MEDICAL WORK EXPERIENCE INTERNSHIPS IN ZAMBIA

Our Work Experience placements are based in Livingstone town, a quaint but lively area very close to the magnificent Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River. Here you'll  observe experts in your field and learn how they work in Zambia. The experience you gain will be invaluable and totally different to what you're used to in your home country.

'The staff were excellent and made us very welcome. The placement was incredible and I had the best time!' - Prithika Selvadurai

PROJECT OVERVIEW
All our Work Experience placements are tailored to your requirements, to ensure you gain the maximum benefit and experience from the placement, so we’ll have detailed discussions with you to ascertain what you’re looking for. Below are brief descriptions of some of the placements currently available. If you don’t see a placement that suits you, please contact us, because we can probably arrange it for you!

Our medical placement is based about 30km just outside of Livingstone town centre. The clinic is based on some farmland out in the bush in a fairly remote area which is currently being run by some American Missionaries. They have managed to convert one of the outbuildings into a medical centre and this enables them to do some tremendous work in helping the local communities.

Although the clinic is fairly small the work is extremely beneficial to the local villagers. The clinic consists of 2 exam rooms, 1 private room for serious cases and two small wards with 3-4 beds in each, one for men and one for women.

They are also looking into obtaining some ultrasound equipment to enable them to monitor pregnancies more efficiently. Thee Clinic provides treatment in their HIV referral clinic which is open every Thursday. An additional part of the community service they provide is a truck which goes round to all the local villages to collect patients for treatment.

Many of their cases generally involve pregnancies, snake bites and testing for Malaria or HIV. For those who may have broken bones, they need to be referred to the hospital in Livingstone town centre, although they are able to stitch up minor wounds at the clinic. Currently the HIV centre has 5-6 patients.

You will be assigned to a doctor or nurse and they will help show and explain to you the workings of their job. Most of your work will involve helping and assisting the local doctors and nurses with their daily rounds, making medical notes and updating records. You may also be asked to help with computer entries, and help clean equipment and various areas within the clinic. The type of work you will be allocated will depend to an extent on your own abilities and on what is required at the time you're there.

FEEDBACK FROM PRITHIKA SELVADURAI ON HER MEDICAL PLACEMENT IN ZAMBIA:

There were so many positive experiences that it's hard to pinpoint certain times. Working in a clinic in the village allowed us to experience the parts of Zambia that tourists don't get, where we got to visit people's homes and pray with them. I came to realise how shockingly religion is important to people especially in the poorer parts where that's all they have to rely on.

One of the most memorable moments was watching a lady give birth, it was such a momentous event that cannot be forgotten. I loved doing outreach work every Wednesday and Friday, where we travel further into the village so that healthcare can be provided to those unable to come to the clinic. Although it was heartbreaking at times to see children at the clinic and orphanage, they were so happy that we forgot about those things.

As much as I enjoyed this trip, two weeks is nowhere near enough. If I could do this again then I would definitely stay at least one month as I would have liked to visit different parts of Zambia, for example, Lusaka. This trip has taught me many things and has encouraged me to travel more, learn about different cultures, people and way of life. The best aspects of travelling is meeting random people and finding that similar connection. It has been such a wonderful trip, I've been talking about it non-stop!

FEEDBACK FROM SAHRE-LUIS KERLE ON HER MEDICAL PLACEMENT IN ZAMBIA:

What experience do you feel you are gaining?
I feel I am gaining more knowledge towards my nursing course. I am able to experience a wide variety of opportunities to do with the clinic. This has ranged from working with the different staff members, meeting different aged patients, seeing different problems/issues, taking part in the diagnosis and treatment, assisting with wound dressing, lab tests, helping inpatients and being able to go out to the villages with the clinic.

So far what is the best thing about your placement?
I cannot really pinpoint what has been the best bit of my placement, as everything has been really good. I had a warm welcome by the clinic and everyone has been friendly and helpful, so it has made the whole experience excellent!

Would you recommend this placement to anyone else?
I would definitely recommend this placement to other health professionals, as you get a real insight into health care and you receive such a large variety of experiences.

What type of person do you think this placement would suit? This placement would definitely suit health professionals or those that are training to do something involving healing/helping people.

Can you describe a typical day? (E.g. start time, morning duties, lunch hours, afternoon duties, any other duties….
I would get picked up from the backpackers at around 8am and usually arrive at the clinic before 9am. I would be assigned to a member of staff to work with throughout the day. The duties would vary depending on who I worked with, but no matter who it was, I received the full benefit of their tasks and job. You get to experience everything and anything possible, you can also ask what you would like to do and see and they put you in that environment. I usually get picked back up around 4pm. The day goes pretty quickly and there is always something going on in the clinic.

Please use this space to note down your any general comments on your placement that you think may be relevant. This will help us to maintain the standard of our placements or make any improvements which become apparent from your input. 
The clinic is a worth while placement, being able to connect with the village people is amazing. The clinic is extremely beneficial if you’re in the health profession. It has been a great experience so far.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into Africa and the diverse cultures in Kenya.

• New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.

• An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market

• And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

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Bridge Over Victoria Falls near Livingstone - Rainbows gather in the mist at this popular Bungee Jumping spot!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Victoria Falls, about 20 minutes from Livingstone

You will be accommodated in a small, modern, and lively hostel situated in the center of Livingstone. The hostel has a very large private garden shaded with huge mango trees, and a crystal clear swimming pool. It also has a lively, sociable bar area where many activities are arranged.

Livingstone has a Colonial feel to it and you will find a wide variety of restaurants, bars, and shops. Your accommodation is ideally situated and can offer excellent trips to places such as Lusaka.

You will be required to share a room with other volunteers or guests of mixed gender. Food and drink is not provided on this placement. There is a local supermarket for you to buy food from and the hostel has cooking facilities for you to use or you can pay for meals at the hostel if you wish. Even better still why not try out some local dishes for a real Zambian experience!

At the time of writing, facilities at the hostel include; a swimming pool, recreation room with TV, internet cafe with internet access, a dining and kitchen area where food can be stored and access to telephones.

The hostel also has an in-house booking centre, where many local activities can be booked (wildlife safaris, river cruises, river gorges, bungee jumping, white water rafting, treks, etc). They guarantee to offer the best deals in town and to beat any other lodge or booking centre!

Many guests comment on the quality of their staff. They are their greatest asset and many have worked for them in excess of 4 years with the longest serving 8 (since they first started). Staff turnover is very low and a family atmosphere has been created that adds tremendously.

They are also involved in a number of community projects. Recently they raised over US$2000 for a local school. They sponsor a local youth football team, the police regatta team, local fund raising events and an annual day out for orphaned children on World tourism Day. They also sponsor Independence day celebrations.

There are plenty of opportunities to socialise with other volunteers and travellers.

'I thought the accommodation was an amazing environment to be in especially for first time travellers, the staff working there were excellent by being friendly and arranging lots of different activities. There was also lots of time to go sight-seeing on the weekends and do all the tourist activities. We actually did bungee jumping, white water rafting and went to a safari. These were also amazing things especially bungee jumping!' Prithika Selvadurai

Read about how your placement and money contributes to helping an extremely poor community school in Zambia and to paying for the education of the poorest children