Medical Internship In Nepal

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Interning in Nepal on a medical elective / medical internship in Nepal with Volunteer Society Nepal (VSN) is an excellent way to become involved in some of the poorest medical institutions in the developing world. As a medical intern in Nepal, you will have the opportunity to observe the medical work in a variety of departments.

Most Medical Elective / Medical Internships in Nepal work in Solukhumbu, Banepa, Kathmandu, Chitwan, and Pokhara’s Hospitals and polyclinics.

Your Role as a Medical Intern in Nepal

We will ask you which departments you would like to specialize in from the following options: General Medicine, Gynecology/Maternity, Infectious Diseases, ENT, Obstetrics, Psychiatric ward, Neurology, Pneumology, Oncology, Urology, ICU, Ophthalmology, Stomatology, Emergency (requires at least 6 years medical training) and Surgery (requires at least 3 years medical training). All Medical Elective interns in Nepal must have completed at least one year of medical-related studies or training by the time they join this project or at least three years to working at the pediatric hospital. Each internship is tailored to your level of experience and interests.

The hospital staff requests that you spend a minimum of two weeks in each department. Your supervisor at the hospital, the Director, will then assign you to work with the specialist doctors within the different departments. We will do our best to place you according to your preferences, but cannot guarantee every department will be available all of the time.

Your role at the hospital will vary depending on your education and experience level. Usually, you will shadow the local staff upon arrival before switching departments. If you show enthusiasm and develop a good relationship with the medical staff, you may trust to be given more to do. As with any job - especially in the field of medicine - you must prove yourself to be trustworthy before you are given responsibilities.

The hospital’s facilities are basic and the treatment standards will probably be different from what you’re used to. You should be prepared to see some shocking cases and try not to get emotionally involved with the patients. The normal working hours are from Sunday to Friday from 8 am to 12 pm. Many of the doctors do not work in the afternoons, though it is sometimes possible to arrange extra hours from 2 pm to 5 pm to help the nurses or do additional work with patients. Some interns have even arranged to work the occasional night shift.

Most of the doctors speak English. In some departments, there is a staff who speaks a little English or from time to time there may also be local medical interns who can also communicate in English.