The Hospital Arco Iris in La Paz is considered one of the best hospitals in the city of La Paz. Located in the Altiplano plateau of the Andes at more than 3,500 m above sea level, your medical elective, nursing internships, pre-medical/pre-nursing internship or medical/nursing volunteer work in La Paz will surely be a unique experience!

At Arco Iris Hospital you can do your healthcare elective or internship in the metropolis La Paz , which is located within the spectacular canyon of the Rio Chokeyapue. You will get a chance to work in what is considered the best hospital in La Paz while gaining valuable work experience for your studies and developing your intercultural skills. Arco Iris is a charitable hospital that offers free medical treatment to street children and children from poorer social classes, so your work will have a worthwhile impact. Electives and internships are possible for students of medicine and nursing,

Hospital profile

At a glance

Departments available for internships:

The hospital has 15 outpatient consultation rooms, an emergency care unit with 7 beds, 4 surgery wards, an intensive care unit with 4 beds, 3 ambulance cars, a neonatal intensive care unit for 14 children, a laboratory, microbiology, mammography, radiology and tomography.

City: La Paz
General practitioners: 0
Specialist physicians: 0
Assistant physicians: 0
Nurses: 0
Other especialists: 0
Annual outpatients 0
Total of beds: 110 beds

Hospital Description

As a charitable hospital, street children and children from poor classes of society are offered medical treatment for free. Around 60% of the patients are street children and children from poor families; the remaining 40% are paying patients, out of which 2/3 are privately insured or paying directly, and 1/3 are members of public health insurance groups. The charitable services offered to street children and poor children are subsidised by the profits generated from the paying patients.

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Internship profile

Typical day and tasks of an intern

Interns will be attached to a supervising physician or nurse whom they will shadow and who decides which examinations and treatments the student can carry out under their supervision, including drug administration, wound care, taking vital signs, giving vaccinations and assisting with other tasks.

Interns should bring their own scrubs (white, green or blue), closed shoes which they should only wear on the hospital premises (colour doesn't matter). It is furthermore recommended to bring one's own hand disinfection liquid and one's own stethoscope. Those who want to join surgery should please bring green or blue surgery scrubs, face mask and medical hair nets.

Supervisors available

You will be assigned a supervisor from your field who will look after you during your elective. If your university / school has special requirements regarding the supervision of your elective, please let us know so that we can inform the hospital.

Requirements

Minimum age:


18

Maximum age:


99

Minimum qualification of the intern:


There are no minimum academic qualifications required for pre-medical or pre-nursing internships. However, basic to intermediate knowledge of Spanish is required. If you don't speak Spanish yet, we can arrange a 4-week intensive Spanish course in Cochabamba before you start your elective or internship.

Application process

Documents required:


Please contact us for a list of the necessary application documents.

Application instructions:


As soon as you have sent us your complete application documents, we will submit your application to the hospital and can usually give you a confirmation within 15 days. Then you decide whether you want to take the place. Before that there are no costs for you.

Costs

  • 2 weeks 971 USD
  • 4 weeks 1255 USD
  • 8 weeks 2213 USD
  • 3 months 3099 USD
  • 6 months 0 USD
  • 1 year 0 USD

This includes:


* Weekly hospital contribution of 150 USD,
* Accommodation with local host familiy, including meals
* Individual Consultation and Preparation prior to your arrival,
* Access to the World Unite! Online Resource Centre which has Preparation Materials including Intercultural Preparation, compiled particularly for your destination (PDFs, Videos),
* Preparation Session via Skype, together with further participants,
* Assistance with visa extension in Bolivia or arrangement of visa (depending on duration of stay) and other official permits (if required), but not the official government fees for it/them,
* Pick-up and Transfers from/to La Paz/El Alto (LPB) on arrival and departure,
* Personal support staff at your location and at our international office,
* Orientation and Introduction in La Paz,
* Accompanying you to your placement on your first day,
* 24 Hours emergency support by local support team,
* Local SIM Card with 60 Bs. air time,
* Issuance of Confirmations/Certificates for your university, scholarship, insurance, etc. and filling out/signing Internship Contracts for your university.

This does not include:


- Travel to/from Bolivia (you book it on your own or we can assist you),
- Official fees for Visa,
- Insurance (Travel Health Insurance, Liability Insurance, Travel Cancellation insurance; you can book it on your own or we can assist you)
- Personal Expenses,
- Vaccinations,
- Local Transport.

What to bring:


Interns should bring their own scrubs (white, green or blue), closed shoes which they should only wear on the hospital premises (colour doesn't matter). It is furthermore recommended to bring one's own hand disinfection liquid and one's own stethoscope. Those who want to join surgery should please bring green or blue surgery scrubs, face mask and medical hair nets.

Request more information

I'm interested in a placement at this hospital. Please send me more information!