Medical Volunteer Program in Cusco/Pisac

As someone who spent a long two months in Cusco I can say I enjoyed essentially every minute of my program and my time in Cusco. I was lucky enough to work in a relatively busy clinic in an incredible little town outside of Cusco called Pisac. Since I'm pre-med I shadowed doctors and took vitals (height, weight, heart rate, blood pressure and temperature). My Spanish level is intermediate, so I got to interact with patients by asking why they came to the clinic and begin exams while the doctors started the mountainous amount of paper work they need to do. However, I worked with other volunteers of all different Spanish levels and you almost never volunteer alone, so we helped each other out if there was something we missed or didn't understand. A lot of the doctors are able to understand English so you can communicate to a certain extent. The people I met on this trip have been the best part, not only at my placement but also at the house I was staying at. I was staying in a relatively large house with, at most, 13 other volunteers and they were all fantastic people who were always up for going on adventures or excursions like Rainbow Mountain, Moray Salt Mines+ATVing or Humantay Lake. I was lucky enough to volunteer in June when there are a ton of celebrations and parades for the entire month, it was beautiful!

The IVHQ organization was helpful and supportive the whole time, before and after my volunteering program. I was definitely sending them a bunch of emails beforehand and they checked in about a week or two after I had landed in Cusco. I would most definitely recommend this organization and am planning on using them to volunteer in Cusco again after my first or second year of medical school. The cost was affordable and the experience priceless. Thank you IVHQ!