Medical Electives & Healthcare Placements in Peru

Peru offers a Spanish-speaking placement with exposure to Andean public health, based around Cusco. It is a strong choice if you want to combine a medical elective abroad with practising your Spanish, and it caters to more than one stage of training.

Based around Cusco in the Andes, a Peru placement combines healthcare exposure with a Spanish-speaking environment and a strong public-health dimension. With genuine options for medical students, dental students and students before medical school, it is one of the more versatile destinations in the Med Trips range.

Choose your programme

Peru has three genuinely separate bookable products; choose by your discipline and stage:

• Medical Elective in Peru — the hospital placement for medical students.
• Dental Elective in Peru — a dedicated placement for dental students.
• Pre-Medical Observership (Cusco) — an observation-focused programme for students before medical school.

Specialties and departments

On the Medical Elective you can usually focus on a department where the hospital allows — a choice within that programme. Dental students and pre-med students have their own dedicated programmes above, so book those directly rather than treating them as departments of the medical elective.

What students can expect

All three are supervised and largely observational: you observe and shadow clinicians and learn how the department works, with pre-med participants observing only. Some Spanish is helpful given the language of the system. Any hands-on involvement is basic and supervised, and only where the programme explicitly supports it.

Who it suits

Medical students, dental students and students before medical school each have a genuine option here. It suits people who want a Spanish-language setting and Andean public-health exposure; some Spanish makes the experience richer.

Getting the most from your placement

Some Spanish goes a long way in Peru, so it is worth practising before you travel. Choose the programme that matches your stage and discipline, set goals with your supervisor, and use the public-health angle to broaden your perspective beyond the hospital. Med Trips arranges accommodation, insurance, orientation and 24/7 support, and helps with university sign-off where needed.

What you’ll gain

Peru combines healthcare exposure with Spanish-language practice and a public-health lens, so you develop more than clinical familiarity — you build language confidence and an understanding of how health is shaped beyond the hospital. With options for different stages and disciplines, you can gather experience that is directly relevant to your path.

Practical planning

Placements run year-round and typically last 2 to 8 weeks (minimum 2). Every Med Trips placement is supervised in a vetted hospital or clinic and supported by an in-country team, and the programme fee covers your placement, student-friendly accommodation, insurance and 24/7 in-country support, along with pre-departure guidance, help with your university paperwork and an in-country orientation on arrival. Flights and daily spending money are normally your own responsibility.

If your university needs the placement signed off, our UK team and the team in Peru can help with the documentation, risk assessments and confirmation of hours your school may ask for — so it is worth sharing your university’s requirements with us early. Many students fund the trip through a mix of university elective funds, professional-body bursaries and fundraising; see our funding guide and fundraising hub for practical help.

How to choose

Medical students should open the Medical Elective, dental students the Dental Elective, and students before medical school the Pre-Medical Observership. Each programme page has current dates and inclusions.

What will I do as a participant?

Depending on your chosen program, you may:

• Assist doctors or dentists with daily tasks and patient care.

• Support sterilization, preparation of instruments, and clinical procedures.

• Shadow professionals across general practice or specialist departments.

• Organize and lead health awareness campaigns in schools and communities.

• Participate in outreach programs aimed at improving access to healthcare.

Why choose a program in Peru?

These programs are more than just clinical experiences—they’re cultural journeys. You’ll:

• Work in the beautiful, historic city of Cusco.

• Gain valuable first-hand experience to strengthen your healthcare career.

• Explore Peru’s world-renowned heritage, including Machu Picchu.

• Immerse yourself in Peruvian traditions, culture, and daily life.