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Sri Lanka

Pre Medical Observership Program Sri Lanka

Medical Volunteer Program in Sri Lanka is a great opportunity to gain international work experience under experienced medical experts and to learn more about the healthcare system of a different country.

Highlights

  • Observership experience at one of the major public hospitals in southern Sri Lanka
  • Get project-specific training on Sri Lankan medical industry
  • Get accustomed and educated about common practices, customs and code of conduct in Sri Lanka
  • Live life like a local amongst the locals
  • Assess your learning and experience curve with reviews from the support and assistance team
  • Explore the city and around on weekends
Programa de tratamento pré-medicamentouze

Overview

The Pre-Medical Observership Program caters to participants who are not currently enrolled in a medical or nursing degree from a recognized university, but have some prior knowledge and/or experience in the healthcare sector.Participants who have no demonstrable experience or knowledge whatsoever in the healthcare sector cannot be enrolled in the program.

Sri Lanka is the only country in South Asia which offers free healthcare to all its citizens, which is remarkable for this region. As such, the public sector here is very well developed and much larger than the private sector. Participants working in the public sector have access to a larger and wider network of medical professionals, range and volume of patients and exposures to a comprehensive set of wards and special units that cannot come close to being matched in the private sector. There is also a greater need for future doctors and nurses to assist in the public sector as the sheer volume of patients they get is overwhelming and from lower socio-economic classes, where the need for support is greater. 

Participants can expect to gain a broad-based understanding of how these sectors work through a range of observation-based learning experiences across various wards and units in a hospital and/or clinic setting, as well as through a range of community based activities. They also get to understand how the medical system of a developing country like Sri Lanka works and learn about various tropical diseases that are prevalent in this part of the world. Additionally, participants get to interact with local doctors and nurses to enhance their knowledge and skills.

Medical Students as well as recently qualified medical students looking to gain valuable experience and skills must select the Medical Internship Program in Sri Lanka. Nursing students looking to do a nursing elective must choose our Nursing Internship Program in Sri Lanka.

Sample Placement Profile

National Hospital Galle – this is the largest public hospital in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, and the 3rd largest hospital in all of Sri Lanka. Capacity of ~2,000 beds. It has a total of 54 wards and several other specialized units. It was previously known as “Teaching Hospital Karapitiya” but has now been renamed as “National Hospital Galle” as the Sri Lankan government has recently elevated its status from a regional hospital to a national one.

Government Ayurveda Institute – this hospital specializes in the traditional medicinal practice of Ayurveda.

Community Projects – we work with various local schools and community organizations. Our students have the option to spend some of their time at these places for a more intimate experience working with children and senior citizens.


Schedule

Schedule

Saturday: Arrival in Colombo airport - transfer to Galle included

Sunday: Orientation + neighborhood familiarization tour. The orientation session will be conducted by the local coordinator, covering topic areas; such as safety, culture, language, places to visit, behavior, food, and other suggestions over things to do in and around Galle. The medical project coordinator provides project-specific training, which includes an overview of the Sri Lankan medical industry, common practices, customs, code of conduct, rules, etc. The coordinator also monitors day-to-day development of the participants and reviews and assigns project task sheets to each participant based on their experience level.

Mon to Fri: Observership placement at appropriate medical institution (schedules can be somewhat flexible by an hour or two either way, based on ground realities at the time) 

• Breakfast - 06:30 to 8:30 am

• Working hours at the placement - 09:00 am to 1pm (Hours can vary) 

• Lunch - 12:00-2:30 pm (Provided at the accommodation) 

• Dinner - 6:30-7:30 pm onwards (Provided at the accommodation)

The same volunteer work schedule continues from the second week onwards 

Weekends: Free to explore the city, all the nearby beaches and also travel around Sri Lanka. Being a small island with a very good public transportation system (buses, trains), it is easy to take weekend trip to the mountains, tea plantations, rainforests, cultural sites, various beach towns, etc.

Note: Please note, the schedule may vary depending on the particular project the volunteer is participating in.


