Jamaica: Volunteer Medical Placements and Work-Experience

Volunteering on a Medicine & Healthcare project in Jamaica is a challenging and exciting experience. As a Medicine & Healthcare volunteer you will gain a great deal of valuable work-experience alongside some of the most skilled and inspirational doctors in the country.

The majority of medical volunteers find that the facilities in Jamaica are of a good standard; in fact Jamaica was one of the first countries to establish a national health service. However, you are likely to encounter many diseases that are less common than in North America and Europe.

Medicine volunteers based in Mandeville work in one of four medical institutions, the Mandeville Regional Hospital, Percy Junor Hospital, Manchester Health Department or at another Health Centre and the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA). In St. Elizabeth volunteers work at the Black River Hospital or a variety of Health Centres, while in St. Ann volunteers work at the St. Ann’s Bay Hospital or in local Health Centres. Medical students and professionals (nurses, doctors, laboratory technicians etc.) can be placed at the hospitals. Pre-medical students or anyone seeking some form of medical experience will be placed at a health centre or with the SRHA. Depending on your area of interest medical students may also be placed at the Health Department or the SRHA.

At the hospitals you will spend time working in both in-patient and out-patient services in departments such as general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics, gynaecology, and paediatrics. The Health Department and Health Centres offer a variety of services including an adolescent health clinic, wellness clinic, child health, curative health, family planning and health programme and sexually transmitted infection clinics. The categories of nurse at these facilities are public health, midwife, registered, enrolled and community health aides.

Your supervisor can ensure that you work in a variety of areas during your placement, and learn as much as possible about medical practice in Jamaica.

Doctors and nurses welcome volunteers with a range of experience, so long as you are enthusiastic and keen to participate. By showing initiative and building a good rapport with your colleagues, you can get very involved with the doctors and patients with whom you are working.

Volunteer Nursing in Jamaica

If you are a trained nurse, a nursing student, or on a gap year, career break or holiday period and interested in gaining some experience in the field, you could volunteer with us as a nurse in Jamaica. For some specific areas volunteers will have to be certified and if you are a student there are some areas that you will not be able to observe.

We have a number of placements where you can gain some great experience. Nursing volunteers have the opportunity to work in either a large hospital or in a smaller specialist clinic or healthcare centre.

Whichever volunteer Medicine & Healthcare placement you choose in Jamaica, outside of work you will live with a local host family, who will provide your meals and a real taste of Jamaican hospitality. When you aren’t at work there is plenty to do in and around Mandeville, and our lively, diverse volunteer community means there are always other volunteers around to make friends with.