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Nursing Internship in Peru

Gain overseas experience as a nursing intern in Peru by working alongside professional medical staff

Destination

Peru

Age

18+ y/o

Minimum Stay

4 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

Requirements

You need to speak intermediate Spanish.

What’s Included

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

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Starting at £2,285 for 4 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments

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Trip Overview

Watch experts on hospital wards

Shadow Peruvian nurses during daily rounds, observe medical procedures, and sit in on consultations to gain insight into local healthcare practices.

Work in various departments

Explore various medical fields, including obstetrics and paediatrics, rotating through different hospital departments to broaden your knowledge.

Conduct community outreach

Assist in medical outreach, conducting basic health checks in disadvantaged areas, and contribute to raising awareness of prevalent diseases in Peru.

Lose yourself in Peruvian culture

Live with a Peruvian host family, experience authentic Andean culture in Cusco, and enhance your Spanish language skills through daily interactions.

Broaden your horizons

Enhance your CV with international nursing experience, contribute to improving healthcare access in Peru, and build your confidence and adaptability.

What you need to know

Overview

Our Nursing internship in Peru is open to all ages and is ideal if you are pursuing a career in nursing.

You can use this nursing work experience in Peru to boost your CV, and it will give you a lot to talk about in interviews. Talk about what you saw and learnt at the hospital, and how you overcame any challenges you faced. You will also have a deeper insight into the healthcare challenges people face in developing countries.

Whether you’re planning to study nursing, or already enrolled in university, this internship will add value to your future career.

To do this internship, you must speak an intermediate level of Spanish. This is because many nurses and patients in Peru do not speak English, and you need to communicate with them.

Nursing Departments

You can explore a number of departments or focus on those you want to gain experience in. The departments where you can work include:

General medicine
Obstetrics
Gynaecology
Paediatrics

If you’re interested in a specific department, please feel free to contact us, and we can help advise you.

A Day in the Life

On any given day, you will work shifts alongside your professional supervisors.

Your first shift of the day will be from around 8:00am to 1:00pm. Most patients are treated in the mornings, so be prepared for a busy start to the day. You will spend your afternoons shadowing nurses while they provide bedside care, and help with administrative tasks. If available, you could spend your afternoons working in the emergency unit.

If you work at the children’s rehabilitation centre, you will have less contact with doctors in the mornings. During your afternoons you can help with child care activities that focus on education and development.

In the evenings, you will return to your host families to get a taste of living like a Peruvian. Share stories from your day with your host family and fellow volunteers, and chat about life in your home countries.

Your weekends will be free for you to explore the amazing city of Cusco. Walk along streets lined with exquisite architecture and taste delicious lunches like hearty soups. You can also be adventurous and take a trip into the breathtaking mountainous landscapes of the Andes, where llamas roam freely.

Aims & Impact

The main aim of this project is to give you the opportunity to expand your medical knowledge, specifically in the field of nursing, and give you insight into healthcare practices in a developing country.

Peru currently suffers from a double burden of disease: infectious disease remains rife in poorer communities, with respiratory diseases still being one of the leading causes of death in Peru. That being said, non-communicable diseases are also on the rise and malnutrition amongst babies and children remains a serious issue.

Through our outreach programme, we aim to provide basic healthcare to some of these vulnerable groups as well as raise awareness about some of the more pressing health issues facing the country.

We have committed to four goals, as outlined in our Medical Management Plan:

Encourage an understanding of medical practices and promote an exchange of medical knowledge
Improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients
Improve access to basic healthcare to disadvantaged groups
Improve hygiene standards

Help us achieve these goals while you gain invaluable nursing work experience in Peru.

Activities

On this internship you will observe nurses as they go about their day. You can choose between a public hospital, healthcare centre, children’s rehabilitation centre, or private health clinic. During your observation, you will see fascinating procedures as they happen and learn about different diseases and conditions. These are some of the activities you can do:

Shadow doctors and nurses doing their daily rounds
Spend time observing in a variety of hospital departments for a diverse learning experience
Sit in during consulations between doctors and patients
Assist in outreaches that provide basic healthcare services

Your work will be split in four main areas:

Shadow doctors and nurses

You will observe how doctors and nurses do their work in a clinical setting. By following medical staff on their rounds, you will see medical procedures as they happen, like stitching, and learn about common diseases in Peru. Ask questions, take notes, and absorb the knowledge of highly experienced practitioners.

Spend time in a variety of hospital departments

We encourage you to learn as much as possible by spending time in different hospital departments. This is a great way of finding out which speciality you are most interested in. The longer your internship, the more time you will get to spend in different departments.

Sit in during consultations between doctors and patients

Sitting in on consultations is a great way to get an idea of how doctors and nurses interact with, diagnose, and treat patients. You are bound to learn a lot of common diseases and how to identify their symptoms during this time.

Outreaches to provide basic healthcare services

In Peru, many disadvantaged and rural areas have very little access to healthcare services. To help provide these services, we organise medical outreaches twice a month. All of our medical interns participate, and you will help by doing basic health checks. You’ll also raise awareness of common diseases in Peru and how to prevent them.

Map & Location

Step into the home of the Inca Empire, where the Andes Mountains meet the Amazon Rainforest. Peru is the third-largest South American nation and about 60% of it is covered by rainforest. It’s also the origin of the mighty Amazon River.

Peru is a popular tourist destination for its rich history and culture, incredible biodiversity, and, of course, Machu Picchu. If you aren’t persuaded yet, this ought to do the trick: it’s home to about three-quarters of the global alpaca population!

Cusco

Cusco, nestled in the Andes in southeast Peru, was the capital of the mighty Inca Empire. Now home to half a million people, the stunning city welcomes over two million tourists a year, many of which hike the nearby Inca Trail to find the famous Machu Picchu.

Thanks to a high elevation and subtropical climate, Cusco benefits from comfortable temperatures year round. You’ll also find a lively city centre with busy social spots, a fascinating mix of architecture, and easy transport access.

Food & Accommodation

We’ll take care of all the essentials during your time in Peru. You’ll have a comfortable living space with a carefully selected host family, three nutritious meals a day, and access to safe drinking water. We’ll also organise all your travel to and from your placement.

Your host family’s home will be clean, safe, and secure, and you’ll be welcomed as a local from the moment you arrive. Share your stories and culture with your host family and other Projects Abroad participants over incredible home-cooked meals and experience Peruvian culture and hospitality every day.

We will try to match you with another person of the same gender and similar age so you can share your experience with a like-minded traveller. Who knows, you might just make a new friend (or a few) on your travels!

Meet your team

Free Time and Leisure

Peru is a vibrant country with a mix of activities for every kind of volunteer. Whether you’re into arts, culture, history, or nature, there’s sure to be something for you!

One of the biggest attractions of Peru is the Inca history. There are awe-inspiring archaeological sites like Coricancha, Tambomachay, and of course, Machu Picchu (which is easy to get to from Cusco).

Over a weekend, you can take a trip to the village of Pisac, where you can browse bright, eye-catching textile markets. Don’t miss out on seeing the llamas and alpacas too!

There are also lively restaurants everywhere you look, the perfect place to spend an evening chatting to the locals, relaxing, and enjoying local cuisine, like ceviche.

We run a variety of projects in Peru so you’ll likely meet many other volunteers on your trip. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect and travel as a group. However, you’re welcome to travel independently if you prefer.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Peru Arrival Procedures page.