IE3 Global Internships

Erik Dove is a senior in the Honors College at Oregon State University, pursuing degrees in Biology and International Studies with minors in Chemistry and Spanish. He works as an International Ambassador for the International Degree and Education Abroad (IDEA) office. In Spring 2013, Erik participated in a medical internship in Quito, Ecuador, through Child Family Health International and IE3 Global Internships.

I recently returned from a ten week medical internship in Quito and Chone, Ecuador, through IE3 Global Internships. IE3 partners with Child Family Health International, an organization that connects local and international health professionals to conduct community health projects and global health education programs. My internship took place in clinics and hospitals in two cities, offering a comparative perspective on the health care available in urban and rural settings. Our curriculum consisted of daily clinical rotations and Spanish classes, yet offered ample free time to explore the cities and travel on weekends. On a professional level, this internship exposed me to differences in clinical care, ethics, and health education, stemming from the distinct cultural identity of the Ecuadorian people.

I lived with a host family throughout the ten week program. This opened up the door to cultural experiences to which I would not have otherwise been exposed. Our house was located in downtown Quito and was a quick walk to the bus stop, where I could access all parts of the city for twenty five cents. My host family was also able to give me advice on places to visit, activities to do, and foods to try. Additionally, my Spanish speaking skills were greatly improved by living with the family, as it forced me to practice my Spanish continuously.

I chose this particular internship site because it offered the chance to gain valuable clinical and language experience. A personal goal of mine is to become proficient in Spanish, so living with a host family and taking language classes as a part of the program contributed to the immersive experience I was looking for. During clinical rotations, we learned treatment practices, conducted patient interviews, and assisted physicians when necessary. An added benefit was that it exposed me to societal and cultural aspects applicable to my undergraduate thesis, which focuses on public health issues in Ecuadorian populations.

For me, the most valuable component of the CFHI internship was the opportunity to develop skills necessary to communicate with patients of a diverse culture. These skills are a vital element of being able to deliver effective care as a health professional. Throughout the program, my program peers and I witnessed the importance of considering each patient’s values, beliefs, and ideals. An individual’s cultural background may influence the attitude they have towards medicine, their physician, and their understanding of health. For example, during the time I spent in the Emergency department of the rural city of Chone, a patient was rushed in with a poisonous snake bite. Upon arriving, his forearm was blackened and enormously swollen. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, his friend explained that he had been bitten almost 5 hours previously, but had initially sought treatment from a medicine man rather than the hospital. Due to his delay in seeking professional treatment, he was sent into surgery for amputation. This incident represents the challenges health professionals face when treating individuals with varying levels of health awareness. Consequently, health care workers who are sensitive to cultural issues are able to provide a higher level of care for their patients. The internship experience offered the opportunity to develop my language and cross-cultural skills, and provided the necessary education to enhance clinical experiences.

An additional advantage of the internship was the exposure to a variety of medical specialties, which allowed me to explore focuses within the field of medicine. Our intern group spent each week in a different clinical setting, observing in the Surgery, Hematology, Emergency, and Internal Medicine departments to name a few. This made for incredibly interesting experiences in all kinds of clinical settings – gruesome dog bites, broken bones, and the rapid assessment and treatment of victims of accidents.

My experiences in Ecuador led to an appreciation for a health care system vastly different from that of the United States. I returned with greatly improved Spanish speaking skills and a broader sense of cultural awareness. The internship helped me to identify specific areas of medicine that interest me and allowed me to gain experiences that will enhance a future career in health.

Ben Spearing is a Biology student at Oregon State University who is currently interning in Namibia through IE3 Global Internships. Ben is working with the Cheetah Conservation Fund, an organization that aims to conserve cheetahs and their ecosystems. The largest and healthiest remaining population of cheetahs is in Otjiwarango, Namibia, making it a prime location for the CCF’s International Research and Education Centre, where Ben is an intern.

Check out a recent update from Ben below!

