Projects Abroad Medical Placements in Nepal

My name is Alicia Gant and I am a senior at the University of Nevada, Reno. I plan to attend Medical School the following year. I will always be grateful for the experience Projects Abroad allowed me to have in Nepal.

I was placed in the local teaching hospital in Chitwan, Nepal. I was able to observe numerous surgeries and ask as many questions as I felt were necessary in order for me to understand everything. The language barrier was only a minor part of my experience in Nepal because the people there were so caring. The supervisors that Projects Abroad had stationed there would always go out of their way to make my stay there enjoyable.

After living in non-tourist parts of Nepal for a month I have more gratitude for the life I am given now. I was adopted from China when I was only 6 months old. Had I not been adopted I would have grown up in an area very similar to the one I only spent a month visiting. Projects Abroad gave me this opportunity and for that I will always be grateful.

The two weeks I spent in Chitwan on the high school special medicine project might have been the best 2 weeks of my life. Not only did I help out at hospitals and acquire a passion for a doctors work but I also made friends from around the globe who shared the same aspiration and interests as I did. Each step of the way our coordinators made sure we felt completely safe and addressed any complaint or problem positively and made us feel completely at home. Our placements were interesting as each day we had a different hospital and were able to see surgical procedures and everyday doctor-patient interactions and all the doctors were really friendly and answered all our doubts and sometimes asked us to help out to get a hands on experience. Our project had exact mixture of free time, nepali culture and medicine, We had enough time to ourselves to strengthen friendships, enough time to learn about the country we were in, explore it and go sightseeing, along with enough time to learn about why we were on the trip.
Hands down I would recommend any this trip to anyone who wants an experience abroad.

I was in Nepal for 2 weeks volunteering in a cancer hospital. I stayed with a host family that was very kind, attentive and my host mom made the BEST food for me and the 3 other volunteers that I stayed with. The hospital was a great learning experience. All the doctors would take the time to translate any chance they could. This is also where I was able to watch my first surgery! Not only did I get to experience what it was like in a Nepali hospital but I volunteered in a school teaching children about the importance of eating healthy. I met amazing volunteers from all over the world, and was able to meet plenty of locals were we would spend hours over delicious coffee learning about our different customs and cultures. The Nepali people are very kind and love to have festivals and are just generally laid back and relaxed people.
Throughout the entire trip a volunteer coordinator was just a quick text or phone call away. They organized most of the taxi rides and events during the weekdays and helped us organize our weekend trips.
Traveling truly is the best way to learn about yourself. You realize just how tiny your corner of the universe is and just how large and beautiful the world really is. This trip was eye opening for me and I was humbled by my time in Nepal. I loved being able to do it all through Projects Abroad, they made it easy and made me feel safe though out the entire trip. I hope that many other people can have the opportunity to share in this experience!

Projects Abroad was the best experience I have ever had with a medical experience abroad. Every week before the trip the staff were checking in, answering questions, and providing lots of information for my arrival. When I got to Nepal, they showed me around and made me feel right at home. They contacted me almost everyday with events going on or checking in to make sure everything was going smooth. The medical experience was hands on and very real. Everyone was so kind and gave me so many opportunities to learn. I gained so much knowledge all thanks to projects abroad. They set up events where all the volunteers could meet up and do cultural things to meet. The host family they set me up with was so kind and made you feel like part of the family. Thanks for such an amazing trip projects abroad, 5 stars!

I have been a Medical Surgical nurse for 2 years. I was looking to expand my critical thinking skills and change in scenery and thus I choose Projects Abroad to test my nursing skills. Nepal has no set insurance plan so everything is out of pocket when it comes to getting medical care. This organization set you up in safe housing and strives to find opportunities for you to expand your medical knowledge.

