Internships Details

About the Organization

Founded in 1992 by Dr. Evaleen Jones, Child Family Health International offers educational, medical recovery, and community health programs at 17 sites in 6 countries. To date, their educational programs have 4,500+ alumni from 35 countries. Many participants in the programs are medical students who spend 4 weeks on rotations. The joint program with IE₃ allows for 10 weeks of rotations for pre-med, pre-nursing, and public health students.

Job Description

All rotations are primarily observational and provide opportunities to learn about the context of healthcare in India. For ten week programs in the same location, the first four weeks will be spent as part of a group of pre-med and medical students learning about the healthcare system by visiting a variety of health care locations. The last 6 weeks will be spent individually in 1-3 different health care locations, allowing students to gain a deeper perspective of the situation in each location. The sites for the final six weeks will be selected in consultation with the local coordinator. If you plan to combine two of the programs below for 5 weeks each, you will have one extra week in each location and will discuss with the medical director where that rotation is spent.

A) MUMBAI (Communicable Diseases): Gain first-hand clinical exposure to communicable diseases in the bustling commercial capital of India, Mumbai, and in rural settings nearby. Rotations may include visits to a leprosy hospital, slum clinic, large public hospital, TB ward, operating theaters, private clinics, and the rural leper colony in Shantivan . Logistics: Housing is in an apartment, with meals provided by a cook. Transportation to the clinics is either via train, taxi, or autorickshaw. This program is only available for 5 weeks in combination with one of the other programs below (for a total of 10 weeks) for IE₃ students. To learn more about the CFHI program in Mumbai, visit the CFHI web page for the Mumbai Communicable Diseases Program.

B) DEHRA DUN (Rural/Urban Himalayan Rotation): The Rural/Urban Himalayan Rotation provides students a unique opportunity to study various diseases in clinical environments that represent the rural healthcare systems in the developing country of India. The program focuses on primary care and public health issues, but the emphasis is on the needs of rural communities in India that lack access to healthcare and how this affects urban areas as well. It also offers an exciting look at the improvements in public health that have been brought about by one small clinic in the rural community of Than Gaon, one of the sites students will be visiting. Students will travel through three locations during the duration of the program; two weeks will be spent in the capital city of Dehra Dun (where many patients have come from rural areas), one week in Mussoorie, and one week in Than Gaon. Logistics: Housing in Dehra Dun is in a home stay family, in other locations it is either in a guest house or a hospital dormitory. Transportation to the clinics is primarily via taxi or autorickshaw. For the rural portion, the program includes long hikes at high altitude to reach villages for health camps. To learn more about this CFHI program in Dehra Dun, visit the CFHI web page for Rural/Urban Himalayan Rotation. This program is available for 10 weeks or for 5 weeks in combination with another program.

C) DEHRA DUN (Introduction to Traditional Medicine): The Introduction to Traditional Medicine program gives students the opportunity to learn about the traditional and indigenous systems of medicine in India. Participants will study the philosophies behind Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Homeopathy, and Reiki. In addition to learning about traditional medicine, students will observe how these practices may interact with Allopathic methods (aka Western medicine) and gain an understanding of the importance of cross-cultural competency in diagnosing patients who may be receiving a combination of modern and traditional treatments. Students will travel through three locations during the duration of the program; two weeks will be spent in the capital city of Dehra Dun, Students will then spend one week in the hill town of Rishikesh. The last week will be spent in Than Gaon, a rural village. Logistics: Housing in Dehra Dun is in a home stay family, in other locations it is in a guest house. Transportation to the clinics is primarily via taxi or autorickshaw. For the rural portion, the program includes long hikes at high altitude to reach villages for health camps. To learn more about this CFHI program in Dehra Dun, visit the CFHI web page for the Introduction to Traditional Medicine. This program is available for 10 weeks or for 5 weeks in combination with another program.

