Medical Elective Placement in Cambodia

The healthcare system in Cambodia faces significant limitations in terms of equipment and infrastructure. While there are several private hospitals in urban areas, many low income patients are unable to afford the treatment and services there. Consequently, public hospitals become the primary option for those that need medical attention.

Our local partner team in Cambodia have cooperated with public hospitals for healthcare placements. This offers a variety of different experiences and perspectives of the medical care system in Cambodia from other countries.

The Medical Elective Placement in Cambodia is suitable for medical and nursing students looking to gain valuable exposure in an international hospital environment.

In addition to working with doctors, interns will also encounter nurses and nursing students across different departments. To maximise your learning experience, it is important for the students to be proactive during their placements. Interns are encouraged to engage actively with the hospital staff and seek opportunities to learn and understand the hospital environment.

Participants in the Medical Elective Placement in Cambodia can give a preference of 3-4 departments from the following departments :–

• Outpatient Department
• Emergency Department
• Medical Intensive Care- Unit
• Intensive Care-Unit for Surgery
• Abdominal and Thoracic Surgery
• Traumatology and Neurological surgery
• Plastic Reconstruction surgery
• Urology Surgery
• Internal Medical Department
• Gastro-enterology Department
• Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry
• Imaging Department
• Pharmacy Department
• Laboratory Department
• Opthalmology Department
• Maternity Department
• Gynecology Department
• Oncology Department
• Neurology
• Pediatric Department
   

Sample Placement Profile – Pediatric Hospital

The largest pediatric hospital was established in 1974 and is run by the government.  The hospital offers the following services –

• General and specialized consultations (Neonatology, hematology / Pulmonology, Nephrology / Gastroenterology / Diarrhea and malnutrition / Infectious diseases and dengue fever / Stomatology / Physiotherapy / Dermatology / Endocrinology)
• Surgery (Abdomen, Urology / Traumatology, Orthopedics / Neurology / Plastic Surgery / Maxillofacial Surgery)
• Paraclinical (Laboratory / Radiography and ultrasound)
• Immunization (BCG / Polio / DPT (Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) / Measles / Hepatitis B / PCV)
• Maternity and Gynecology
   

Note: Students joining the Medical Elective Placement in Cambodia will have to devote a minimum of 2 weeks for the program. Departmental allocation shall depend on the discretion of the hospital, program duration and availability in the hospital. Participants doing the program for 2 weeks will be allotted to shadow in one department only. Final placement allocation is at the discretion of the local team. The above mentioned placement is a sample placement profile and final placement can be at a different hospital too depending on the local circumstances.

Intern Roles & Responsibilities

• The major tasks for interns in the medical program in Cambodia is to shadow the professionals and assist them whenever needed. Depending on your skills, you’ll be assigned tasks. You can shadow and observe the doctors and nursing staff in treatments and procedures.
• Interns are encouraged to be proactive and take keen interest in the procedures and treatments so as to get the best out of the experience.
• As a short-term intern, do not expect to participate in the work as a professional or staff member would.
• All interns are encouraged to be open minded and flexible and note that language barriers within the team can pose challenges in communication and task completion.
• Some tasks may be reserved exclusively for healthcare professionals, limiting you to observing and providing assistance with small and specific tasks.
• Participants can choose their department preference but the amount of work may vary from department to department and depending on the needs of the moment.
   

Requirements & eligibility

Interns must be 18 years or older at the beginning of the program. Interns need to have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment. Medical and Nursing students as well as Pre Medical students can apply for this program. Participants joining the Medical program need to provide additional documents such as Resume/CV, Passport copy etc, details of which will be provided.

Participants must be physically fit and in good health at the time of joining the program. Participants should have no criminal convictions and should provide a clean criminal background check before joining the project.