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.
- Gain practical work experience working in a rehabilitation department of a hospital in Guadalajara.
- You will shadow and help local physiotherapists with their daily tasks and the treatment of both adults and children.
- You’ll stay with a local host family in Guadalajara and be immersed in Mexican culture; making this project a brilliant opportunity for cultural exchange.
Details
- Observe local physiotherapists as they treat patients
- Provide treatments to patients and assist with daily tasks
- Work with disabled children
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
Do you want to gain practical work experience in the physiotherapy field? Do you want to work alongside and learn from qualified professionals? Are you eager to travel and experience life in Mexico? If you answered yes to these questions, this internship is ideal for you!
Our Physiotherapy internship in Mexico will give you valuable work experience to add to your CV. You’ll learn how treatments are carried out in the rehabilitation department of a hospital. If you already have some experience, this will give you a deeper understanding of how physiotherapy is practiced in a developing country.
You don’t need to have previous experience or training to join this project. You do need to speak basic Spanish, as not all staff members and patients can speak English. You also need to be at least 18 years old. Please be aware that your level of experience and training will define your exact role, and how much hands-on work you can do.
This project runs all year round and you can join at any time from a minimum of two weeks. We recommend that you stay longer so that you can see and learn more.
Your day will begin with breakfast with your host family. Once you are fed and ready for the day, you will then catch a bus to your hospital placement. A Projects Abroad staff member will accompany you on your first day and show you the way.
Once at the hospital, you will meet with the physiotherapist that you will be shadowing. You will then accompany them throughout their day. You will observe them going through their daily tasks. This may include preparing equipment, making patient notes and, of course, providing treatment to patients. Since you will be doing a lot of observing, it’s a good idea to keep a notebook with you so that you can make notes throughout the day.
Depending on your level of experience, you may be given more responsibility. In this case, you’ll be able to help your supervising physiotherapist provide treatments and make treatment notes.
If you are an experienced physiotherapist, the content of your days will be slightly different as you may be working at a school for children with disabilities. The format of your working days will be much the same. However, instead of shadowing physiotherapists at a hospital, you will assist with the daily therapies given to children with muscular damage.
You will have a lunch break where you will be able to head back to your host family for a midday meal, or enjoy a packed lunch and a break from patient rounds at the hospital.
At the end of the work day you will be free to relax and explore the city. Stroll through a market, have a drink with some friends, or head back to your host family for dinner.
The aim of this Physiotherapy internship in Mexico is to give you the opportunity to learn directly from qualified physiotherapists.
Many of the hospitals in Guadalajara are very busy. By taking part in this programme, you will be able to provide a much needed helping hand to local physiotherapists treating patients in rehabilitation departments. Additionally, many centres that accommodate people with disabilities lack funding. This means that patients often lack the support and healthcare that they need. Providing children in this situation with access to necessary treatments is another aim of this project.
Living and working in Mexico will give you insight into how physiotherapy treatments are conducted in other countries and will give you the opportunity to learn about a new culture and traditions. Through medical and cultural exchange, you will leave Mexico with a new perspective, both professionally and personally.
In general, we are working towards four long-term goals outlined in our Medical Management Plan. These are to:
- Encourage an understanding of medical practices and promoting an exchange of medical knowledge
- Improve access to basic healthcare for disadvantaged groups
- Promote awareness of non-communicable diseases
- Improve the quality of specialised or alternative healthcare provided
Help us achieve these long term goals while gaining invaluable physiotherapy work experience in Mexico.
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.