When a cheetah is still releasable there are quite a few steps that Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) needs to take before being able to let it back into the wild. Usually, cheetahs that end up here have been set back in development in one way or another. They may have lost their mother at a young age so they didn’t learn to be a cheetah, or they may have been injured and needed to be taken in for surgery or dentistry work. Either way, we need to be sure that these cats have what it takes to go out into the wild and be successful. Opening a carcass, finding water holes, proper hunting techniques, and predator avoidance are some of the things that a cheetah must know to survive. These tactics are put to test in our soft release camp called Bellebeno. This is a game reserve that contains game and water holes that the cheetah must use to survive. Cheetahs placed in Bellebeno will be monitored and, if deemed successful, will then be taken to a nearby reserve to be released into the wild. Further monitoring is done on the cheetah while it is the wild to make sure everything is going alright. This whole process has recently happened with two adult females here at CCF named Luna and Athena. Just the other day they were taken to the wild. This is a big part of what CCF strives to do, and we all have a fingers crossed that these two girls continue to thrive while on their own.

To view the original entry as well as Ben’s other blog entries, please visit: http://benspearing1.blogspot.com/

Cody Buongiorno is a Senior at Oregon State majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry. During Fall 2012, Cody traveled to Ecuador through IE3 Global Internships and participated in a medical rotation internship for Child Family Health International (CFHI).

Making the decision to travel to the astonishingly beautiful and diverse country of Ecuador was a remarkable and immeasurably beneficial experience. I achieved a longtime dream to study and live in a different region of the world. Throughout the three months of my Child Family Health International (CFHI) medical internship in the fall of 2012, I completed an intensive intermediate Spanish course focused on language and medical terminology. Additionally, I was privileged to work alongside and learn from seven doctors in various specialties, and interact with countless other doctors, surgeons, medical students, nurses and, of course, many patients. I was immersed in both the rich Ecuadorian culture and healthcare system. I lived with another Oregon State student and three other CFHI interns participating in different programs who were all interested in studying medicine.

The programs varied, reflecting each student’s level or experience with the Spanish language, the medical field and prior world travel. The medical coordinator, a local family medicine doctor, organized the clinical rotations and weekly progress meetings while also providing excellent advice and making the students feel comfortable. I spent seven weeks of my program in the city of Quito, and three weeks in between on the coast. I started off at a pediatric clinic and maternity hospital with my fellow OSU intern. We travelled by trolley or bus to the clinic and the hospital where we worked with doctors for four hours each morning. We then returned to the Spanish school for four hours of language classes. With this general schedule I rotated through a pediatric clinic, a maternity hospital, a surgery rotation, a family medicine clinic and a specialized hospital for oncology and hematology.

Cody Buongiorno - IE3 CFHI Ecuador

After the first five weeks, I ventured to the coast of Ecuador where I lived and worked in the rural town of Chone. The pronounced and distinct change in climate, culture, language and my personal lifestyle both refreshed and challenged me after becoming accustomed to the massive city of Quito. I lived with a loving and caring host family that assisted my assimilation into the culture and accepted me as a part of their family with open arms. I worked alongside a very caring and intelligent pediatrician with whom I spent the majority of my time. We worked eight hour days in the hospital, running between the inpatient cases and the outpatient clinic while continually referring to surgery, the ER, the ICU, radiology and other specialty areas of medicine. This portion of the program was more hands on and intense as I learned from many medical professionals, worked with my doctor one-on-one, dealt with patients while under supervision, and interacted with the entire working community of the hospital.

All the while, I took Spanish classes taught by instructors who became friends, connected with my fellow interns, integrated into multiple host families, and traveled all over Ecuador. While abroad I expanded my comfort zone and tried many adventurous activities: paragliding, waterfall repelling, bungee jumping, and finally, zip lining. The entire program was memorable. I witnessed sixteen surgeries, recorded countless interesting medical conditions, learned from many upcoming physicians in both a clinical and a classroom environment, examined children in Chone – after being taught how to perform a complete physical – and learned how to interact with doctors, nurses, and patients. I saw cases of dengue fever, severe bronchitis, intense malnutrition in children (kwashiorkor), heart murmurs, intestinal blockages, and many more. I encountered patients with remarkable recoveries, complicated surgeries and captivating medical cases. The entire culmination of experiences in my internship confirmed my desire to enter the medical field.

In the end it was difficult to say farewell to my family and to the country that helped me grow into the person I am today. I have been affected in so many wonderful ways and have the desire to travel more and experience other cultures of the world. I met unbelievable people along the way and encountered marvelous adventures. My study abroad greatly exceeded all expectations and was far more enjoyable and beneficial than I ever imagined. I entered my internship as a junior in college and, with the help of all the life lessons and skills I gained from studying abroad in Ecuador, I emerged with the goals of maintaining my Spanish, traveling the world on a greater scale, and someday becoming a doctor.