I was a part of a two week medical project in Chitwan Nepal with Projects Abroad. I stayed with a host family in a neighborhood that was about a fifteen minute walk from where I was working. I was the only volunteer staying with my host family at the time. There was a mother, father, and their son, and each and every one of them made me feel extremely welcomed in such a foreign environment. I was greeted the first night with a native welcoming ceremony and was told to let them know if I needed anything or had any problems. In Nepal the power goes out twice a day, but the family has generators so that we could have the lights on. Other than that you had to time when you were going to charge your electronics. My host family provided me with more than enough delicious spicy food, and I loved every bite of it. The family made sure that I would keep in touch and if I ever went back to Nepal they said I always had a place to stay. Projects Abroad definitely provides you with comfortable and a very welcoming host family and home.

Nepal simply took my breath away and I still dream of visiting again. I signed up for the program because I was pre-med in college and wanted a new perspective of medicine, which Projects Abroad offered in their medicine program placed in Chitwan, Nepal.
The program sets you up in a 5 day a week placement at Chitwan Medical College. You choose where to volunteer - I chose pediatrics and emergency for the first two weeks, then operating room for the rest of my time. I saw some seriously crazy surgeries first hand.
You are given so much independence in the program. It is very much what you make it. If you reach out and talk to the doctors, they'll love to talk to you. If you don't reach out, you won't get anything out of it (as I saw some people struggled with)
The staff of the program is so friendly and I miss everyone so much.

My plan was to volunteer in Africa and I even looked at few organizations to volunteer with; however, I changed my mind last minutes and talked to few of the program providers and decided to go to Nepal. After talking to few I decided to go with Project Abroad and honestly I could not be any happier with my decision. They made my experience ten times more interesting and enjoyable. Their staffs in Nepal were the loveliest and friendliest people and always check up on you to make sure you're doing fine. They were fantastic!

I volunteered in Chitwan Medical College Hospital since I wanna study medicine in future. I learned a lot by volunteering in different wards such as ER, OR (OT in Nepal), maternity and psychiatric ward. you get to choose the ward you wanna volunteer in each week in the volunteer meeting where everyone gathered. I observed a lot of cool procedures and cases and got to communicate with my broken Nepali to some patients and their family. I also learned a lot of things by talking to doctors and nurses. They were really nice and open to answer all of your question. Moreover by volunteering in different ward, I also learned what field of medicine is more interesting for me and which is not for me.

All in all I have to say it was the best experience in my life and I would definitely try to volunteer with project abroad next summer to another city.

In the first two days there, I visited a Nutritional Rehabilitation Center (NRH) for malnourished children in Patan, Nepal. This was such a learning experience. Malnourishment is a huge problem in Nepal. NRH not only helps children get proper nourishment and gain weight to get back into proper form, but also teaches mothers how to properly feed their children. The children at these centers were really adorable and enjoyed our company. There was also a great view of the terrain, and I met other volunteers: one from Nepal, one from Paris, one from Colorado, one from Italy who I still keep in touch with.
I then spent a few more days in Kathmandu doing touristy things, visiting the magnificent Monkey Temple and a few other sites. The Monkey Temple was unlike anything I have ever seen before and I really enjoyed seeing it filled with monkeys.
I then went to Chitwan where the hospital medical placements were. I spent a few days in Chitwan Medical College (CMC) where I spent some time in radiology, ECG, and the operating theater. I absolutely loved the time I spent in OT because I got to watch several different surgeries including cancer removal and neurosurgeries. This was wonderful experience that I would never have the chance to do in America. It really reinforced my idea that I want to become a surgeon. Most of the doctors are extremely friendly and willing to explain procedures to you. Some nurses even made me tea!
As for the Projects Abroad staff, they are mostly former volunteers so they know what it is like. They are very friendly and willing to help in any way possible. Also bring everything on the recommended to bring list since you will probably need it. I know that having water shoes for the elephant bathing was very useful. The time we spent at Chitwan National Park was exhilarating.

I highly recommend going to Nepal as a medical volunteer through Projects Abroad.