India Study Abroad

Rural and Public Health Rotation

Introduction

ISAC offers an in-depth Rural and Public Health rotation for medical and pre-medical students to work with local doctors on mobile vans, hospitals, clinics and Aids/HIV interventions.

This program gives students a chance to learn about health problems faced by rural communities. Students work one on one with local doctors in the areas of public health, rural medicine and HIV/AIDS.

The program combines work on a mobile health van, small local hospitals, and field trips to see leprosy projects and cataract surgeries. This program offers great learning opportunities for pre-meds, medical students, public health students and nursing students who are interested in International health.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR July, August and September 2010!

See scholarship details. Click here to download application form.

Our January students conducted medical checkups for over 3000 village children! Read about their program experience.

Program Overview

Application Fee	$45.
On Acceptance:	On acceptance: $900 for 2 weeks and $200 for each additional week. (for year 2010 only)
How long can I come for?	Minimum 2 weeks, maximum 12 weeks. Can be combined with "Clinical Rotation in Mumbai" for full urban-rural experience.
Items included?	Pre-departure orientation and support, airport pickup, transport to placement, work support and monitoring, 24 hour emergency support, personal cellular phone.
Items not included?	Daily local transportation. Proper guidance will be provided to participants on how to use local transport systems. Air ticket to Mumbai, India, visa fees and any travel insurance will be the responsibility of the student. Airport drop at the end of the program.
Accommodation	All included. On sharing basis in volunteer guest house.
Meals	All meals included. (Vegetarian Indian cuisine)
Donations	The areas are poorly equipped and any donations of simple medical supplies like bandages, vitamins, sutures etc are welcome!
Activities	Working on mobile health van, conducting health check up for school children, clinical rotations at local hospitals, Aids/HIV prevention project.
Eligibility	Pre-medical, medical, nursing students, doctors, residents and allied health professionals.

Program Details

Students can rotate on mobile health vans; work in local government and charitable hospitals and small private clinics in the area. The program offers an excellent overview of the Indian rural health care system. Day trip to nearby leprosy hospital can also be organized for those interested in infectious disease and also to see cataract surgeries. During Dec-Jan months students can get involved in more hands on work by conducting health checkups for almost 5000 underserved children in the area.

What do I do on the program?

HIV/ AIDS Intervention: The HIV/AIDS interventions are targeted towards migrant workers, fishermen, truck drivers, and youth in colleges and high school. Students can work in this department and also help out with documentation, putting together training materials, grant proposals, and reports for social workers.

Hospital Rotations: Work in the government hospitals that provide health care services to poor patients. Students shadow doctors in outpatient clinics, on hospital rounds and observe surgeries.

Leprosy: Day trip to nearby leprosy hospital can also be organized for those interested in infectious disease. This allows students to see a disease that is no longer present in the west. Students get a chance to see patients and understand the social and medical aspects of this once dreaded illness.

Health Camps: Work in health camps organized in the villages. Past students have conducted health camps for children and due to their help the organization was able to see over 3000 children in 3 months!

Even if you are a pre-medical student and don't have clinical skills there are many ways to give back to the community. Past students have helped with conducting health camps for children, medical data collection and analysis, report writing for foreign donors and project evaluation in addition to working in the field.

Where is the program located?

The program is spread across several rural locations outside the city of Mumbai. Locations include Pen, Lonavala, Kamshet, Malvali and Karla. All these are located between Mumbai and Pune which are two major metropolitan areas. The settings are idyllic with hills, valleys, historic sites and popular trekking routes. Most of these areas are conveniently located and well connected with Mumbai, Pune and Goa.

Where in India do I arrive?

*Please book your flight to arrive into Mumbai international airport.

Who can participate?

This program is ideal for pre-medical, medical, nursing and other allied health professionals interested in rural and public health issues. Individual or groups of students can apply to the program.

No prior experience or other training required. Participants must be over 18 years of age easygoing and flexible. They must be committed to working with underserved communities and be able to live in rural areas. Volunteers must be open minded, willing to take initiative to contribute and learn from their environment and be respectful to their surroundings.

The students should be able to adjust to inconveniences caused due to disturbances in power supply and water supply in the remote areas. Students need to respect the local traditions and norms of the community they stay with and be careful not to disturb others in any manner.