Molly MacGraw recently graduated from Oregon State University. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with a minor in Human Services. During her last year, Molly interned for Pathways to Development in Phnom Penh, Cambodia through IE3 Global Internships.

My experience in Cambodia took me places I could not have imagined before I left home. The richness of the culture, the friendliness of the people, and the breathtaking landscapes of the country side left me itching with curiosity and wanting more.

Besides discovering the beauty and mysteries of the country, I learned who I am as a person at this point in my life. My experience forced me to learn, adapt, and change in ways that in the moment were incredibly difficult. Cultural differences, different structural working systems, drastically different climates, and language barriers caused me to reach inside myself and find a new gear. This new gear always consisted of patience and also allowed me to look at whatever situation I was in through a different lens and new perspective. Although these experiences were very difficult, these lessons and experiences are what I thrived on as an intern, traveler, and as a person.

One of many experiences that I still hold very close to my heart is the relationship I was able to create with my host mother in the remote villages of Takeo (a small province south of Phnom Penh). She didn’t speak a word of English and had endured a very hard life so far. She was the sweetest, most positive woman whose huge smile gave me so much comfort. It amazed me how we could communicate so well through a simple touch on the shoulder, a hug, a smile, or a wave.

Although the relationship I had with my village host mom was rare and one of a kind, I found myself surrounded by many meaningful, beautiful, and genuine relationships by the end of my trip. This clearly speaks to how incredibly open and kind Cambodians are.

My time in Cambodia was wonderful, incredible, difficult, crazy, enlightening, and a very worthwhile experience that is hard to put into words. My international internship in Cambodia will stay close to my heart for a lifetime.

For an extended version of Molly’s story, please click here.

Ellen Dow is a junior at Oregon State, studying Biology. Ellen recently returned from Puerto Lopez, Ecuador where she interned for Equilibrio Azul.

During fall term of 2012, I interned with Equilibrio Azul in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador. I began my internship with a language immersion program while living with families in Quito and Cuenca.

My host families made me feel so welcome during my first couple weeks in a foreign country as I prepared myself for working with locals and other foreign volunteers. In my classes, I was able to explore the language and then practice with my respective family. I made some remarkable friendships with my hosts in Quito, even so much to call them my Ecuadorian family and stay in contact through sharing stories and pictures using email.

From the Andes, I traveled to Puerto Lopez, Ecuador on the coast, experiencing the lively adventures of the bus and the vendors that hop on at stops to sell food and a few goods for fifty cents or a few dollars. I wound up in a dusty local fishing town that was in the slow season for tourism and began my work straight away.

I volunteered with Equilibrio Azul as an intern. I had the same responsibilities as other volunteers: to go to the fish market to document shark species and work on the larger turtle project as numbers and measurements were gathered.

The activities I did while working with the turtles were my favorite. Every other day we would walk along different beaches to survey turtle activity and we went snorkeling for captures. I would not call being outside and being able to explore beaches and the ocean ‘work’ with how much I enjoyed being out there. I also had the opportunity for night patrols because I was in Puerto Lopez during the hawksbill and green sea turtle nesting seasons. We volunteered with local children from the community through EcoClub, which allowed us to have fun and educate the locals through crafts and interacting with people from all over the world. As an intern, I had my own project: I focused on the nesting demographics on a local secluded beach called Playita where we surveyed during night patrols.

All of my memories are very important to me and have shaped me throughout my experience. The ones that stand out the most as incredible occurrences in nature were seeing turtles nest and hatch. I had amazing luck at watching these things and even helping catch a turtle. I was there at the right time of the year and had the chances to go to different places and be out there nearly every day and night, which I took advantage of.

Interning with Equilibrio Azul taught me about being completely responsible for my own person and self-motivation after being dumped in a foreign place where I did not know the local lingo and was not entirely sure of how anything would work out. I learned perspective, how to go with the flow of life as friends and opportunities come and go, and the importance of the choices I make from what life gives me.

Diana Cardona is a Human Development and Family Sciences Major at Oregon State. She recently completed her internship with the Community Center in Argentina through IE3 Global Internships during the Summer 2012 term.

