About the Organization

Founded in 1992 by Dr. Evaleen Jones, Child Family Health International offers educational and community health programs at 20+ sites in 5 countries. To date, their programs have 5000+ alumni from 35 countries.

IE3 works in partnership with CFHI to provide superior programs to students studying pre-medicine, pre-nursing and other health-related fields. The CFHI/IE3 combination program provides students with all of the benefits of IE3 program participation, as well as in-country support and guidance from CFHI.

Job Description

There are three options:

Urban/Rural Comparative Health in Quito (4 weeks) and Chone (3 weeks), on the Central Coast, and back in Quito (3 weeks)

Amazon Community/Indigenous Health in Quito (4 weeks) and Puyo (4 weeks), in the Amazon Region, and back in Quito (2 weeks)

Andean Health/Reproductive Health in Quito (10 weeks).

Note that it is impossible to deviate from the schedule unless required by CFHI; for example, an intern may not spend 3 weeks in Quito, 2 weeks in Chone, and 5 weeks in Puyo.

Urban Rural Comparative Health Program (Quito and Chone)

Interns will spend four weeks in Quito and three weeks in Chone then return to Quito for the remainder of the program.

Quito Portion of the Program: Interns will be in Quito, living with an Ecuadorian family. Their time will be divided between language classes, lectures, and clinical rotations. Spanish instruction will total 65 hours of instruction in Quito, where the language school is located. The Spanish lessons will focus on medical Spanish as well in communication skills. If interns would like to take additional hours of Spanish, they will need to pay per hour- it ranges between $6-12 per hour, depending on whether it is individual or group class.

The lectures will cover common tropical diseases like malaria, dengue, chagas, and parasites. The lectures and discussions will be conducted in Spanish, but all accompanying written materials will be in English. This way, interns will be able to comprehend Spanish lectures with the help of the written materials. Clinical rotations in hospitals and clinics in Quito will enable the interns to practice their medical Spanish in clinical surroundings and also be able to see medicine in a populated urban area. Students and interns will be together as a group for case discussions and lectures, but may be in pairs for rotations and hospital work.

Their clinical supervisor, and medical director of this program is Dr. Susana Alvear. She is a Family Practice Physician, and in addition to supervising CFHI students and interns, she also runs a local residency program for a medical school in Quito. She loves teaching. She selects other physicians to receive interns in their clinics. Interns will also have the local coordinator, Rosita Tamayo, and the language school staff to manage any housing, cultural or language class issues.

Rural Portion of the Program: In Chone (Ecuadorian Coastal Region), interns will work at Hospital Napoleon Davila Cordova. This facility has about 150 beds, and interns will work during the morning and afternoon in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and Emergency. Interns will rotate departments every few days and may have opportunities to be placed in Emergency during night hours. Interns will observe some of the tropical diseases discussed in the lectures, such as malaria, chagas, leishmaniasis, and dengue. Interns will also probably witness other common "tropical maladies" in emergency, such as machete wounds and snakebites. They will see a wide range of pathology in Chone, and may have additional experience in the lab.

Important Notes: To come to this area, interns must have Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A and B vaccines. Also, Malaria prophylaxis is highly recommended in Chone.

Community/Indigenous Medicine (Quito and Puyo)

Interns will spend four weeks in Quito and four weeks in Puyo then return to Quito for the remainder of the program.

Quito portion of the program (see above)

Puyo portion of the program: Students will be based in Puyo located in Pastaza Province. Puyo is a small city with 28,000 inhabitants in the Amazon basin about 6 hours by bus from Quito. Although it is a rural town, Puyo does offer modern conveniences such as internet, cell phone services, banks and many other touristic attractions. In and around Puyo, there is a large indigenous population (Kichwas, Shuar, Achuar, Shiwiar, Huaoranni and Zapara) as well. The Community Medicine program also will take students into rural villages and communities in the Pastaza area. Students will have the opportunity to participate in community healthcare services and learn about the healthcare challenges facing rural communities like those in the Amazonian border town of Puyo. Students will also witness the ways in which socioeconomic and cultural factors have shaped the healthcare system of the region. As in other developing South American regions, meager financial means, adherence to traditional medical practices, and lack of access to healthcare providers often hamper the rural population's ability to seek healthcare services.