Roles & Responsibilities

Roles & Responsibilities

Pre-meds can get broad-based rotational exposure across various wards, units and institutions as described below. They do not get to choose their ward or unit selection prior to arrival (unlike our Medical or Nursing Internship participants).The exact availability of each ward or unit can change from time to time based on ground realities, however, in general, pre-med participants will have access to rotate across the following wards, units and institutions:

Emergency Treatment Centre (ETC) – typical tasks include bedside teaching regarding patients’ management, ward class with ward rounds, checking vital signs of patients (if the staff permits), observing live surgeries in casualty operation theatre and post casualty theatre under the direct guidance of the surgeon. Students will be given explanations by the surgeon based on the type of surgery and the ground emergency situation.

General Surgical Wards– tasks include joining the ward rounds with the consultant and medical staff, assisting the medical staff for wound dressing, checking vital signs of patients and observing live surgeries such as Cholecystectomy, Appendectomy, Hernia repair, Thyroidectomy, etc.

Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Unit – tasks include supporting patients to carry out their daily physiotherapy and occupational therapy exercises, carrying out group activities to support the patient's mental well-being and other similar activities. Participants will get to work closely with a physiotherapist and occupational therapist on a regular basis.

General Pediatric Wards – tasks include studying the history of the patients with the support of medical/nursing staff, joining the ward rounds, helping support mothers feed their children and performing activities to socialize with children (with parental consent).

Outdoor Patient Department – students are able to rotate between medical examining rooms, wound dressing room and vaccination rooms and observe how the outdoor patient department works in Sri Lanka.

Oncology Surgical Ward – tasks include studying the history of the patients with the support of medical/ nursing staff, joining the ward rounds, observing how local staff monitor vital signs, perform wound dressings of patients and observing pre-operative and post-operative care of the patients who go through surgeries.

Ayurvedic Medicine – A special introductory session on the traditional eastern medicinal practice of Ayurveda, which is based on a natural and holistic approach to physical and mental health. Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world’s oldest medical systems and remains one of Sri Lanka’s most popular and respected traditional health care systems.

Community Based Activities – this involves working at local schools, villages and community groups.

  • Disability Care: Premedical students are encouraged to engage with differently-abled people that need extra affection and care. They are able to help them with activities that enhance their motor and cognitive skills.

  • Children: Educate and train the local children on first aid and basic hygiene practices in schools, kindergartens and community groups under the guidance of the coordinators.

  • Elderly Care: Support and cheer up elderly people at elderly homes while improving their gross motor skills and cognitive skills engaging in crafting, mobility exercises and other fun activities.

  • General Public: attend medical campaigns and health awareness programs under the guidance of medical professionals where they can assist with health checkups and educate people on different health conditions and issues.

Students generally need to be assigned for a minimum of one week in the units/wards in the main hospital .

In addition to the above wards/ units, premedical students can participate in Community Weeks as which provides a more hands on experience dealing with various members of the local public (as described above) through community-based activities. This also includes a special one-day session on Ayurvedic medicine so a typical community week will comprise of #7-8 mentioned above. The number of community weeks for students vary depending on the program duration and the ground availability.

It is important to emphasize that the experience in the hospital is observation-based as the participants lack the experience and skill to perform any invasive procedures on patients. Certain areas like physiotherapy and community based activities tend to be more hands-on work than others.

All students are supported by our medical project coordinator who provides regular guidance and support to further enhance their learning and knowledge development.


Project Requirement

Project Requirement

Pre-medical students must show prior demonstrable knowledge and experience in the healthcare sector. Examples of such include: 

  • Degree or Diploma in Premedical Science/ Biomedical science/ Health science/ Paramedic science/ Microbiology/ Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy/ Health Management

  • Nutritionist/ Anesthesiologist/ Radiologist 

  • Vocational training in the medical or nursing field 

  •  Healthcare Assistants - Medical assistant/ Physician assistant/ Nursing assistant/ Lab assistant/ Surgical Technical assistant 

  • Geriatric nurse or elderly care nurse 

  • Nursing apprenticeship for 1-2 months 

  • First Aid or ambulance service experience for 1-2 months 

  • Prior medical or nursing or healthcare internship experiences in hospitals 

Above qualifications or experiences of the premedical students in the healthcare sector should be confirmed by a reference letter or certificate issued. Hospital management has the right to reject any premedical application if the reference does not satisfy the requirements of the hospital. Students should have a sufficient level of conversational / verbal knowledge of English.

