Location: Tena, Ecuador
Duration: minimum 4 weeks, start dates each month (check dates)
Cost: $550 first week, $400 each additional week.
Includes: all food, accommodation, pre‐departure & in‐country support, orientation and project-related activities.
Does not include: flights, airport pickup, travel insurance, personal spending, visas and vaccinations.
Overview
Motivated, enthusiastic, and adventurous interns will learn about medicine and public health in the Amazon rainforest. Interns work in the Napo province, which has limited access to healthcare and educational resources. The program accepts medical, nursing, public health students and professionals seeking experience.
Responsibilities
* Shadow doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and other health professionals.
* Practice medical skills: taking vital signs, measuring height and weight, taking temperatures.
* Assist with medical home visits and community brigades.
* Support ongoing public health projects such as nutrition and hygiene talks, health games, brochure creation, GIS mapping of vaccination records, and inventory of local agricultural products.
* Design a public health project based on the needs of the host organization (subject to supervisor approval).
* Learn about traditional medicine by connecting with local healers and plant experts.
* Live with host families in rural communities, allowing immersion in local culture and Spanish practice.
Daily Schedule Example
8:00‐9:00 AM – Breakfast with host family.
9:30 AM – Arrive at hospital/health center or public health organization.
12:00‐1:00 PM – Lunch at host family's house or packed lunch.
1:30‐4:30 PM – Complete workplace activities and attend meetings.
5:00 PM – Return home for dinner and evening activities.
Benefits
* Placement in a health clinic, hospital, or public health organization.
* Hands‐on experience in the medical field alongside local professionals.
* Exposure to traditional medicine, ethnobotany, agroforestry, and indigenous rights.
* Research and dissertation support available through partner universities and organizations.
* Opportunity to develop leadership, problem‐solving, and cross‐cultural communication skills.
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