Although there were ups and downs, my experiences in Argentina have tremendously impacted my life. I have made personal and professional growth in the Engranajes association. I made many new bonds and felt like I left friends and family behind when returning home. I left with Argentina in my heart. My internship was an unforgettable experience and I am able to carry the lessons from my travels into my daily life.

Argentina is a country full of wealth. They are rich in art, and when I say art, I mean many things: art is found in their paintings, music, poems, writing, conversations, and politics. I am very happy that Argentina preserves their culture, traditions, and values. So many things I did in this country revolved around politics and I am glad I was able to see how important politics are in our lives. I have become more familiar with the political system and I want my voice to be heard. I know it is important to stand up for others and to especially speak out for children in difficult situations.

I learned that music allows us to fly, play, and grow, but more importantly it lets us be different from one another. In learning this, I decided to share some of my Mexican and American culture with Argentina. I learned that we are more similar than I previously thought. I learned that family is not only made up of people with whom we share DNA, but also those friends that you choose to trust. I especially felt this way about the family that shared with me their space, love, and culture. They opened my eyes to the value of living simply and respecting what you have. My conscience over politics and culture grew enormously.

The experiences with the children from the barrios taught me that children are pure joy, our future, and our present. It is important to stand up for them. I noticed that our presence made a difference in their lives. I realize that we are very privileged to live in North America and we are a country filled with opportunities. I changed my way of thinking. I opened my eyes to see that the most important thing in life is love. My family has now grown to include Argentina, Mexico and the United States.

Connie Lee is a senior at Oregon State University, majoring in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry. Connie interned abroad at the Center for Social Medicine in India through IE3 Global Internships.

As I learn more about microorganisms, my interest in the medical field grew. The medical field can be broadly divided into two fields: clinical work or research work. I have researched in a laboratory setting as well as volunteered in a hospital. However, I have not been able to experience clinical work with doctors in order to gain a true feeling of what doctors do. Besides my background knowledge of medicine from science courses, I grew an interest in learning about cultural differences from my anthropology classes. Thus, in summer 2012, I participated in the public health and medical internship at Center for Social Medicine in Loni, India.

This internship was a great opportunity for me to experience the public health and medical fields in a completely different cultural setting. I participated in a huge variety of interesting programs, such as social programs for sex workers and mobile clinic services. However, the most life-changing experience occurred at the operation theaters, particularly the posting at the maternity ward.

To say the least, the experience at the maternity ward was very intense. I was already anxious about observing my first delivery. Half way through the delivery, I started to feel nauseous and dizzy to the point where I left the labor ward. However, I challenged myself to go back into the labor room and finish observing the entire birthing process. It was self-rewarding to return to the labor ward, because at that moment I grew personally.

The environment setting is very different for pregnant women in India compared to the United States. I noticed that the maternity ward was a lot more crowded, the resources were very limited, the deliveries were usually rushed due to the number of patients, and women did not normally receive individualized care during the actual labor. Ultimately, the standards in both of these countries are on completely different scales. However, I learned to respect that, although the delivery environment is very different through an outsiders’ lens, the system works for the local villagers. The services are provided with no charge to the patients, and babies are still born healthy. Although there are many differences, some even shocking, between the two medical systems, both strive for the same goal of providing health care to people in need.

Last but not least, my experience in the operation theater helped me confirm my interests in surgery medicine. I observed a variety of surgeries including, but not limited to, cataract surgeries, joint/hip replacements, medical termination of pregnancy, open/laparoscopic tubal ligations, kidney obstruction, hysterectomies and more. The experience was very eye-opening as I could never receive the same opportunity in the United States.

I enjoyed the environment in the operation theaters. It is a place where all doctors and anesthesiologist work together to help solve a patient’s problem. I saw how the surgeons work to find a solution, and their quick reactions to find alternative methods if the original method did not work. I found a passion for the human body; the human body consists of both delicate (eyes) and strong (bones) parts. Every part of the body works in harmony to allow an individual to function.

OSU Abroad

knowledge without borders

Category Archives: IE3 Global Internships

Comparative Healthcare: An Ecuadorian Perspective

Interning at the Cheetah Conservation Fund

Immersion in Ecuador

The Pathways in Cambodia

Immersed in the Waters of Ecuador

Chau Chau Argentina

A Mishap in the Maternity Ward

Contact Info