MedForce: Medics Overseas

Location

Ecuador is the second-smallest country in South America, but with tropical rainforests, glaciated volcanoes, and beautiful coast lines, its natural range of offerings is amazing. Ecuador’s capital Quito is a vibrant and modern city, with an impressive selection of museums, festivals, and nightlife. In addition, Quito has one of South America’s best preserved colonial centres, and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Project Information

As a volunteer, you will be working in a medical centre that is run by a local NGO. The centre was founded in 1984 with the objective of providing medical assistance to people who cannot afford a private service. Around twenty Ecuadorian doctors volunteer in the centre, as well as some local university students. The centre provides first aid to residents, and has a rehabilitation clinic, a physical therapy section, an emergency room, a laboratory, and a small surgery. In the mornings, you will assist local doctors in their daily work. In the afternoons, when there are not many patients, you will mainly be helping out with administrative work.

You may work in the following areas:

• Assisting with first aid procedures such as treating wounds and doing tests
• Helping with basic tasks in the emergency room
• Assisting in the laboratory
• Working in the pharmacy
• Doing simple administrative work
• Assisting with physical therapy
• Assisting with small surgeries
• Assisting in the laboratory
• Working in the rehabilitation clinic

A Typical Day

You will generally work between 8 am and 4.30 pm, with an hour lunch break. Please note, however, that your schedule may vary slightly from day to day, depending on the work you are doing.

Accommodation
For the first two weeks, you will stay in a guest house near the centre of Quito. This is a basic but comfortable house, where you will share a room and bathroom with one to three others. The house is within walking distance of a shops, restaurants, bars, banks, and internet cafes.

After two weeks, you have several options:
- You could stay in the guest house.
- You could move to a guest family. This will allow you to improve your Spanish and to really experience Ecuadorian culture.

Meals
Breakfast and dinner are provided during your stay. You will have to provide your own lunch. You will find plenty of options of buying a nice lunch around your accommodation and your project. You should budget around $5 a day for this.

Getting there
You will fly into Quito Airport, where you will be met by one of our representatives, and driven to your accommodation.

Support
Throughout your stay, you will be assisted by our volunteer co-ordinator. On the projects, you will also be assisted by qualified doctors and nurses.

Highlights

- Help care for sick children in the hospital
- Learn about the Ecuadorian health system
- Gain valuable hands-on medical experience
- Immerse yourself in the rich and interesting Ecuadorian culture
- Learn or improve your Spanish
- Explore the beautiful city of Quito
- Get the opportunity to explore Ecuador’s beautiful beaches, its tropical forests, and the unique Galapagos Islands

Requirements

This project is suitable for the following categories:

	Category 1: Volunteer with little or no experience
	Category 2: Medical students on electives

Please note that as a medical student, you may be able to get involved in a greater variety of tasks than as a volunteer.

Also please note that you will need an intermediate level of Spanish for this programme. We offer Spanish courses so that you can learn or improve your skills – see the section ‘Spanish Courses’.

You have to be 18 years or older to participate in this programme.

Spanish Classes

Should you want to improve your Spanish before you start your placement, we can offer you Spanish courses on different levels. Apart from learning general Spanish, you will focus specifically on medical terms. You will get 20 hours of classes a week. Half board accommodation in either a home stay or student residence will be provided.

Price

A four-week placement on this programme costs £1295. You can extend your stay for an additional price of £180 a week.

Extras

Spanish Language course (price based on 1 week)

                                                                         - £1,165 - course with home stay accommodation

                                                                         - £1,215 - course with student residence accommodation

Included

Included in the price are:
• Accommodation
• Breakfast and dinner
• Airport transfers
• Constant guidance and assistance by a volunteer co-ordinator
• A briefing day before departure (includes a barbeque)
• Your personal web page which provides you with all necessary pre-departure information
• A Medforce t-shirt
• A brief orientation programme on arrival, including a walking tour of Quito

Not Included

Not included in the price are:
• Flights
• Insurance
• Spending money
• Lunch (you will need to budget around $5 per day for this)
• Daily transport to projects (you will need to budget around $10 per week for public transportation)

Maps

The clinic is situated in Quito.