I am quite passionate about studying medicine, but I wanted to have an even better look at how it all works behind the scenes. ProjectAbroad had the option for me to see that.
Their communication is very good; they helped me stove a last minute pre-departure problem, even when it looked impossible to solve.
For my trip to Vietnam, the only thing I had to organise on my own was buying a plane ticket (but there is an option they organize that that as well). All the rest (you should think of placement, VISA, etc..) was organized by the wonderful staff pre-departure.
Upon arrival, they give you a run-down how things work in the house where you’re staying and Vietnam itself (even a CrashCourse Vietnamese).
The only thing you have to organise yourself while you’re there is your weekend trips.
People often expect that they will have micromanagement at their placement and take a laid-back attitude. So the advice I would like to give is: take initiative (!!). The more you have interest in something, the more you will get out of your project.
Also important to note is: be courageous enough to ask for help if needed or more work. People often appreciate you stepping up and organising things on you own.
If you’re taking part in the medical project, expect waking up before everybody else to attend the morning meeting of the department where you’re placed. In this meeting, the cases they have for the day are discussed. Most of my days I’ve spend in the OR because I was in the general surgery department, but your average day will depend on the specialty you choose to follow.
In the evenings, there’re some activities the program organises, but you will probably end up exploring the city with friends form other projects.
Coming to my project in Vietnam I didn’t really have any ‘big fears’; I am used to traveling alone so that wasn’t a problem for me.
The only concern I had was that there could be a huge language barrier between me and the staff at my placement, as I don’t speak Vietnamese and not all Vietnamese people speak English there (so I was told). Luckily, that wasn’t much of a problem for me, but in case I was experiencing any language barriers at my placement, the ProjectAbroad staff had translators organised for us.