Overview of the Project
Global Crossroad's Costa Rica healthcare volunteer project provides volunteers an opportunity to work in hospitals, clinics and with special projects to provide healthcare to disadvantaged and at-risk Costa Ricans. Volunteers support doctors, nurses, therapists and other medical professionals in urban and rural settings. Depending on your medical experience and Spanish fluency, you may be asked to assist with various procedures such as delivering babies, suturing wounds, and giving vaccinations. Some volunteers may help with vaccinations and public health campaigns.
Role of Volunteer
As a volunteer in medical volunteer in Costa Rica project, you will be placed in clinics/hospitals will assist with general check-ups and examinations of patients, as well as help with emergency patient triage and possibly participate in home-visits in rural areas to help with vaccinations and/or to care for patients who have become immobilized. May volunteers will also work firsthand with patients infected with tropical diseases. Depending on the volunteer's level of Spanish fluency and the expertise they demonstrate, the clinics will let you work as independently as possible.
- Program: Volunteer in Costa Rica
- Project: Medical Volunteer in Costa Rica Project
- Start dates: 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month
- Departure and End Point: San Jose International Airport (Juan Santamaria)
- Location: San Jose areas
- Language Need: Basic/intermediate Spanish fluency
- Accommodation and meals: host family and Costa Rican meals three times daily
- Activities: Support an emerging medical/healthcare system as an valuable assistant
- Working hours: 25-35 hours per week
Clinica San Juan de Dios offers free treatment to mentally and physically disabled children. The clinic staff comprises of nurses, teachers and physical therapists and volunteers support them with tasks assigned depending on personal skills and interests. All volunteers spend time in the clinic feeding, bathing and playing with the children. Volunteers may also work as teaching assistants in the school, assisting with art projects and helping the children with their work.
Medical volunteers will shadow local doctors and learn mostly from observation. Due to inherent risk involved and medical regulations, volunteers cannot treat patients or become involved in surgery during the project.
Skills/Qualification Needed
BECAUSE OF RECENT GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS, THE ROLE OF VOLUNTEERS IN OUR COSTA RICA MEDICAL PROJECT HAS BEEN RESTRICTED. VOLUNTEERS MAY OBSERVE, BUT CANNOT BE INVOLVED IN HANDS-ON TREATMENT OF ANY KIND.
To participate in medical volunteer in Costa Rica project you must have medical training. Our medical/healthcare projects prefer basic/intermediate fluency in Spanish. If you cannot speak Spanish, we recommend enrolling in our Spanish Language Studies program,
Trained medical volunteers require certification or proof of experience in a medical field, such as a medical student ID, EMT or paramedic certification, or nursing or physician's credentials. Due to the health risks involved, volunteers who are not properly trained in healthcare cannot support this project.
Non-credentialed volunteers will be placed in an urban hospital or clinic and often work with children who have mental or physical disabilities. Volunteers will generally help feed, bathe, and play with the children; and may be asked to assist in physical therapy.
Volunteer in Costa Rica: Project Locations and Free Time Options
Global Crossroad's volunteer in Costa Rica projects are located in and around San Jose and nearby areas. Each location offers a different vibe with San Jose full of urban experiences and other areas offering more of a village feel. Both cities in our Costa Rica program place volunteers adjacent to the activities for which Costa Rica is famous: zip lining in the rainforest, exploring the lush jungle and its biodiversity, lounging on a beach or sipping most excellent coffee.
San José is Costa Rica's lively and animated capital city and is considered a gateway to the coasts of the Pacific and Caribbean, as well as the rainforests. San José is not a coastal town, but located in the Central Valley and has a population of 1.2 million people. The city is positioned between three volcanoes at 1,150 meters (3,773 feet). It has a very modern and urban feel. Visitors can enjoy diverse architecture including modern and colonial. San José is a cosmopolitan city and serves up an entertaining nightlife scene, theater, tourism and shopping. The city vibe maintains a remarkable balance between fast-paced and laid-back.