Health/Medical Internship in Costa Rica

  Costa Rica

• San Jose: 
San Jose
• North Western Region: 
Heredia
• Central Pacific Coast: 
San Pedro,  Quepos,  Cartago,  Manuel Antonio

Term: Throughout the year 
Dates: Throughout the year, every 1st or 3rd Monday of each month.

Description:
We have many diverse internship placements to choose from throughout Costa Rica.

While on the program you will live with a Costa Rican host family. Sharing your daily life with them will provide you with experience and insight into the culture that you could never have had as a tourist. Soon you will become immersed in "Tico" culture and live "pura vida."

Highlights:
I Accommodation
During their internships, participants will live with a Costa Rican family either by themselves or with a group of other volunteers. Participants will be provided with 2-3 meals a day and laundry service. Living with a host family will give participants an invaluable insight into the "real" Costa Rica.

*A handful of internships offer on-site living instead of home stay accommodations.

II Language Classes:
To those who need them, optional language classes are available. These classes are held prior to starting the internship and are usually one-on-one sessions with a personal tutor. They cost an additional USD 400/ week and include home-stay accommodations and meals. Classes are a great way to be introduced to a new country and improve participants' Spanish skills.

III Internship placement:
Health Care
* Paramedical Assistant

Locations: San Jose, Heredia and Cartago

Description of Project and Duties:
Participants with this program work with a paramedical team in either San Jose or Heredia, getting first-hand experience with the team by responding to emergency calls in the ambulance. The internship schedule will mirror that of the paramedical team: 24 hours on call at headquarters and 24 hours off. Each intern will be paired with 2 or 3 Costa Rican paramedics, with whom they will complete their shifts. Interns will work 2-3 shift s a week.

Aside from emergency calls, the paramedics will also transfer patients from one hospital to another and host health and safety fairs in the community. CPR and paramedical training will be provided by the staff so that interns develop an understanding of the necessary procedures and terminology. This is not only a great opportunity to get medical experience, but also to work closely with Costa Ricans in the medical field.

* Clinical Medicine

Locations: San Pedro, Tres Rios, Matapalo

Description of Project and Duties:
This internship enables pre-med, medical, nursing, pharmacology, and public health students to experience a hands-on placement in a public clinic. The clinics AIDE works with also undertake home visits where doctors and nurses try to educate families on preventative medicine.   Interns will take on administrative tasks in addition to assisting with patient exams and attending home visits.

Requirements:
Some previous medical experience or relevant coursework.

* Physical Therapy and Special Education

Location: Quepos/Manuel Antonio

Description of Project and Duties:
The mission of this project is to improve the quality of life for handicapped children in the rural Pacific coast region of Costa Rica. Basic services for the disabled are located in San Jose, Costa Rica, a six to nine hour roundtrip bus ride. Since the center operates in a rural area where this type of care is non-existent, they welcome children with all types of physical and mental disabilities.

AIDE interns will assist with daily activities such as art classes, games, and sports. There are also special education classes and specialized speech and physical therapy sessions. Usually interns will find themselves gravitating towards a few certain children and become more of a personal coach and mentor.

* Breast Cancer Foundation

Location: San Jose

Description of Project and Duties:
The Breast Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization, mainly composed of volunteers (most of them cancer survivors) dedicated to helping women to fight cancer by the means of early detection, prompt and effective medical attention and holistic rehabilitation. Interns may take on a variety of responsibilities: providing support to pre and post-operation patients in local hospitals, assisting with physical therapy rehabilitation, attending to patients that come in for medical exams, loaning wigs to women who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy and increasing public breast cancer awareness through community events, fundraisers, and public health fairs.

*Please note that specific details, such as exact work hours and the type of work, can only be determined by expertise, skills, attitude, and Spanish fluency. Also, some programs do have special requirements that are needed to be accepted.

Also Included:
* Pre-departure orientation
* Guaranteed internship placement
* Visa assistance (if needed)
* Travel/Medical insurance
* Airport pick-up
* Transfer to your accommodations
* Arrival orientation
* One way transportation to the city of your internship placement
* Accommodations and meals
* Full-time local representative in Costa Rica
* 24/7 personal support
* Certificate of completion (upon request)

Qualifications:
* Participants must be at least 18 years of age
* Participants must be eligible to receive a tourist visa to Costa Rica
* Other requirements may apply according to the internship position offered

Language Classes Fees
1 week: USD 400
2 weeks: USD 800
3 weeks: USD 1,200

AIDE is a non-profit organization. Donations contributed in excess of the fair market value of the services you receive from AIDE may be tax deductible. Please consult your tax adviser for more information.

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Costa Rica Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

AIDE 's Mission Statement: Through education and the exchange of ideas and people across borders, AIDE will build a worldwide community of global citizens who will be part of an ongoing intercultural conversation. AIDE will be a catalyst for change in the world by building bridges between individuals from diverse cultures.

Year Founded: 1992