D) DELHI (Public Health and Community Medicine):Participants in this program will exposed to the public health and clinical health efforts going on at the local level in Northern India to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS. The program takes place in Delhi, Jaipur, and a small village (Mewat) near Delhi. The program offers a comprehensive look at unique, culturally dictated problems and the chance to experience a variety of sites including hospitals, a care home for people living with HIV/AIDS, public health institutes and community organizations. This program combines service-learning opportunities in public health and clinical settings. Unlike CFHI's traditional programs, this site will focus more on learning about public health issues in the region and participating, in a limited way, in the provision of healthcare at clinical facilities. Logistics: Housing in a guest house. Transportation to the clinics is primarily via train, taxi or autorickshaw. To learn more about this program, visit the CFHI web page for Public Health and Community Medicine. This program is available for 10 weeks or for 5 weeks in combination with another program.

E) PUNE (Maternal and Child Health): Located in the Sahayadri Hills, near the west coast of India, Pune is a fascinating city with a nice climate year-round. The Maternal Child Health in Pune program will offer comprehensive learning opportunities in health in addition to vibrant Marathi culture. Participants will have the chance to work with a variety of clinical sites including larger hospitals, and smaller rural clinics. Some clinical sites are run and managed by the government, and others are private that may or may not operate with public funding. In this program, participants will be exposed to the healthcare system in India that caters to the needs of women and children. They will experience antenatal care, intranatal care and postnatal care facilities and will learn about newborn care, immunization schedules and pediatric care up to age five. Participants can also rotate in family planning clinics, and will have the opportunity to work in clinics that manage sexually transmitted infections and disease. Logistics: Housing in a guest house. Transportation to the clinics is primarily via train, taxi or autorickshaw. To learn more about this program, visit the CFHI web page for Maternal and Child Health. This program is available for 10 weeks or for 5 weeks in combination with another program.

# of Positions per term

2-6 per program

Start Dates

Winter 2010: Jan. 2 to March 13; Spring 2010:March 27 to June 6; Summer 2010: July 3 to Sept. 11; Fall 2010: Oct. 2 to Dec. 11; 2011 dates and fees will be announced in August 2010.

Duration of Internship

10 weeks

Qualifications

Academic Background

Pre-med, med, nursing, or pre-nursing students with some prior experience and exposure in the health field. Public health students with an interest in clinical experience.

Skills/Experience

Flexibility is key. Interns must be prepared to adapt to a wide variety of living and learning situations.

Language Ability

English, some Hindi or Marathi may be helpful for daily living

Other Requirements

Cultural sensitivity and competency with respect to Indian society and culture. Due to CFHI's policies, applicants must be over 21 at the time of their internship. Students who will be close to that age at the time of their internship are encouraged to discuss their interest with their campus advisor and IE₃ regional Director.

Internship Costs

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.

IE₃ Program Fee

The program fee* for the first term of any internship is $2950 - $3150. 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.

*The program fee noted above reflects the anticipated fee increase that will go into effect for the Fall 2010 term and will apply to all terms thereafter.

Estimated One-Time Expenses

Expense Type	Price
Host Site Fees	$4100 CFHI India Program Fee*
International Travel	$1500 - $2100
Visa Fees	$0-$100
Recommended Immunizations	$300-$450

*See Additional Cost Information below.

Estimated Monthly Expenses

Expense Type	Price/month
Housing	included
Food	$50
Local Transportation	$100-$200
Recreation	$50-$150
Personal Expenses	$50-$100

Compensation

None

Additional Expense Information

The CFHI India program fee is in addition to the IE₃ program fee. Together the joint program fee ( IE₃ + CFHI India is $6850 or $7050) and includes academic credit, international health insurance, housing, most meals, airport pick up, cell phone (airtime is extra), orientation (pre-departure and onsite), onsite support by the local coordinator and medical director, and mentoring by the IE₃ Regional Director.

Additional Information

Open a final report power point by a former intern: CFHIIE3internship.pdf

If you have any questions about which of the CFHI programs would be the best fit for you, contact ., the IE₃ regional director for India.