Internships Details

About the Organization

Child Family Health International (CFHI) is a global family of committed professionals and students who work at the grassroots level to promote the health of the world community. CFHI does this through various means, including the following:

Community Initiatives: healthcare for underserved communities through local medical professionals and clinics Medical Supply Recovery: collection and distribution of salvaged medical supplies Global Service Learning: medical student programs that focus on cultural competency in the health setting

Since 1993, Child Family Health International has run international health electives for over 1500 pre-medical, medical and other students of the health profession. Students travel to India, Bolivia, Mexico, South Africa and Ecuador to immerse themselves in new cultural contexts and to learn about the way healthcare is practiced and experienced worldwide.

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 two options: 1) focus on urban/rural comparative health in Quito and Chone (Central Coast) or 2) focus on community/indigenous medicine in Quito and Puyo (Amazon).

Urban Rural Comparative Health Program (Quito and Chone)

Interns will spend approximately seven weeks in Quito and three weeks in Chone. Students will spend the first two weeks in Quito and the next 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 approximately five weeks in Quito for the first half of the program, followed by five weeks in Puyo

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

2010 start dates: January 2, March 27, July 3, October 2

Duration of Internship

10 weeks

Qualifications

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 over 21 at the time of their internship. The IE3 Regional Director may recommend candidates under 21 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.

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 (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

SPECIAL NOTE FOR JOINT IE₃AND CFHI PROGRAMS: CFHI internships have a special combined program fee that represents a discount on the normal IE₃ and CFHI fees. Go to the IE₃ website for application information, including the IE₃ program fee for your school.

The combined program fee includes the cost of items listed below:

• Academic credit on your home campus
• Internship placement
• Initial Spanish training, if needed
• Room and board (2 meals per day) for 10 weeks
• International health insurance
• Pre-departure orientation
• Airport pick-up
• In-country orientation
• Please note that program fees do not include local transportation to and from the clinics
• Weekly debriefing and on-site supervision

The combined IE3+CFHI program fee for 2010 programs is $6850 for Oregon University System in-state resident students and $7050 for all others. Note: The program fee does not include your airfare, local transportation, incidentals and recreation or any other estimated costs.

Monthly expenses, such as local travel, recreation, and incidentals, are approximately $200-$225 per month. Interns should also budget about $500-$700 for recommended immunizations for an extended stay in Ecuador.

CFHI Scholarships

CFHI has partial scholarships for Fall and Spring term programs. See the CFHI website scholarship criteria page for complete details. For spring '09 scholarships, the deadline is November 15th, 2008 (NOTE: this is BEFORE the IE₃ application deadline - please apply early to IE₃ if you wish to be considered for a CFHI scholarship).

Additional Information

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