# of Positions per term

2 for each program

Start Dates

Winter 2011: January 8- March 19; Spring 2011: March 26- June 4; Summer 2011:July 2-September 10; Fall 2011: October 1-December 10; dates and fees for 2012 will be announced in August 2011

Duration of Internship

10 weeks

Academic Background

Pre-med students with some prior experience and exposure in the health field (i.e. working as a CNA, volunteering at a hospital or clinic, shadowing a physician). Master's in Public Health students. Nursing students.

Skills/Experience

Advanced First Aid and/or Nursing Assistant training are very helpful. Prior international studies and travel also recommended.

Language Ability

Some Spanish required (minimum completion of first year university level Spanish); the more the better. The program will provide Spanish language training and Medical Spanish.

Other Requirements

Cultural sensitivity and competency with respect to Ecuadorian society and culture are necessary. Applicants must normally be at least 20 at the time of their internship. The IE3 Regional Director may recommend candidates under 20 who clearly demonstrate a high degree of cross-cultural competency and personal maturity. In every case, though, CFHI reserves the right to make the final determination.

Total costs vary depending on how long you plan to be abroad, where you will be living, your personal spending habits, and current exchange rates. The following estimates will give you a ballpark figure for this internship. Get help with the math from our handy Cost Calculator.
ALL ESTIMATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

IE₃ Program Fee

For spring term 2012, the program fee for the first term of any internship is $2950 - $3150. The expected program fee beginning summer term 2012 is $3450 for the first term. You do not pay tuition in addition to the program fee. Visit your University's IE₃ page for details, costs for additional terms, and campus administrative fees.

Estimated One-Time Expenses

Expense Type	Price
Host Site Fees	$4850 (includes room, 2 meals/day)
International Travel	$1100-$1300
Visa Fees
Recommended Immunizations	$500-$700

*See Additional Cost Information below.

Estimated Monthly Expenses

Expense Type	Price/month
Housing	Included
Food	$100
Local Transportation	$50
Recreation	$50
Personal Expenses	$75

Compensation

None

Additional Expense Information

The host site fee from CFHI includes:
•Room and board for 10 weeks (homestay and breakfast/dinner with host family)
•Airport pick-up
•In-country orientation
•Weekly meetings with Medical Director and Local Coordinator
•Clinical rotations
•Use of a mobile phone
•Local transportation to and from the clinics from a central location (public transportation costs to the central location from the homestay are the responsibility of the intern)

Read previous interns final reports:

Brittany

Karin

Michelle

Chelsey

Quito is the capital of Ecuador with a population of about a million people. It stretches lengthwise between two mountain ranges. It is nestled among incredible volcanoes and impressive peaks at an elevation of 9,000 feet above sea level. The climate is spring like with warm days and cool nights. Like most cities, this is a live urban center with dancing, dining, historical sites, shopping and museums.

Chone is a rural community close to the city of Manta, Ecuador in Manabi province. Chone is a subtropical climate, with a temperature of 25 – 35 degrees centigrade, with high humidity and frequent rains. It is not far from the coast. Students will take a bus or plane to get to Chone from Quito. To come to this area, interns must have Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A and B vaccines. Also, Malaria prophylaxis is highly recommended in Chone.

Puyo is a small city with 28,000 inhabitants in the Amazon basin about 6 hours by bus from Quito. Although it is a rural town, Puyo does offer modern conveniences such as internet, cell phone services, banks and many other touristic attractions.

Visit http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ for the list of recommended vaccinations. These out of pocket expenses are not included in the program fee.

Quito website

Manabi Province (Chone)

Puyo, Pastaza Province

Field Notes Postings:

Between Two Worlds by Elizabeth Cobarrubias: Oregon State University student and IE₃ Scholarship Recipient (June 16, 2011)

Ecuadorian Ballet by Elizabeth Cobarrubias: Oregon State University student and IE₃ Scholarship Recipient (April 18, 2011)