Additionally, participants must understand and appreciate the different cultures when working in a country like Sri Lanka where the medical standards differ greatly from what they might have experienced in their home country. Our experience has shown that the participants who get the most out of this experience tend to be open-minded, flexible, respectful to local staff and eager to learn.

Students must be 18 years or older at the time of joining the project and must be flexible and open-minded towards working in a new and challenging environment. The following documents are needed to apply for the Pre-Medical placement:

  • Current CV or Resume

  • Motivation Letter (or Intent Letter) describing personal background and rationale for pursuing this placement

  • Police background check

  • Copy of passport

  • Duly completed Clinical Observership Trainee Assessment form provided by the hospital

  • Reference letter/ document and/or a certificate which proves prior knowledge and experience in the healthcare sector

  • Clinical or university documents that need to be attested by the hospital to certify the program completion.

All the premedical students should submit the above required documents five weeks prior to their start date. 

If a premedical student needs the certification for a certain number of days, they have to complete the below number of weeks minimum in the hospital.  

  • 30 days certification - 5 weeks  

  • 60 days certificate - 9 weeks  

  • 90 days certificate - 13 weeks 

The regular start day at the hospital is a Monday which will be recorded as the start date in all the documents that are certified by the hospital. The end date can be the last Saturday of the project period. Weekly intervals taken by the students during their program period will be mentioned in their documents.

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Living

Living

At Volunteering Solutions we ensure that all our international volunteers are provided the utmost comfort so that they can have a home away from home experience while working with us. We ensure that your stay, meals and other personal requirements are looked after well. 

Airport Transfers 
Volunteers are picked up from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport Airport by a representative of the local coordinating team on the program start date during scheduled airport pickup hrs. Participants are also dropped off to the airport upon completion of the program during the scheduled airport drop hrs. 

Note : Airport Transfers are provided at extra charges of USD $37 each way for a shared transfer during scheduled pickup hours on Saturday.There will be 2 shared airport transfers every Saturday (Morning and afternoon/evening) from airport to Galle and vice versa for return departures.​ A private transfer will cost USD 100.

Accommodation

Volunteers joining the programs in Galle, Sri Lanka, will get to stay in the quaint Unawatuna neighborhood, overlooking the famous Unawatuna Beach and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Our participants stay in two volunteer houses which are located near to each other. 

The Beachside house is located right across the road from Unawatuna Beach and about 100 metres from the other volunteer house. It has 12 spacious bedrooms of varying sizes with attached en suite bathrooms each with air-conditioning facilities (most rooms also have attached outdoor balconies). There is also a separate dining area, small garden, lounge, terrace and a large office with permanent staff onsite. The property is safeguarded by multiple CCTV cameras and an onsite night security team.

The other larger volunteer house has 13 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.Most of these rooms have ocean views! There's a private 40-foot outdoor swimming pool surrounded by tropical greenery. The house also has 3 kitchens as well as 3 living/common rooms (one each per floor), a prominent dining area, and a private outdoor garden with seating/lounging areas.

The office is located on the ground floor of the house near the main entrance – this is where the local team operate from every day. The house is located in a peaceful, nature-filled neighborhood adjacent to a small Buddhist temple (nestled away from the main tourist areas). To ensure the safety and security of the participants, there are CCTV cameras installed, and an in-house security guard for night-time surveillance. Hot water and high-speed Wi-Fi are there and you can opt for air-conditioning and laundry facilities at an additional charge.

Private (single and double) room upgrades are available at additional charges. During busy months participants are also also provided accommodation in nearby guesthouses in case of low capacity in the volunteer houses or non availability of private rooms.

