it has a strange combination of impressive historical squares and palaces next to communist tower blocks.

Romania is due to join the European Union in 2007 - but remains influenced and scarred by its history. The impact of the revolution in 1989 was huge. The dictator, Nicolae Ceacescu, who was killed in the bloody revolution, is still much talked about and remembered with a variety of emotions. To live in Romania is to discover a developing capitalist society, alongside peasant subsistence.

Our office is in the center of Brasov. There are a wide range of different restaurants and bars on offer within a short walk, or it is easy to get around the city with frequent buses and trolleybuses.

Your Romanian hosts will make sure that you eat heartily and try out their local wines. You may find yourself sitting down to Sunday lunch at 1pm and not getting up until 4.30pm! They will feed you Mamaliga, a corn bread which seems to come with every meal or Ciorba, a spicy soup. There is also sure to be lots of good conversation throughout the meal.

Brasov is a great stepping off place for traveling around Romania or Eastern Europe. You may want to spend your weekends visiting Bran Castle where Dracula lived or skiing at Poiana Brasov. There are painted monasteries in Moldavia. The beaches of Constanta also come well recommended. There are many opportunities for economical travel in and around Romania.

Qualifications: At least one year of related studies.

Cost in US$: USD 3,695 and up

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 16 and up

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Romania Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

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