At a glance
- This is a volunteer opportunity with Projects Abroad. Devxchange will assist you in choosing the right fit, raising funds with your own campaign page, issuing tax receipts to donors if project meets CRA criteria as a charitable activity. Devxchange will also assist you in onboarding with Projects Abroad.
- Shadow experienced dentists in clinics and health centres and learn from observing them. This is a great opportunity to get insight into how dentistry is practiced in a developing country.
- In Mexico, many disadvantaged communities lack access to basic medical and dental services. You’ll do dental outreaches in these communities, and give back while gaining practical experience.
- You’ll be based in the city of Guadalajara. With scenic surroundings and a bustling city centre, it’s the perfect setting to experience life in Mexico.
Details
- Observe professional dentists
- Assist dentistry staff
- Community outreaches
Includes/Excludes
Food and accommodation
- Food (three meals a day)
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- Full induction and orientation by an experienced staff member on arrival
- Transport to and from your work placement
- In-country support and 24-hour back-up from our team of full-time local staff
- Emergency assistance from our international emergency response team
- Project equipment and materials, including access to our database with thousands of resources
- Training and workshops from our experienced local staff
- Regular social events and community activities with other volunteers and interns
- Access to our local office with internet connection
- Certification of project completion
- Access to our alumni services and discounts
- Visa support and advice
- Fundraising support, including your own personalized fundraising website with DevXchange
- Tax Receipts for your donors if activity meets CRA criteria for charitable activity.
- Pre-departure preparation by your own specialist Volunteer Advisor
- Personalized MyProjectsAbroad website, with all the information you need about your project, accommodation and destination
- A free cultural awareness course
- Membership to our volunteer social media groups, to share information and to get in touch
- Support to help you complete registration or internship documents, if applicable
Not Included
- Flights
- Visa Costs (where applicable)
- 10% Admin fee for donations involving tax receipts.
Itinerary
Our Dentistry internship in Mexico is perfect for anyone interested in a career in dentistry. It will give you relevant experience to draw on when you apply to study. If you’re already studying, you can seize the opportunity to build on your practical dental knowledge.
You can use this experience to add work experience to your CV, and it will give you a lot to talk about in interviews. Talk about what you saw and learned, and how you overcame any challenges you faced. You’ll also have a deeper insight into the healthcare challenges people face in developing countries.
You don’t need any previous experience to join. You’ll have a supervisor to guide you, and you can reach out to Projects Abroad staff anytime you need to. You can find out whether dentistry is the right career for you by getting first-hand experience of what the day-to-day life of a dentist is like.
However, you do need to be at least 18 years old to join. You’ll also need to speak basic Spanish.
This project runs throughout the year. You can join at any time of year for a minimum of two weeks. We encourage you to stay longer so you can see and learn more.
On a typical day, you’ll wake up and enjoy a tasty breakfast with your host family. You’ll use public transport to get to your placement. On your first day, our staff will show you the easiest way to get there.
Your work day will run from 8am until 1pm, Monday to Friday. You’ll have your weekends free.
You will usually shadow the dentists in consultations and occasionally on easy procedures, depending on what is scheduled for the day.
Once a month (depending on the overall number of interns) you’ll go out into a rural community to help at outreaches or raise awareness about dental care.
In the evenings, you can spend time exploring local markets or visiting the string of culinary establishments in the city centre. Or you could spend time with your host family to get to know them better, and fully immerse yourself in their way of life.
The aim of this project is to give you the chance to learn more about dentistry first-hand. You’ll learn directly from dentists, and they’ll teach you how to diagnose and treat the conditions you see. We encourage you to ask questions and take notes to make the most of your internship.
In Mexico, many of the disadvantaged communities we work with have little or no access to basic healthcare or dental services. Either they can’t afford to pay for treatment, or they have no means to travel to a clinic. You will be part of our efforts to overcome this by participating in outreach work.
Your main role during outreaches will be to help raise awareness about the importance of dental hygiene. By teaching local community members the ins and outs of dental care, you’ll help with preventing tooth decay and gum disease.
To make sure we’re always working towards a long-term vision, we’ve outlined several goals in our Medical Management Plan:
- Improve access to basic healthcare for disadvantaged groups
- Promote awareness of non-communicable diseases
- Improve hygiene standards
- Improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients
- Encourage an understanding of medical practices and promote an exchange of medical knowledge
Join a Dentistry internship in Mexico and help us work towards these goals.
Food and accommodation
You’ll stay with a host family in Guadalajara. They will welcome you into their home, eager to share their customs and have you teach them about your own culture. We believe that this is the best way to immerse yourself in the culture of Mexico and have a truly unique experience.
We will always try to let you live alongside at least one other Projects Abroad volunteer or intern at the same host family. Your room will be modest, but comfortable, clean, and safe.
Your program fee includes three meals a day.
Find out more about our accommodation.
Leisure activities and free time
With beautiful beaches, arresting art galleries, and buzzing restaurants, there’s something for everyone in Mexico. You’ll have plenty to do during your free time on your project in this dynamic country.
There’s something captivating about touring through old buildings. If you’re into neo-gothic architecture, treat yourself to a trip to the Templo Expiatorio del Santisimo Sacramento. It’s a work of art with its ornate steeples and glowing stained glass windows.
There are also plenty of museums, giving you the chance to immerse yourself in the country’s rich history. For something different, you can spend the day appreciating the wildlife and lush vegetation of Las Peñas Ecological Park.
You can’t take a trip to Mexico without tasting authentic Mexican cuisine. You can spend an evening enjoying pozole or tamales at a local restaurant and watching the vivid orange-red sun melt into the horizon.
We have a host of different projects in Mexico so there’ll likely be lots of other volunteers in the area during your trip. So you can choose to travel and explore in a group or on your own.