Orientation

A detailed program Orientation will be provided before you start your volunteering program.All volunteers on arrival get a welcome presentation including health and safety training, culture presentation, project specific presentation and area orientation tour. Our staff will also assist you with the lessons and planning the curriculum, as and when required. You will also have access to our in-house teaching library consisting of manuals, books, and various teaching materials to help with lesson planning and providing general guidance.

Meals

We provide 3 freshly cooked meals per day all week long (Monday to Sunday): Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Fresh ingredients are purchased from local markets to prepare these meals. We have two lady chefs (a head chef and an assistant) from our community who come daily to cook fresh, homely and tasty local meals for the volunteers. We can cater to a range of special diets including vegan, gluten free, nut free and lactose-intolerant diets. If there are any other allergy or food requirements mentioned to us beforehand, we always do our best to accommodate those needs.

During Free Time

There is plenty to do during the freetime and weekends for the volunteers.The following activities are provided free of charge and included in your program fee:

  • Evening Rooftop Yoga Session (weekly)
  • Movie nights on large screen projector at the house (weekly)
  • Bike tour across paddy fields and local villages (monthly)
  • BBQ for volunteers and staff in the garden (monthly)
  • Night Fishing for anyone into fishing (on demand)


The following are popular weekend (or even daily) activities which our volunteers love to do around the area (at an additional charge):

  • Surfing lessons
  • Elephant safari
  • Whale watching (during season)
  • Rainforest hiking
  • Beach hopping
  • Local cooking class
  • Galle Walking Tour
  • Local spice market visit
  • Galle Fort visit

Dates

Dates

November

16

23

30

December

07

14

21

28

Available

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Booked Out


Costs

Duration
Program Fee
Choose your currency
1 Week $839
2 Weeks $1039
3 Weeks $1239
4 Weeks $1439
5 Weeks $1639
6 Weeks $1836
7 Weeks $1965
8 Weeks $2155
Extra Week $200

Please Note: An application fee of is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment.

Included

  • 24 hrs Assistance and support from Staff
  • Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
  • Airport Transfers on Scheduled Days
  • ​Dedicated volunteer housing with WiFi (shared rooms)
  • Orientation and training on arrival
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner all days
  • Guaranteed project placement
  • Local transportation to projects in private AC van or tuk-tuk
  • Experienced bilingual operations team on the ground
  • Dedicated staff support from 6 am to 8 pm every day
  • 24/7 local emergency support
  • Weekly yoga class on a rooftop terrace
  • Weekly movie nights on large screen projector
  • Monthly bike tour around paddy fields and local villages
  • Monthly special BBQ dinner
  • Travel & Medical Insurance (Available at an extra cost)

Not included

  • Visa Fee
  • International Airfare
  • Vaccinations
  • Any personal expenses
  • Additional Local Excursions and Trips

FAQ's

Application and Program Details

Are there any necessary requirements to participate in the Sri Lankan volunteer programs?

Does VolSol provides discount if I choose more than one program or if I am a returning volunteer?

Can I volunteer as part of a group?

When should I apply for the volunteer programs in Sri Lanka?

Does VolSol provides with a reference or a certificate after program completion?

For how many hours will I volunteer every day?

How long will it take to process my application? Will my application be accepted?

When do I need to arrive in Sri Lanka for my program? What will happen once I arrive in the country ?

Health and Safety

What immunizations/vaccinations will I need?

Do I need to buy a health insurance?

Are there any other things that I need to be careful about?

How safe is Sri Lanka in general ?

Accommodation and Living

Would I have free time during my program ? Can I do sightseeing during my program ?

Where can I change my money in Sri Lanka ? Are there ATMs in Sri Lankan cities?

Which all places can I explore during my trip?

How do I get to the accommodation and the program location?

Can I know more about accommodation and food arrangements?

Are there more expenses once I arrive in Sri Lanka ?

Flights and Visa

Will Volunteering Solutions help with Visa?

What are the recommended airlines to fly to Sri Lanka ?

Connect with Past Volunteers

How can I connect with past Volunteering Solutions Sri Lankan alumni as well as other former and current volunteers ?


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