Projects Abroad Medical Internships in Peru

I lived in Peru for 3 months while interning as a nutritionist. This experience was absolutely wonderful in every single aspect. The Projects Abroad team does a fantastic job at bringing all the volunteers together. If it wasn’t for the Wednesday socials, I would not have met the amazing, lifelong friends I made during my stay. We all became one family and it made staying away from home for such a long time that much easier.
Working as a nutritionist was the most rewarding work I have ever done. The locals were so open to all I had to teach them and really applied what they learned to their everyday lives. Working among locals completely immerged me into Peruvian culture. Throughout my work experience I learned traditional Quechuan dances and how to cook traditional cuisine. My Spanish also greatly improved throughout this experience!
The Projects Abroad team worked very closely with my school and gave me all the hours I needed in order for me to graduate college while still being abroad. I needed a total of 40 hours a week and even though that was unusual for them, they made sure to extend hours and find extra work for me to do in order to fulfill my 40 hours.
Today, I am currently working for a Non-Profit as a Community Educator. If it wasn't for all the presentations I had to do during my internship, I would have not been able to work my current job being it is all public speaking.

When I first touched down in Peru for my placement with Projects Abroad, I arrived with the understanding that I would be taking on a mostly observational role in the clinic with few hands-on responsibilities. Once I began working, however, my level of involvement far exceeded my expectations as I was given multiple duties involving patient care. In a typical day I arrive at 8:00 am and help weigh and measure patients in “Triage”, which typically lasts until 10:00. I then return to “Topico” to assist the nurse there where I have learned proper would cleaning techniques and how to administer intramuscular injections. I at times take blood pressure and temperature of patients, and assist with the general maintenance of the clinic by cleaning equipment and folding gauze. The day flies by and 1:00 always arrives quickly. This experience has been transformative in my understanding of the medical profession as I have been given hands-on experience treating patients, and have developed relationships with the patients and staff, all while in a foreign language. I have learned the importance of communication and collaboration in a medical environment, and have marvelled at the trusting relationships between health care workers and patients in the Centro de Salud de San Sebastian. This experience has certainly strengthened my resolve to pursue a career in medicine, and inspired me to pursue more medically-related volunteer missions in the future.

Volunteering in Cusco, Peru at the government run hospital was a very great opportunity to immerse myself in medical Spanish and interact with patients on a day to day basis. Physicians at the hospital were open to teaching and made our time there interactive and purposeful. My homestay family was a very sweet couple, interested in all our activities and enjoyed our presence in their home. They cooked very traditional foods and even took us out on the weekends with them to restaurants/stores to make sure we knew which ones had the best deals. The projects abroad program was overall extremely helpful in the transition from the US to Peru and made sure we had the resources to make the best out of our time there. The office also provided workshops and social events to allow us to meet others also participating in the program. I had a great experience with this program and defiantly recommend it to others to take advantage of in the future!