Projects Abroad Medical Placements in Nepal

I spent a month in Nepal over summer to intern at the Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital in Bharatpur, and it was a great decision. Even before I left, Projects Abroad staff were available for support and any questions I had. They also booked my flights for me, which I appreciated. When I arrived at the Kathmandu Airport, a staff member was waiting to pick me up and take me to the hotel, where I met some other volunteers and had an orientation to introduce me to the culture and my placement.

During my placement in Bharatpur, I was in the hospital from 7am-1pm in various wings (OB/GYN, OR and ER, the pathology lab, the pediatrics ward, and the orthopedics department). I witnessed three live births, a C-section, and some interesting ER cases, and my favorite part was talking to the doctors and nurses on call.

My host family was absolutely amazing and I miss them so much! My host mom was very supportive and constantly made sure that all of the accommodations were nice. The food she cooked was delicious, and I quickly learned that being vegetarian in Nepal is easy because the cuisine revolves around vegetables and rice.

Projects Abroad staff who lived in Bharatpur checked in with the volunteers every week to make sure that there were no problems with the host family or other volunteers. We also discussed what had happened during the week, placement changes, and any plans for weekend excursions, which we did almost every weekend. This was a good support system for anyone who was suffering from culture shock or homesickness.

Nepal is a beautiful country with so much to see and do, and the Nepali people are some of the most accepting, curious people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I will definitely return when I have a chance, and would recommend a visit to anyone!

I was a part of a two week medical project in Chitwan Nepal with Projects Abroad. I stayed with a host family in a neighborhood that was about a fifteen minute walk from where I was working. I was the only volunteer staying with my host family at the time. There was a mother, father, and their son, and each and every one of them made me feel extremely welcomed in such a foreign environment. I was greeted the first night with a native welcoming ceremony and was told to let them know if I needed anything or had any problems. In Nepal the power goes out twice a day, but the family has generators so that we could have the lights on. Other than that you had to time when you were going to charge your electronics. My host family provided me with more than enough delicious spicy food, and I loved every bite of it. The family made sure that I would keep in touch and if I ever went back to Nepal they said I always had a place to stay. Projects Abroad definitely provides you with comfortable and a very welcoming host family and home.

Nepal simply took my breath away and I still dream of visiting again. I signed up for the program because I was pre-med in college and wanted a new perspective of medicine, which Projects Abroad offered in their medicine program placed in Chitwan, Nepal.
The program sets you up in a 5 day a week placement at Chitwan Medical College. You choose where to volunteer - I chose pediatrics and emergency for the first two weeks, then operating room for the rest of my time. I saw some seriously crazy surgeries first hand.
You are given so much independence in the program. It is very much what you make it. If you reach out and talk to the doctors, they'll love to talk to you. If you don't reach out, you won't get anything out of it (as I saw some people struggled with)
The staff of the program is so friendly and I miss everyone so much.

Almost two years ago, I decided that I wanted to do some sort of volunteer work in a foreign country. At the time, I was a pre-med student, so I settled on a medical internship. That was the easy part. After I decided what I wanted to do, I had to choose a program and a country. I googled something like, "volunteering abroad," and one of the first sites to pop up was Projects Abroad. After exploring the site and reading reviews, I decided that the program was perfect for me! At this point, I had the two of the three parts needed to start my trip. I looked at the Projects Abroad map, and looked for the country that was farthest away from my home. That's how I settled on Nepal as my temporary home for a month.

I landed in Kathmandu, Nepal with an information packet and a list of contact numbers. My airport pick-up was arranged by Projects Abroad through the hotel that I would be staying at for the next couple of days. The next morning, I was met by one of the Projects Abroad coordinators, who went over my information packet with me and answered my questions. The coordinator was incredibly helpful and made me feel very comfortable.

The next morning, I boarded a bus to Chitwan, a small, rural town four hours away from Kathmandu. I was escorted by a Nepalese man employed by Projects Abroad. I was shocked when the bus finally stopped in the middle of nowhere--which turned out to be my final destination. I have to say I absolutely LOVED Chitwan, which was largely due to the amazing host family I stayed with it. My host family consisted of a husband, wife, and their two sons. They were all so welcoming and helped my get used to my new surroundings.

Every morning, I walked about 8 minutes to a tuk tuk (rickshaw) stop, and rode it to the equivalent of main street in Chitwan. I then walked a short distance to the hospital where I had the opportunity to be assigned to a variety of departments. I learned a lot about how medicine is performed in Nepal and I even got to observe a few surgeries! I had an absolutely priceless and life-changing experience and I never once felt unsafe while in Nepal. Projects Abroad provided some amazing coordinators and staff who where on site to help guide me and the other amazing volunteers.

My plan was to volunteer in Africa and I even looked at few organizations to volunteer with; however, I changed my mind last minutes and talked to few of the program providers and decided to go to Nepal. After talking to few I decided to go with Project Abroad and honestly I could not be any happier with my decision. They made my experience ten times more interesting and enjoyable. Their staffs in Nepal were the loveliest and friendliest people and always check up on you to make sure you're doing fine. They were fantastic!

I volunteered in Chitwan Medical College Hospital since I wanna study medicine in future. I learned a lot by volunteering in different wards such as ER, OR (OT in Nepal), maternity and psychiatric ward. you get to choose the ward you wanna volunteer in each week in the volunteer meeting where everyone gathered. I observed a lot of cool procedures and cases and got to communicate with my broken Nepali to some patients and their family. I also learned a lot of things by talking to doctors and nurses. They were really nice and open to answer all of your question. Moreover by volunteering in different ward, I also learned what field of medicine is more interesting for me and which is not for me.

All in all I have to say it was the best experience in my life and I would definitely try to volunteer with project abroad next summer to another city.

In the first two days there, I visited a Nutritional Rehabilitation Center (NRH) for malnourished children in Patan, Nepal. This was such a learning experience. Malnourishment is a huge problem in Nepal. NRH not only helps children get proper nourishment and gain weight to get back into proper form, but also teaches mothers how to properly feed their children. The children at these centers were really adorable and enjoyed our company. There was also a great view of the terrain, and I met other volunteers: one from Nepal, one from Paris, one from Colorado, one from Italy who I still keep in touch with.
I then spent a few more days in Kathmandu doing touristy things, visiting the magnificent Monkey Temple and a few other sites. The Monkey Temple was unlike anything I have ever seen before and I really enjoyed seeing it filled with monkeys.
I then went to Chitwan where the hospital medical placements were. I spent a few days in Chitwan Medical College (CMC) where I spent some time in radiology, ECG, and the operating theater. I absolutely loved the time I spent in OT because I got to watch several different surgeries including cancer removal and neurosurgeries. This was wonderful experience that I would never have the chance to do in America. It really reinforced my idea that I want to become a surgeon. Most of the doctors are extremely friendly and willing to explain procedures to you. Some nurses even made me tea!
As for the Projects Abroad staff, they are mostly former volunteers so they know what it is like. They are very friendly and willing to help in any way possible. Also bring everything on the recommended to bring list since you will probably need it. I know that having water shoes for the elephant bathing was very useful. The time we spent at Chitwan National Park was exhilarating.

I highly recommend going to Nepal as a medical volunteer through Projects Abroad.