Medical Internship in Peru for Teenagers

Are you considering a career in healthcare but want to know what it’s really like before committing to years of medical school? 

This medical internship for teenagers in Peru offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to step out of the classroom and directly into a medical environment. Specially designed for students aged 16-18, our comprehensive high school medical programmes abroad provide an unparalleled combination of clinical observation, practical skills training, and impactful community outreach. 

When you join this programme, you will actively shadow doctors in Peru, observing consultations and seeing first-hand how medical professionals manage patient care in a medical setting that is different to home. 

This programme is tailored specifically for teenagers, so no previous experience is required. You will receive expert guidance and supervision, making this the ideal medical experience for high school students who are serious about building a robust university application and discovering their true calling.

On top of hospital observation, our teen medical outreach programmes empower you to pick up key medical skills. You’ll participate in hands-on workshops covering essentials like vital signs, first aid, and basic wound care. 

Then, you’ll put those skills into practice during community health outreaches in disadvantaged or rural areas around Cusco or Arequipa, tackling pressing issues like malnutrition and infectious diseases. 

If you are exploring healthcare internships during your school break, the blend of clinical exposure, community service, and cultural activities offered by Projects Abroad in Peru ensures that you’ll return home with valuable new medical knowledge, plus a new perspective, and friends from around the world.

The main aim of this project is to give you the opportunity to expand your practical medical knowledge. 

You’ll also learn basic medical skills that you can use to assist others during outreach activities.

Taking place during your school holidays, it blends hands-on learning with cultural discovery, so that you can stay focused on your academics while seeing the world, making new friends, and having fun.

More broadly, Peru has complex public health challenges, including infectious disease in rural areas alongside an increase in non-communicable conditions like diabetes. In high-altitude communities around Cusco, easy access to preventive health education and basic check-ups remains limited too.

​​Through community outreach initiatives, like those in this internship, you’ll be increasing access to basic healthcare where it’s needed the most, and experiencing healthcare delivery outside of a formal medical setting too. 

Finally, our Global Citizenship Framework is embedded into the programme delivery, giving you a boost in global citizenship competencies that will complement your new personal and professional skills.

At the same time, participants build intercultural competence and ethical awareness through our integrated Global Citizenship framework.

During your time as a medical intern in Peru, you will have many opportunities to learn, help, and explore.

Your project activities will mainly focus on the following:

Shadow and observe doctors and nurses in a medical facility

Your role in the hospital is strictly observational. You will shadow doctors and nurses on their rounds, observing patient interactions, consultations, and care across various wards, including:

• General Medicine & Nursing.
• Midwifery
• Laboratory & Pharmacy.

Medical workshops and seminars

You’ll attend workshops and seminars, which includes a final assessment to cement your new knowledge of basic healthcare procedures. 

You’ll cover:

• Vital signs assessment (blood pressure, pulse, temperature)
• First Aid fundamentals
• Two-tier suturing techniques (Sutures I & II)
• Blood lab diagnostic procedures
• Safe injection methods
• Neuro-anatomy and practical dissections
• Conversational Spanish for healthcare settings

Support medical outreach to communities in need

Step outside the hospital to visit primary schools, eldery care homes, or local communities in Cusco. You could lead interactive health and hygiene education workshops for the children or assist healthcare staff with basic health checks and minor health issue consultations.

Discover Peru

When you’re not being a medical intern, you’ll benefit from a full programme of fully supervised activities—starting with a cultural induction. 

Activities include a cookery class, salsa lesson, walking tour, weekend excursion to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, plus free time for shopping, relaxation, and meals.

Develop a global mindset through guided reflection

Participate in Global Citizenship Framework sessions to help you process your daily experience in a new country.

Through guided group discussions and creative reflection exercises, you’ll tackle real-world issues, build self-awareness, and learn what it truly means to make a positive global impact.

Read more about our Global Citizenship Framework →