Nepal Medical Internship - under 18

I went with Projects Abroad the summer of 2018 to Nepal for their medical internship program for teens. It was my first time out of country alone, and as a 15 year old, I felt completely safe! Everyone on the staff and especially the coordinators were so helpful and always ensured I was safe, healthy, and having fun.

The program is structured on a rotational basis. You’re split into groups and you’ll spend everyday at a different hospital or clinic. There are also labs, lectures, and outreaches, and sightseeing tours set up for you. For the program itself, the most important thing is to be proactive. The doctors at all the hospitals you go to speak English, but they won’t take time out of their overcrowded schedules to interact with you! However, if you show your interest and make an active effort to be k clover, they’ll be more than happy to accommodate you! I still remember some of the beautiful conversations I had. I got to help perform biopsies at the cancer hospital because I asked, and the surgeon said sure! I also do a delivery, an abortion, and many, many eye exams.

Nepal is a beautiful country with a very diverse culture! The program was based in Chitwan, near the Indian border, and it was very, very humid. The hotel you stay at all have AC though, and I honestly looked forward to returning to a blast of freezing air from my hotel room. The locals are so friendly, and the food is delicious. Gosh I still miss the momos. It’s important to keep and open mind when you go, because Nepal is still a developing country and it is to be expected that things are not the standard they are at back home. That being said, it was a very enriching experience, both in terms of the medical procedures I learned and from the diverse cast that made up my group! I never thought I would have a conversation about the Italian school system or Poland’s geographical features, but I did, and more!